I spent some time studying abroad during my time at Virgina Tech. I loved the culture of Italy and the amazing food. My favorite dish by far was gnocchi. Gnocchi is a thick soft dumpling commonly made with potato. I enjoy gnocchi with a lighter sauce because the dumplings themselves can be heavy. I purchased uncooked gnocchi at Wegmans and looked up recipes on how to serve the dish. I combined some recipes and came up with a dish. The dish includes many vegetables and lean protein in the form of shrimp. This is a great dish for date night. I suggest serving this with a crusty Italian bread and olive oil dipping sauce. I also suggest an arugula salad with tomatoes and a balsamic dressing to pair with the gnocchi. We also paired the meal with ‘The Slammer’ Sweet Shiraz, which I highly suggest next time you’re in the wine aisle.
Recipe
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1/2 jar sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup spinach
1/2 Red bell pepper, diced
1 packaged uncooked gnocchi
12 large uncooked shrimp
basil leaves to garnish
Bring a large pot of water to a boil Add 1 tsp salt and gently place gnocchi into the water. Stir and let cook for 3-5 minutes. The gnocchi will rise to the top of the water and float when done. Do not over-cook or the dumplings will become doughy. Strain and let cool while preparing the sauce. Heat a large skillet to medium high and coat with olive oil. Add raw shrimp. Flip after 2 minutes. Cook another two minutes and bring heat down to medium. Flip shrimp one more time and remove from heat. In a different large skillet, bring burner to medium high and coat with cooking spray. Add diced onions and saute for 5 minutes until onions begin to brown. Add diced pepper, and sun-dried tomato with oil to the skillet. Stir and let cook for 5 minutes. Add gnocchi, basil, and spinach to the skillet. Stir continuously so the gnocchi can absorb the flavors and spinach begins to wilt. After 3-5 minutes add shrimp. Top with fresh basil and serve.
I was afraid the dish would be too dry. The oil from the sun-dried tomatoes coats the gnocchi perfectly and adds enough liquid to the dish. Gnocchi is typically served as a first course in Italy, but this dish is hearty enough to enjoy as the main event.
healthygirlshappyhour 