The “Restaurant-Worthy” Weeknight Dinner: The Easiest, Creamiest Tomato Gnocchi!

Is there anything more comforting than a big, warm bowl of soft, pillowy gnocchi? Those tender little potato dumplings are like cozy clouds of pure, satisfying deliciousness. They are the ultimate comfort food, a true treat for any pasta lover.

Now, imagine those perfect pillows swimming in a rich, luscious, and unbelievably creamy tomato sauce. A beautiful sauce that clings to every single piece of gnocchi, delivering a burst of savory, tangy, and herby flavor in every bite. It sounds like a dish that would take hours to simmer to perfection, doesn’t it?

What if I told you that you could have this entire, restaurant-quality meal on your dinner table in under 30 minutes, all made in one single pan? Today, we are making this incredible 30-Minute Creamy Tomato Gnocchi. Get ready to discover your new favorite weeknight dinner.

The Ultimate “One-Pan Wonder”: Easy Gnocchi Recipe

This Easy Gnocchi Recipe is the ultimate one-pan wonder for a quick and impressive dinner. The recipe brilliantly uses store-bought potato gnocchi that cooks directly in the sauce, saving you time and a dirty pot. This simple method creates an incredibly flavourful and satisfying meal with the absolute easiest cleanup.

A Perfect Quick Vegetarian Dinner for Simple One-Pot Meals

You will find that this is the perfect quick vegetarian dinner. It is a hearty and satisfying meatless meal that is packed with the rich flavors of tomato, garlic, and fresh herbs. This dish is also one of the absolute best simple one-pot meals, a guaranteed, can’t-go-wrong classic that will have your whole family smiling.

Your Guide: How to Make a Creamy Tomato Sauce Without Heavy Cream

For anyone wondering how to make a creamy tomato sauce without heavy cream, the brilliant and simple secret is to use a little bit of softened cream cheese. After you have built your simple tomato sauce with garlic and herbs, you will turn the heat to low and stir in a few ounces of cream cheese until it completely melts. It creates a rich, tangy, and unbelievably creamy sauce with a luscious, velvety texture, all from a simple and accessible pantry staple.

Why You’ll Love This Creamy Tomato Gnocchi

You are going to love this recipe because it is an unbelievably fast and easy one-pan meal that tastes like it came from a fancy Italian restaurant. You’ll also adore the perfect texture of the soft, pillowy gnocchi enveloped in the rich, velvety, and flavour-packed tomato cream sauce. Plus, it’s a comforting and satisfying vegetarian meal that is perfect for a busy weeknight.

Nutritional Benefits

This beautiful and satisfying vegetarian dish is a wonderful comfort meal. The tomatoes in the sauce are a fantastic source of essential nutrients like Vitamin C and the powerful antioxidant lycopene. By making your own simple sauce from scratch at home, you have complete control over the ingredients and can avoid the high amounts of sugar and sodium often found in jarred pasta sauces.

Full Recipe

Are you ready to create the easiest, creamiest, and most delicious gnocchi dish of your life? This detailed guide will walk you through the unbelievably simple one-pan process for this amazing weeknight recipe. Get ready to master a new family-favorite that will make you a dinner-time hero.

Drowning in weeknight dinner stress? This one-pan vegetarian recipe is your escape. Imagine pillowy gnocchi swimming in a rich, creamy tomato sauce, ready in under 30 minutes. It’s the perfect fast dinner recipe for a meatless Monday that feels indulgent but is secretly simple.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Yield: 4-6 servings | Category: Dinner, Main Course | Method: One-Pan, Stovetop | Cuisine: Italian-American | Diet: Vegetarian

Essential Ingredients for Creamy Tomato Gnocchi

This quick and comforting one-pan meal comes together with a handful of simple, flavourful ingredients.

• Gnocchi: 1 package (17.5 oz / 500g) of shelf-stable potato gnocchi
• Aromatics: 1 large onion, chopped & 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• Tomatoes: 1 large can (28 oz / 794g) of crushed tomatoes
• Liquid: 1 cup of low-sodium vegetable broth
• Secret Creaminess: 4 oz (½ block) of cream cheese, softened and cubed
• Greens: 3 cups of fresh baby spinach
• Cheese: ½ cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• Seasoning: 1 teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper

Ingredients Notes

A little more detail on our key ingredients will ensure your gnocchi dish is a spectacular success.

