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    Home » Main dishes

    Creamy bacon gnocchi with spinach

    October 11, 2024 by Caroline's Cooking

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    Quick and easy to make and packed with flavor, this creamy bacon gnocchi with spinach is perfect any night. Delicious comfort food.

    This creamy bacon gnocchi is packed with flavor and quick and easy to make. It's full on comfort food, and perfect for busy nights, chilly evenings or any excuse.

    Jump to Recipe
    bowl of creamy bacon gnocchi with spinach with spinach leaves under bowl.

    This post may contain affiliate links, where we earn from qualifying purchases. See more details in the policy page.

    Gnocchi has long been a favorite in our house, and we often make our own, whether that's bright beet gnocchi, more autumnal acorn squash gnocchi or not-quite-but-similar spinach ricotta gnudi. They're one of the meals the kids can easily help with as there's something for all skills.

    However not all days have the time to make gnocchi from scratch, of course. So whether it's drawing on a stash in the freezer, or buying from the store, it's worth having some ways to make them that bit more interesting. And this is a great solution.

    overhead view of skillet with creamy bacon gnocchi with spinach.

    Different sauces for gnocchi

    Many times, if I am making gnocchi myself, we keep things really simple with some browned butter and parmesan. This lets you get all the delicate flavor in the gnocchi, and keeps things slightly lighter (as the gnocchi are themselves).

    However, it does also probably mean you need more gnocchi per person. Plus if I'm using leftover gnocchi I have frozen or, on occasion, store-bought, it doesn't work as well. Both tend to be that bit heavier and need a little more added for flavor.

    That's where a flavorful sauce comes in to both stretch the gnocchi further and add in some extra flavors. My gnocchi with fennel and pork is a great example of both, and I also really love the earthiness of my mushroom gnocchi. Then this one is all comfort.

    bowls with gnocchi, chopped spinach, peas, bacon, chopped onion with cheese, cream and stock around.

    An easy sauce, full of flavor

    For whatever reason, pork-y flavors pair well with gnocchi. Though maybe it's partly that bacon goes with most things. Either way, there's lots of flavor here that works well and comes together easily.

    This is pretty quick to make, with minimal preparation needed, though you do want to take a little time letting the onion soften and the bacon crisp a little. Allowing the onion to soften and become sweet gives a great base to the sauce, that's worth doing.

    Essentially, everything is cooked in one pan and you just need to stir now and then and gradually add things. Deglazing with some stock or wine both adds flavor and helps get any tasty browning into the sauce.

    After you add the cream, don't let it cook long, and keep the heat low, to avoid it getting to thick or potentially separating. Though if needed, you can add a little extra cream or stock to thin it out.

    skillet with gnocchi, bacon and onion.

    To make things a little healthier (well, kind of) and for color and variety, I added some spinach and peas. They also both go really well flavor-wise and cook nice and quickly. Alternatively, I have also made this with short lengths of asparagus instead of peas, or you could use some frozen mixed vegetables.

    While the creamy sauce is perfect with gnocchi, you could also use it with small pasta, or even try it drizzled over chicken. You could even add in some extra vegetables and stock to make it into a soup, I'd guess, though I haven't tried that yet.

    There's so much flavor packed into this relatively simple and easy creamy bacon gnocchi with spinach. The bacon, caramelized onions, cream and cheese all come together so well. It's also wonderfully comforting, tasty and quick to make. In other words just what you need sometimes.

    creamy bacon gnocchi with spinach in bowl from side.

    Try these other tasty sauces that would be great with gnocchi:

    • Lamb ragu - a delicious variation on the ragu theme with tender, flavorful lamb.
    • Bacon sundried tomato pasta with spinach and cream - with some similar flavors to this sauce, and just as good with gnocchi as pasta.
    • Pasta puttanesca (a tasty combination of tomato, capers, anchovies and more).

    Plus get more main dish recipes in the archives.

    side view of bowl of creamy bacon gnocchi with spinach.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 3 votes

    Creamy bacon gnocchi with spinach

    Easy to make and packed with flavor, this creamy bacon sauce will perk up gnocchi in no time.
    Prep Time5 minutes mins
    Cook Time15 minutes mins
    Total Time20 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 990kcal
    Author: Caroline's Cooking
    SaveSaved!

    Ingredients

    • 4 oz smoked bacon (streaky)
    • ¼ onion med-large
    • 1 clove garlic 2 small
    • 1 ½ oz spinach
    • 2 cups gnocchi see notes
    • ¼ cup chicken stock or can use white wine
    • ½ tablespoon flour
    • ½ cup cream
    • ½ cup frozen peas (optional)
    • ½ cup parmesan loose packed, or can use pecorino

    Instructions

    • Slice the bacon, finely chop the onion and garlic and roughly chop the spinach.
    • Warm a medium skillet/frying pan over a medium heat. Add the bacon to the pan, stirring now and then until the fat starts to render. Once you have some fat rendered, add the onion and cook, stirring now and then, until the onion softens and the bacon is starting to crisp. Add the garlic and cook a minute more.
    • Add the gnocchi and stir as it cooks for a minute or two then add the stock (or wine) to deglaze. Deglaze a little, add flour to help absorb the fat and thicken the sauce then add the cream.
    • Add the spinach along with the peas, if using. Wilt down the spinach, stirring so it alls warms in the sauce - it will just take a minute or two - then add the pecorino. Stir it through so it melts into the sauce. Mix everything well - if it's a little thick, add a little more cream and/or stock then serve.

    Video

    Notes

    If you have time to make homemade gnocchi, then cook them first by adding to a pot of boiling water, let them rise to the top then remove and drain. If you use ready made gnocchi, ideally use skillet gnocchi that can be added straight to the skillet/pan without pre cooking. Otherwise, similarly pre-cook. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 990kcal | Carbohydrates: 99g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 53g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 1789mg | Potassium: 436mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4063IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 431mg | Iron: 11mg
    Tried this recipe?Please consider Leaving a Review!

    This post may contain affiliate links, where we earn from qualifying purchases. See more details in the policy page.

    This recipe was first shared in January 2017 and has been updated, primarily with new photos and added video, as well as extra information.

    Remember to pin for later!

    Quick and easy to make and packed with flavor, this creamy bacon gnocchi with spinach is perfect any night. Delicious comfort food.

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    1. kim says

      February 15, 2019 at 10:38 am

      5 stars
      Love the flavors in this dish! Bacon makes everything better! 🙂

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking says

        February 19, 2019 at 11:53 am

        Very true 🙂

        Reply
    2. Anna Hettick says

      January 15, 2019 at 12:22 pm

      5 stars
      Oh my goodness. You literally had me at BACON SAUCE, but to add spinach in it too and say it was for gnocchi!?!?! So good!!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking says

        January 19, 2019 at 11:55 am

        Thanks, it really is a delicious combination.

        Reply
    3. Beth Neels says

      January 15, 2019 at 11:17 am

      5 stars
      I want to eat this so badly right now, I can't even express it in words! I have everything I need, except asparagus, so I am headed out to get some and making this for dinner!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking says

        January 19, 2019 at 11:55 am

        So glad to hear, enjoy!

        Reply
    4. Amy says

      January 15, 2019 at 11:04 am

      I'm going to have to try this. I really want to love gnocchi, but I've never found a way to prepare it that I like. This recipe has tons of my favorite flavors and veggies, so I think this might be the one!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking says

        January 19, 2019 at 11:55 am

        I can understand that, they can be a bit heavy or bland, especially if store bought, but this sauce definitely helps give them plenty flavor and is full on comfort food!

        Reply
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