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Home » Entrées » Tuscan Gnocchi with Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes

Tuscan Gnocchi with Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes

Published: Jul 27, 2021 · Modified: Aug 12, 2021 by Genevieve Morrison · This post may contain affiliate links

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This incredible, creamy Tuscan gnocchi with spinach and cherry tomatoes is exquisitely rich and full of fresh, bright vegetables! It’s so easy to prepare, feeds 4 lucky guests and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare! It’s such an impressive, colorful, decadent Italian dinner!

A bowl of colorful gnocchi with tomatoes in a bowl with a title that says “Creamy Tuscan Gnocchi.”
Contents hide
1 Why This Recipe is Special
2 Ingredient Notes
3 How to Make This Recipe – Step by Step
4 Common Questions
5 A Few Tips
6 A Few Recipes to Pair With Your Pasta
7 Tuscan Gnocchi with Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes

I love that this can be an easy, lazy Tuesday night meal or a truly elegant, impressive dinner party entrée. The key is to add the tomatoes and basil at the very end so that they’re only just warmed, and not cooked. It makes this recipe taste so fresh and delightful!

If you’d like a few appetizer ideas to serve before this gorgeous entrée, I would suggest something special in pesto, like my scallop amuse-bouche, small turkey meatballs or these beautiful pesto ricotta crostini!

A spoon of gnocchi with tomatoes and spinach,

Why This Recipe is Special

It’s simply beautiful – Your guests will look at this gnocchi like Cinderella arriving at the ball: starry-eyed and breathless. It’s just stunning.

Really, it takes less than 30 minutes to make – How could something so beautiful and delicious take so little time to make? Cheese, cream, carbs and delicious vegetables don’t require a whole lotta kitchen magic. They’re quite perfect as they come. Just a little chop’n, grate’n, melt’n, boil’n and mix’n. Bing, bang, boom, MAGNIFICENCE! 

It can be easily saved and baked later – This recipe is quite filling. If you end up with leftovers, simply refrigerate and bake later! Instructions in the “Common Questions” below.

Ingredient Notes

9 ingredients on a table with text labels describing what they are.

chicken broth – If you want to make this recipe vegetarian, simply substitute with vegetable broth.

cherry tomatoes – I highly suggest finding multi-colored tomatoes. They just look so bright and pretty!

gnocchi – I used a simple, frozen gnocchi for this recipe, but if you would like to make yours from scratch, take a look at Emily’s potato gnocchi recipe at Inside the Rustic Kitchen.

basil – even though Italian seasoning includes dry basil, we’re still adding fresh basil as well to really push the flavor.

spinach – Fresh is best, but you can also use frozen. Just be sure to thaw it and use full leaf spinach, instead of chopped.

parmesan – If you want to make this recipe truly vegetarian, you’ll need to find a vegetarian parmesan. Parmesan contains animal rennet so, surprisingly to some, it isn’t vegetarian. Luckily, you can find parmesans that use vegetable rennet like BelGioioso’s vegetarian parmesan.

How to Make This Recipe – Step by Step

A collage of 4 numbered images showing how to prepare ingredients.

1. Dice 1 small red onion, set aside.

2. Coarsely chop 3 cups fresh spinach, packed. Set aside.

3. Grate ½ cup fresh parmesan. Set aside.

4. Finely chop ¼ cup fresh basil. Set aside.

A collage of 4 numbered images showing how to cook ingredients.

5. Slice ½ cup cherry tomatoes. Set aside.

6. In a sauté pan, add 1 tbsp. olive oil and diced onion. Allow it to sauté for 3 minutes. Then, place chopped spinach on top. Allow it to sauté with onion for 2-3 minutes. Remove both from pan and set aside.

7. Place a pot on another burner and begin to boil enough water to cover your gnocchi while you prepare the sauce. 

8. To the sauté pan, add 1 cup heavy cream, ½ cup chicken broth, grated parmesan, 1 tsp. garlic powder and 1 tsp. Italian seasoning. Over MEDIUM-HIGH heat, use a spatula to move and stir the sauce for 10-12 minutes until thick and bubbly. Turn off heat and cover with a lid when ready.

2 numbered images showing how to strain gnocchi and add it to other ingredients.

