Spinach artichoke gnocchi combines the delicious flavors and textures of creamy spinach artichoke dip with pillowy gnocchi! This easy 1-pan meal is packed with protein and veggies! (gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free options)
Gnocchi seems to be having a moment on social media, so I got a bunch of refrigerated gnocchi and decided to use it in a creamy sauce. And what better creamy sauce to use than spinach artichoke sauce? It’s like a spinach artichoke dip elevated with crispy, pillowy gnocchi.
The dip is super creamy from tofu and cashews, there are two sources of protein in there. And there’s nutritional yeast for even more. You can also add in seeds, like hemp seeds, for additional protein.
Spinach artichoke gnocchi is an amazing dinner by itself, and you can also pair it with some crisped-up tofu, soy curls, vegan chicken, or even the bacon-y lentils from my smoky skillet lasagna.
This recipe is also super easy. You make it in just one pan in about 30 minutes. Just prep everything, chop up your aromatics, get the spinach and seasonings ready, and you’ll be on your way to making this easy, delicious, and creamy spinach artichoke gnocchi!
Serve this dish hot and creamy on its own, or with toasted sourdough, garlic bread, or a fresh side salad.
Why You’ll Love Spinach Artichoke Gnocchi
- crispy, pillowy gnocchi
- creamy spinach artichoke sauce
- 30-minute, 1-pan meal
- easy to make gluten-free, soy-free, and/or nut-free
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Make the cream sauce.
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Add all the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend for 1 minute. Let that sit for about 5 minutes to rehydrate the cashews or seeds. Then blend again for 30 seconds. If the mixture isn’t smooth yet, blend for another 30 seconds. Set the cream sauce aside.
Make the spinach artichoke gnocchi.
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Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low and mix in the minced garlic. Stir for 10–15 seconds, then mix in the red pepper flakes and mix. Next, add the chopped onion and a generous dash of salt. Increase the heat to medium, and cook, stirring every 2 minutes, until the onions are translucent. (Total 6 mins). You can add a splash of water around the 3 minute mark to help the onions brown and cook evenly.
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Once the onions are translucent, add the gnocchi and the remaining teaspoon of olive oil. Cook 2 to 4 minutes until the gnocchi starts turning toasty and golden. Fold the artichokes and cream sauce into the skillet and mix well. Rinse out the blender with about ½ cup of water, then pour that into the skillet. Mix everything well, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
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Bring the mixture to a boil, 3-4 mins, then mix in the spinach. It might not all fit at once, so add as much as you can and cover the skillet with a lid. Let the spinach steam and wilt for a minute or two, then open the lid and fold it into the sauce.
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Taste and adjust salt and flavor. Add more salt or tang, if needed. Top the creamy gnocchi with vegan mozzarella and fresh basil. Cover the skillet again and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until the mozzarella melts. If your skillet is oven-safe, you can also place it under the broiler for a minute or so to melt and slightly brown the cheese. Garnish with fresh basil and pepper flakes. Serve creamy and hot with a side of side salad or crisp garlic bread.
To make this nut-free, replace the cashews with hemp seeds and make sure your cheese is nut-free.
For soy-free, replace the tofu with an extra ¼ cup cashews or hemp seeds and make sure that you are using soy-free vegan cheese. For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free gnocchi.
For the best texture, toast the gnocchi before adding any liquid to the pan. It improves the flavor and makes it soft and pillowy instead of chewy.
You can also mix in other greens, like chopped Swiss chard, mustard greens, amaranth greens, or any leafy greens you like.
Calories: 390kcal, Carbohydrates: 47g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Sodium: 697mg, Potassium: 559mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 5148IU, Vitamin C: 35mg, Calcium: 125mg, Iron: 6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients
- silken tofu – or firm tofu. Silken tofu has a softer texture and makes such a velvety cream sauce! Replace with more cashews for soy-free.
- raw cashews – Soaked cashews make the sauce so creamy! Replace with hemp seeds for nut-free.
- ground spices/herbs – Onion powder, ground mustard (or prepared, natural mustard), nutritional yeast, and dried basil and/or oregano season the cream sauce. For the gnocchi, you will be toasting up pepper flakes to infuse the sauce even more!
- miso – Adds umami to the sauce. Use chickpea miso or omit for soyfree
- lemon juice – For tang. You can finish with extra lemon juice, if you like.
- olive oil – To sauté and add depth to the sauce.
- aromatics – Garlic and onion add bulk and umami to the sauce.
- gnocchi – Use refrigerated or shelf stable gnocchi for this recipe. I use potato gnocchi
💡Tips
- For the best texture, toast the gnocchi before adding any liquid to the pan. It improves the flavor and makes it soft and pillowy instead of chewy.
- Adding small splashes of water helps the onions cook more quickly and evenly.
- Smaller pieces of spinach will wilt more easily into the sauce, so either use baby spinach or chop your spinach into small pieces, if you’re using larger spinach leaves.
How to Make Spinach Artichoke Gnocchi
Add all the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend for 1 minute. Let that sit for about 5 minutes to rehydrate the cashews or seeds. Then blend again for 30 seconds. If the mixture isn’t smooth yet, blend for another 30 seconds. Set the cream sauce aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low and mix in the minced garlic. Stir for 10–15 seconds, then mix in the red pepper flakes and mix. Next, add the chopped onion and a generous dash of salt. Increase the heat to medium, and cook, stirring every 2 minutes, until the onions are translucent. About 6 minutes You can add a splash of water around the 3 to 4 minute mark to help the onions brown and cook evenly.
Once the onions are translucent, add the gnocchi and the remaining teaspoon of olive oil. Cook 2 to 4 minutes until the gnocchi starts turning toasty and golden.
Fold the artichokes and cream sauce into the skillet and mix well. Rinse out the blender with about ½ cup of water, then pour that into the skillet. Mix everything well, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then mix in the spinach. It might not all fit at once, so add as much as you can and cover the skillet with a lid. Let the spinach steam and wilt for a minute, then open the lid and fold it into the sauce. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. Add more salt or tang, if needed. Check if the gnocchi is pillowy and cooked.
Top the gnocchi with vegan mozzarella and fresh basil.
Cover the skillet again and cook for another minute until the mozzarella melts. If your skillet is oven-safe, you can also place it under the broiler for a minute or so to melt and slightly brown the cheese. Garnish with fresh basil and pepper flakes.
For a crispy topping, you can add breadcrumbs along with the mozzarella before broiling. If your skillet isn’t heat-proof, toast the breadcrumbs separately in a small pan with olive oil until golden, then sprinkle on top just before serving.
What to Serve with Spinach Artichoke Gnocchi
Serve this dish hot and creamy on its own, or with toasted sourdough, garlic bread, or a fresh side salad. You can also pair it with some crisped-up tofu, crisped soy curls, vegan chicken, or even the bacon-y lentils from my smoky skillet lasagna.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can easily make this gluten-free, soy-free, and/or nut-free.
To make this nut-free, replace the cashews with hemp seeds and make sure your cheese is nut-free.
For soy-free, replace the tofu with an extra ¼ cup cashews or hemp seeds and make sure that you are using soy-free vegan cheese. For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free gnocchi.