• The Gnocchi: For this specific one-pan recipe, it is very important to use the shelf-stable potato gnocchi that you can find in the pasta aisle of your grocery store. The refrigerated or frozen kinds of gnocchi have a different moisture content and may not cook properly with this method.
• The Cream Cheese: This is our secret weapon for an unbelievably creamy sauce without any heavy cream. Using a block-style, full-fat cream cheese that has been softened to room temperature is the key to having it melt beautifully and seamlessly into the tomato sauce.
• The Crushed Tomatoes and Broth: This combination creates the flavourful liquid that will both cook our gnocchi and become our final sauce. Using a good quality canned crushed tomato will provide a wonderful, rich base. A low-sodium vegetable broth will add an extra layer of savory depth to the dish.
• The Spinach: Using fresh baby spinach is a fantastic way to add some beautiful color and a dose of healthy nutrients to this rich dish. You will add a large amount to the pan, but it will wilt down to a perfect, silky texture in the hot sauce in just a minute.

How to Transform Your Dinner Routine

Let’s walk through the incredibly simple one-pan process for this ultimate comfort food dinner.

• Step 1: Sauté the Aromatics. In a large, deep skillet or a Dutch oven, heat a little olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the minced garlic and the Italian seasoning and cook for one more minute until it is very fragrant.
• Step 2: Create the Sauce and Cook the Gnocchi. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and the vegetable broth, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any delicious browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then stir in the uncooked, shelf-stable gnocchi.
• Step 3: Simmer Until Tender. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the skillet, and let the gnocchi cook in the sauce for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gnocchi are tender and have plumped up.
• Step 4: The Final Creamy Touches. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Stir in the cubed, softened cream cheese until it has completely melted and the sauce is luscious and creamy.
• Step 5: Add Greens and Cheese. Stir in the handfuls of fresh baby spinach until it has completely wilted into the hot sauce. Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese until it has melted.
• Step 6: Season and Serve. Season the dish with salt and pepper to your taste. Serve hot in warm bowls with an extra sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Storage Options

This creamy gnocchi is at its absolute best when it is enjoyed fresh and hot right from the skillet. If you do have any leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The sauce will thicken considerably as it cools.

To reheat, it is best to place the gnocchi and sauce in a skillet over a low heat. Add a generous splash of vegetable broth or water and stir gently until the sauce becomes creamy again and the gnocchi are heated all the way through.

Variations and Substitutions

This classic comfort food recipe is a wonderful and versatile template. For a boost of protein, you can add a can of rinsed and drained white beans or chickpeas to the sauce along with the gnocchi. For a bit of a spicy kick, feel free to add a generous pinch of red pepper flakes to the skillet along with the garlic. You could also add other delicious vegetables like some sautéed mushrooms or some chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

Practical & Valuable Tips

For the most flavourful sauce, be sure to take the extra few minutes to sauté your onions and garlic before you add the other ingredients. The most important tip for a smooth and creamy sauce is to add your softened cream cheese over a very low heat and stir gently until it is completely melted and incorporated. Finally, be sure not to overcook your gnocchi; it is done as soon as it is tender and has puffed up slightly.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I use refrigerated or frozen gnocchi for this one-pot recipe? It is not recommended for this specific one-pan method. Refrigerated and frozen gnocchi have a different texture and cooking requirement, and are best boiled separately in water according to their package directions before being added to a finished sauce.
2. My cream cheese is not melting smoothly. What did I do wrong? If your cream cheese is clumping, it is likely because it was not fully softened to room temperature before being added to the sauce, or the heat was too high. It is very important to use softened cream cheese and to stir it into the sauce over a very low heat.
3. Can I make this dish vegan? Yes, this recipe can be easily adapted to be vegan. You would simply need to use your favorite brand of a dairy-free cream cheese and a dairy-free Parmesan cheese alternative.
4. Can I add a protein to this dish? Of course! For a non-vegetarian version, some cooked, sliced Italian sausage or some shredded rotisserie chicken would both be fantastic additions that you could stir in at the very end.
5. What is the best way to serve this hearty gnocchi? This rich and satisfying gnocchi is a fantastic main course on its own. It is wonderful served with a side of warm, crusty garlic bread for dipping into the delicious sauce. A simple green salad with a light, acidic vinaigrette is also a perfect and refreshing accompaniment to cut through the richness of the cream sauce.

Conclusion

This 30-Minute Creamy Tomato Gnocchi is the perfect solution for a dinner that is incredibly fast, easy, and satisfyingly indulgent. It’s a dish that takes the humble potato gnocchi and elevates it with a rich, velvety sauce that tastes like it came from a fine restaurant. It is a foolproof, one-pan wonder that is guaranteed to become a new staple in your weeknight dinner rotation. This is the perfect fast dinner recipe. If you love this easy and delicious vegetarian meal, don’t forget to share it and save it to your favorite pasta recipes board on Pinterest!