Pasta
$0.60per plate
Prep
5 min
Pasta · Gnocchi
Creamy Gnocchi
This is the fastest way to turn a cheap package of potato gnocchi into a real dinner: pan-fry the little pillows until they are golden and crisp, then simmer them in a silky garlic-Parmesan cream sauce. Cooking the gnocchi straight in the skillet, with no pot of boiling water, gives them crisp edges and tender centers instead of the gummy texture boiling can leave behind. It is a meatless one-pan dinner for about two dollars a plate, and it happily takes a handful of spinach or leftover chicken if you want to stretch it. Unlike our noodle-based creamy garlic pasta, this one is all about the soft potato dumplings, and it is a heartier cousin of our vegetarian pasta. It joins the rest of our cheap pasta recipes, price up front.
$1.92per plate
Estimated recipe total
$7.69 · serves 4
Cook
20 min
Total
25 min
Serves
4
Recipe from Budget Plates · https://www.budgetplates.com/creamy-gnocchi-recipe
Equipment
- Large skillet
Variations
- Stir in a couple handfuls of spinach or frozen peas for color and vegetables.
- Add cooked chicken, sausage, or shrimp for a heartier plate.
- Finish with a few chopped sun-dried tomatoes or a spoonful of pesto for a different flavor.
1 How to make it
1
Skip the boiling water
Shelf-stable and refrigerated potato gnocchi do not need to be boiled first for this dish; they cook right in the skillet. Boiling them and then pan-frying is what leaves them waterlogged and gummy, so going straight into the hot pan is what gives you crisp edges and tender centers.
2
Brown the gnocchi
Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the gnocchi in a single layer and leave them undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes so they turn golden, then toss and brown the other side, about 6 to 8 minutes total. Do not crowd the pan; packed too tight they steam and go soft instead of browning. Work in two batches if your skillet is small.
3
Move the gnocchi out
Scoop the browned gnocchi onto a plate. Taking them out before you build the sauce keeps those crisp edges from turning soggy while the cream reduces; they go back in at the very end.
4
Start the garlic base
Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the garlic to the buttery pan and cook just 30 seconds until fragrant, scraping up the browned bits the gnocchi left behind. Keep the heat gentle so the garlic does not burn and turn bitter.
5
Build the cream sauce without splitting
Pour in the broth and let it bubble for a minute, then turn the heat to low and stir in the cream. Keep it at a gentle simmer, never a hard boil, because boiling is what makes a cream sauce break or turn grainy. Off the heat, stir in the finely grated Parmesan a handful at a time until smooth; finely grated cheese melts evenly, while coarse or pre-shredded Parmesan clumps and makes the sauce grainy.
6
Bring it together
Return the gnocchi to the pan and toss to coat. The Parmesan thickens the sauce and the broth loosens it, so splash in a little more broth until it is glossy and clings to the gnocchi, not soupy and not gluey. Simmer gently for a minute or two just to warm everything through.
7
Season and serve
Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and serve right away while it is silky. Gnocchi keeps drinking up the sauce as it sits, so a splash more broth loosens it back up if it tightens.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Stir in spinach or peas (figured separately). A couple of handfuls of fresh spinach wilted into the sauce, or a scoop of frozen peas, add color and stretch the dish. These are add-ins figured separately and not in the base cost.
- Milk or half-and-half for the heavy cream. For a lighter, cheaper sauce, use half-and-half, or whole milk with a teaspoon of flour or cornstarch. Keep it below a boil so it does not break.
- Add a protein (figured separately). Stir in cooked chicken, browned sausage, or shrimp at the end for a heartier plate. These are add-ins figured separately and not part of the base recipe.
- Sun-dried tomatoes or pesto. A few chopped sun-dried tomatoes or a spoonful of pesto stirred in changes up the flavor for a few cents more.
3 Budget tips
- Packaged potato gnocchi is cheap and cooks in minutes with no separate pot to boil, so it is a fast one-pan dinner.
- A from-scratch sauce of butter, cream, and Parmesan costs less than a jar of alfredo and tastes richer.
- Buy a block of Parmesan and grate it yourself; it is cheaper per ounce than pre-grated and melts smoother.
- Use a splash of broth to loosen the sauce instead of more cream; it keeps the dish light and cheap.
- See more recipes priced per serving in the Budget Plates Index.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The gnocchi keep soaking up the sauce, so plan to loosen it when you reheat.
Freezer
Cream sauces can separate when frozen and gnocchi soften, so this is best made fresh. If needed, freeze in portions for up to 1 month and stir well as it reheats.
Reheating
Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave at half power, stirring in a splash of broth or milk to loosen the sauce. High heat makes gnocchi gluey and the sauce greasy, so go low and slow.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
560
Protein
15g
Fat
26g
Carbs
64g
Estimates per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not a substitute for medical advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
Do I have to boil the gnocchi first?
Not for this dish. Shelf-stable and refrigerated potato gnocchi cook right in the skillet, and pan-frying them straight from the package gives crisp edges and tender centers. Boiling them first and then frying is what makes them waterlogged and gummy.
How do I keep gnocchi from turning gummy or mushy?
Do not boil them first, do not crowd the pan, and let them brown undisturbed before tossing. The sear firms up the outside so they hold their shape in the sauce instead of going soft and pasty.
How do I keep the cream sauce from splitting?
Keep the heat low and never let the cream boil, and stir in finely grated Parmesan off the heat a little at a time. Boiling and coarse, pre-shredded cheese are what make the sauce split or turn grainy. Loosen it with a splash of broth rather than turning up the heat.
How is $1.92 a plate figured?
About $7.69 for the whole skillet, four servings, so roughly $1.92 each. The gnocchi, cream, and Parmesan are the biggest costs. Optional spinach or a protein would add to that and are figured separately.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
As an Amazon Associate, Budget Plates may earn from qualifying purchases.
- 12-inch nonstick skillet. A wide nonstick skillet browns ground meat, fries rice, and builds a one-pan sauce with less oil and easier cleanup. Best for everyday stovetop dinners like skillet meals, fried rice, pasta sauces, and patties.
- Cast iron skillet. Cast iron holds heat for a deep sear and moves from stovetop to oven, and it lasts for decades with basic care. Best for searing chops and chicken, and recipes that start on the stove and finish in the oven.
- Chef's knife. One sharp chef's knife handles almost all the chopping, from onions to chicken, and replaces a drawer of gadgets. Best for all-purpose prep in essentially every recipe on the site.
- Cutting board. A large, stable cutting board makes prep faster and safer, which matters when you cook most nights. Best for everyday chopping of onion, garlic, and vegetables across nearly every recipe.
A one-pan, 30-minute dinner - this one is also part of our one-pan skillet recipes collection and our recipes ready in 30 minutes or less collection.
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