9. Once water is boiling, pour in 15 oz. gnocchi. Be sure to check the directions on your package, but they usually take about 2-3 minutes to boil. Once finished, strain pasta.

10. Under the sauté pan, turn on a LOW heat. Add spinach, onions, fresh basil, cherry tomatoes and gnocchi to the sauce. Gently stir for 1 minute, sprinkle with salt & pepper and serve.

Common Questions

1. How do you reheat this recipe?

Bake at 350 F. (175 C.) for 20 minutes. It’s also nice to sprinkle a little more parmesan on top first so the top gets nice and crispy.

2. How long will it last?


Store in a covered, refrigerated container for 7 days.

2. Can the sauce be made ahead of time?


Yes, it can! It can be made a whole day ahead of time, refrigerated in a container with a lid, and reheated in a pan for about 3-4 minutes. It will have to be re-salted because it will lose a little flavor when stored over night, but it will be just as good as fresh. Just make sure to continuously stir it in the pan when reheating so that the cheese doesn’t bake to the bottom of the pan as it heats.

3. What makes this recipe “Tuscan?”


According to walksitaly.com, “Tuscan cooking doesn’t use complicated seasonings or elaborate creations because they’re not needed. Instead, it’s made using fresh, high-quality ingredients that bring out the natural flavors in each dish.”

Garlic and simple spices like oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary are all that’s needed. It’s really all about the fresh vegetables, Italian herbs and simplicity that makes it “Tuscan.”

A Few Tips

1. Don’t boil that gnocchi more than it should be.

It cooks very quickly and gets very soft if overcooked. It will just be a pile of hot, wet dough if it boils longer than it should, so take it out right away.

Also, don’t wait for them to “rise” to know if they’re done. Directions often mention this, but nope – it’s the time that they’re in the water, not whether they float to the top or not, that determines when they’re done.

2. Save a few extra cherry tomatoes to pop on top.

To make it extra pretty, save a few sliced cherry tomatoes just to pop on top, that aren’t saucy like the rest. They really turn up the saturation on the whole meal!

A bowl of colorful gnocchi with tomatoes and spinach in a bowl.

A Few Recipes to Pair With Your Pasta

  • A Lemon Drop cocktail, garnished with a lemon slice and 3 small daisies on a table, with a bouquet in the background.
    The Simple Lemon Drop Cocktail
  • About 15 meatballs in a bowl, sprinkled with fresh oregano.
    Spicy Lamb Meatballs with Tzatziki
  • A glass of panna cotta with berry sauce on a table beside 3 dry roses.
    Panna Cotta with Blackberry Cabernet Sauce
  • Endive and asparagus on a plate with a pile of tzatziki on a table cloth beside forks and plates.
    Tzatziki with Lemon Asparagus and Endive

For more inspiration, subscribe to my newsletter, and follow me on Instagram, on Pinterest, tiktok, and Facebook! And if you ever make any of my tasty drinks or treats, take a picture and tag me. I want to see!

A bowl of colorful gnocchi with tomatoes and spinach in a bowl.

Tuscan Gnocchi with Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes

This incredible, creamy Tuscan gnocchi is exquisitely rich and full of fresh, summer vegetables! It’s so easy to prepare, feeds a family of 4 and takes less than half an hour to prepare! Such an impressive, colorful, decadent summer dinner!
5 from 13 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 493kcal
Author: Genevieve Morrison

Equipment

  • sharp knife and cutting board
  • cheese grater
  • sauté pan
  • pot – large enough to boil 15 oz. of gnocchi
  • spatula
  • mixing spoon

Ingredients

  • 15 oz. gnocchi
  • 1 small red onion – diced
  • 3 cups fresh spinach – chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh basil – finely chopped
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes – sliced
  • ½ cup fresh parmesan – grated
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • salt & pepper – to taste

