30 Minute Brown Butter Sage Gnocchi with Spinach and Pine Nuts

Gnocchi…Gnocchi, gnocchi, gnocchi. You are so tender and potato-y and delicious. Have you ever had gnocchi before? If you haven’t, YOU ARE MISSING OUT, PEOPLE! They are iiiiitttyyy bitty, tiny, cute, adorable little potato dumplings…they sound kind of weird, but they are soft and pillowy and taste like a mix between pasta and a dumpling. That might be a horrible description, but we’re goin’ with it.

I find that I don’t like to coat gnocchi with a lot of sauce because they taste so yummy all on their own – I don’t want to cover up the flavor too much. Brown butter is the perfect answer (isn’t it the perfect answer to everything, though??). It coats the gnocchi just enough and gives them a delicious, subtle brown butter flavor.

The pine nuts and spinach give the gnocchi a few extra layers of flavor and texture that just put this dish over the top ???. So many heart eye emojis.

Another awesome thing about this recipe? It takes zero time to make. It is so quick. Most of that comes from the fact that gnocchi only takes minutes from start to finish. You pop those little potato morsels into some boiling water, wait until they float, and strain ’em.

Meanwhile, you are making your SUPER simple brown butter sauce. Brown butter, sage, garlic. Bam. Brown it. Drink it. Don’t drink it – you need it for your gnocchi. Resist drinking it.

When your butter is brown and perfect, remove the sage (more on this later) and garlic, add your gnocchi back in, and saute for a few minutes to add some texture to the gnocchi and really let that brown butter soak in. Throw in your spinach and toasted pine nuts just until the spinach wilts, and that’s it!

So, the sage. When you remove it from the pan…DON’T throw it away. Just set it aside to drain on a few paper towels. When the gnocchi is all done, you crumble this brown-butter-fried-sage (um…what…yes) over the top of the gnocchi…fried sage is what dreams are made of. Think it is going to be overpowering and waaaay to sage-y with a capital “S”? Nope. I even ate a leaf plain, all on its own. It is mild and crispy and wonderful.

And it adds another dimension of delicious flavor ❤️❤️❤️.

Did you guys do anything fun over your three day weekend (if you had a three day weekend)?? It was so awesome to have Monday off – usually when the students get a day off for something like President’s day, the teachers stay and have professional development or in-service days. It was SO nice to have a three day weekend!

I relaxed. And cooked. And cuddled with Boone. And ate gnocchi with brown butter and crispy sage.

OH! And I learned how to jump a car from my friend/coworker’s husband. I realized I should know how to do this as an adult. I was ashamed that I didn’t know….BUT Seth always did that stuff!! Car stuff was his thang, not mine. Anyway, I got my tutorial on how to do it, went home, did it, and nothing happened. It didn’t work.

So it turns out we need a new battery. Ohhhh well. Hopefully that will fix it!

Gnooocchhhiiii…MAKE IT!

30 Minute Brown Butter Sage Gnocchi with Spinach and Pine Nuts

• Author: Annie Chesson
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 25 mins
• Yield: 3 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 16 oz vacuum packaged gnocchi
• 1/2 stick butter
• 5 sage leaves
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 2 cups packed spinach
• 1/4 cup pine nuts

Instructions

1. Bring a pot of salted water (it should taste like the ocean) to a rolling boil
2. Cook your gnocchi until all the dumplings float (it shouldn’t take more than 3 or so minutes – read the package instructions)
3. Drain in a colander and set aside
4. Meanwhile, make your sauce
5. In a large saute pan, add your butter, sage, and garlic over medium heat
6. Cook until butter has browned, stirring almost constantly
7. Discard garlic and set sage leaves aside to drain over a few layers of paper towel
8. Add the gnocchi into the brown butter, stir to combine
9. Turn the heat up to medium-high and let the gnocchi saute in the pan for a few minutes, stirring often
10. Meanwhile, toast your pine nuts
11. In a small pan, add your pine nuts and toast over medium heat until areas of the pine nuts are turning golden brown
12. Add your spinach and pine nuts in with the gnocchi
13. Stir until the spinach has wilted
14. Serve and top with Parmesan cheese (optional) and black pepper

If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!

In the mood for more yummy pasta dishes? Check these out:

Easy Crock-Pot Italian Pasta

20 Minute Lemon Parmesan Pasta

One Pot Secret Ingredient Cajun Chicken Pasta