The One-Pot Dinner I Make On Busy Weeknights Everybody Loves

I’m removed from the primary particular person to recommend a fast pasta dinner for busy weeknights, however our Skillet-Toasted Gnocchi with Peas is the recipe I flip to after I’m too drained to cook dinner, and too impatient to order takeout.

Skillet Toasted Gnocchi Peas Recipe

Why This Recipe Is So Easy

I sometimes preserve packs of contemporary pasta frozen in my freezer, together with gnocchi, for last-minute dinner emergencies, however you can make this recipe with shelf-stable gnocchi, too. Pantry pastas are all the time my lazy cooking go-to, as they usually come collectively in beneath half-hour.

The beauty of gnocchi is which you can toss the little potato dumplings straight into the pan with out boiling them first. That means no giant pasta pot to wash, just one skillet. Plus, gnocchi really profit from pan-frying, getting crispy on the surface whereas staying pillowy on the within.

A Simple Ingredient List

Aside from gnocchi, every thing else you must make this dish is a pantry staple, from rooster broth to garlic. It additionally options one other freezer staple: frozen peas. Although any frozen vegetable would work right here, from broccoli florets to spinach.

Frozen corn would additionally add a pleasant sweetness to this pasta dish, even when it gained’t provide the identical pop of inexperienced coloration, and could be nice with some added bacon (which is a kitchen staple in my home).

If you don’t have contemporary thyme or parsley readily available, dried will do, however use half as a lot. I’ve additionally subbed in no matter contemporary herbs I’ve readily available, together with dill and mint. While I all the time have Parmesan within the fridge, any arduous cheese, like Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano, will work effectively on this recipe.

Fun Additions

• Adding Protein: I preserve returning to this recipe as a result of I discover new methods to combine it up. Adding protein is an effective way to bulk up the meal, and rotisserie or leftover rooster tossed in on the finish of the cooking is a straightforward option to do it. I’ve additionally added leftover salmon into the combo.

• Tossing in More Veggies: For a vegetarian addition, fry up assorted wild mushrooms whereas browning the gnocchi for meaty texture with out utilizing any meat.

• Tasty Toppings: Another option to change up the dish is with ending touches. A decadent option to high this pasta is with dollops of contemporary ricotta that pair effectively with the lemon within the sauce.

• Adding Crunch: I’ve topped the dish with toasted pine nuts, however your favourite nut will work, too. A sprinkle of sumac, a lemony Middle Eastern spice, performs off of the lemon within the sauce the identical means the contemporary thyme does, so I like so as to add somewhat for each taste and its vibrant purple hue.

All that is to say: The prospects with the dish are principally infinite.

Read the unique article on Southern Living