Instructions

  • Coarsely dice 1 small red onion, coarsely chop 3 cups fresh spinach, grate ½ cup fresh parmesan, finely chop ¼ cup fresh basil and slice ½ cup cherry tomatoes. Keep each separate.
  • In a sauté pan, add 1 tbsp. olive oil and diced onion. Allow it to sauté for 3 minutes. Then, place chopped spinach on top. Allow it to sauté with onion for 2-3 minutes. Remove both from pan and set aside.
  • Place a pot on another burner and begin to boil enough water to cover your gnocchi while you prepare the sauce.
  • To the sauté pan, add 1 cup heavy cream, ½ cup chicken broth, grated parmesan, 1 tsp. garlic powder and 1 tsp. Italian seasoning. Over MEDIUM-HIGH heat, use a spatula to move and stir the sauce for 10-12 minutes until thick and bubbly. Turn off heat and cover with a lid when ready.
  • Once water is boiling, pour in 15 oz. gnocchi. Be sure to check the directions on your package, but they usually take about 2-3 minutes to boil. Once finished, strain pasta.
  • Under the sauté pan, turn on a LOW heat. Add spinach, onions, fresh basil, cherry tomatoes and gnocchi to the sauce. Gently stir for 1 minute, sprinkle with salt & pepper and serve.

Notes

1. Don’t boil that gnocchi more than it should be.
It cooks very quickly and gets very soft if overcooked. It will just be a pile of hot, wet dough if it boils longer than it should, so take it out right away. Also, don’t wait for them to “rise” to know if they’re done. Directions often mention this, but nope – it’s the time that they’re in the water, not whether they rise or not, that determines when they’re done.
2. Save a few extra cherry tomatoes to pop on top.
To make it extra pretty, save a few sliced cherry tomatoes just to pop on top, that aren’t saucy like the rest. They really turn up the saturation on the whole meal!
3. To reheat:
Bake at 350 F. (175 C.) for 20 minutes. It’s also nice to sprinkle a little more parmesan on top first so the top gets nice and crispy.
See post for detailed instructions with photos of the process.
 
Nutrition information is an estimate.

Nutrition

Serving: 8ounces | Calories: 493kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 704mg | Potassium: 325mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3285IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 254mg | Iron: 5mg
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Comments

  1. Deb

    September 08, 2023 at 12:02 am

    This was very delicious! It was easy to make and didn’t take long.

    Reply
    • Genevieve Morrison

      September 08, 2023 at 12:38 pm

      Aww, thank you Deb! Happy you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  2. Laura

    August 21, 2023 at 12:00 am

    Love that you encourage fresh ingredients. This is a great recipe and took little time to make. Subbed gnocchi for cavatelli (my husband’s favorite) and cherry tomatoes for sundried tomatoes.

    Reply
    • Genevieve Morrison

      August 21, 2023 at 1:00 pm

      Thank you so much!!

      Reply
  3. Jill L.

    August 20, 2023 at 7:42 am

    Idk what I did wrong. But my cheese never fully integrated. You may want to add a tip on how often to stir? Or what to look for? It was essentially like an Alfredo but with globs of gooey sringy cheese. Maybe like a fondue with alfredo or maybea garlic cream sauce. It tasted good but the overall texture was off. I will admit I didn’t measure the cheese & I tripled the recipe.

    I am pretty sure I overcooked my gnocchi, my husband was telling me longer. I can’t remember how it’s supposed to feel when it’s cooked…maybe another tip to add? The directions on my gnocchi simply said cook til floating.

    Reply
    • Genevieve Morrison

      August 20, 2023 at 4:56 pm

      Sadly, I’m not sure I could say exactly what went wrong if the recipe wasn’t followed. I know that the ratio of cheese to cream is important for making a sauce, if they weren’t measured, then that was probably the issue. If you use too much cheese, the sauce becomes stringy and clumpy. I imagine this could have been what was wrong. I have a tip to not wait until gnocchi floats to know if it’s done. Gnocchi brands inexplicably add this to directions, it always ends up in overcooked pasta. Even when it’s done, not every one of them will float. Gnocchi only needs about 3- 5 minutes max. I have the note in the recipe card in the notes section, but I understand how annoying that is. You’d figure the directions would be clearer on the package.

      Reply
  4. Anonymous

    August 19, 2023 at 1:56 am

    I made this for my family and everyone loved it!!! Super super easy!!! Love the instructions on which steps to do thank you!!!

    Reply
    • Genevieve Morrison

      August 20, 2023 at 4:44 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
5 from 13 votes (11 ratings without comment)

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