Gnocchi Gorgonzola

Gnocchi Gorgonzola is a creamy cheesy potato type pasta that takes less than 20 minutes to make! With mushrooms, leek and pancetta smothered in a creamy blue cheese sauce the gnocchi melts in your mouth! Quick and easy this makes the perfect weeknight gnocchi recipe.

Recipes like the Rigatoni Gorgonzola, Pasta Alla Gorgonzola and the Spaghetti Gorgonzola are all about combining pasta with a creamy blue cheese sauce.

The Gorgonzola Sauce works well with steak, fish and chicken!

🤍 Recipe Highlights

I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:

• Budget friendly: the combination of ingredients for the recipe is user friendly with substitutions and variations also provided to give you more variety.
• Super fast cook time: forget spending hours in the kitchen to get dinner sorted and bring this gnocchi with blue cheese sauce together in a lightening fast 15 to 20 minutes!
• Potato or pasta: gnocchi is commonly thought of as a pasta. However, it is a potato recipe. The gnocchi is actually made from potatoes!
• Versatile: there are plenty of options to add variety to this simple gnocchi gorgonzola recipe. You can check out my recipe variations for ways to make changes to the ingredients if you are looking for more options.
• Taste and texture: intentional decisions made in the combination of ingredients provide delight on the palate and the tastebuds. This gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce is a winning and enjoyable ingredient combination.
• Alternative to tomato sauce: many pasta recipes use a tomato sauce or bolognese sauce. It can be nice to have alternatives to turn to for variety and a gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce is one sure way to achieve that. Even though we are really talking about gnocchi right, not pasta 😉.

🥗 Ingredients

The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.

As you can see the recipe calls for:

• Gorgonzola: a type of blue cheese that is most commonly sold in a triangular shape in the fridge section.
• Gnocchi: this will be in the dried pasta section of the supermarket. Shelf stable gnocchi has a long life so it is a great ingredient to have in the pantry to grab and whip up a simple dinner as needed.
• Pancetta: sliced and then roughly chopped is best as the saltiness delivers taste to ensure there is no 'bland gnocchi flavour'.
• Leek: providing both flavour and texture in the recipe, this simple ingredient only needs the base trimmed, then thinly sliced stopping at the top of the round shape.
• Mushrooms: you can purchase either sliced or whole mushrooms and slice yourself. They are the 3rd textural element in the dish to give a little oomph to the gnocchi recipe 👌😁.
• Cream: in some parts of the world this will be known as 'heavy cream'. In others, 'cooking cream' or 'regular cream'. It is great to use for making creamy pasta sauces.
• Butter: melted as a starting point for the dish and then used to sauté the garlic in.
• Garlic: this adds a depth of flavour to the gorgonzola sauce. It gets cooked in the melted butter, salt and pepper.
• Salt and pepper: we use a little of each of these to season the creamy pasta sauce.
• Fresh basil, cracked pepper and cheese: these are to garnish the dish for serving. Pecorino Romano and parmesan cheese are great options and each interchange well.

Tasty Tip: I like to offer you a number of substitutions and variations giving you an array of options when making the recipe. If in doubt of any of the above ingredients, or wanting alternatives, read this section before diving into the instructions on how to make the recipe below.

🍳 Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by melting the butter then cooking the garlic.

• Melt the butter in a large pan (Photo 1)
• Add garlic, salt and pepper (Photo 2)
• Then add the white wine vinegar (Photo 3)
• Next add pancetta, mushrooms and leek (Photo 4)

👩‍🍳 How to Make Gnocchi Gorgonzola

To make the gnocchi with creamy gorgonzola sauce, start by melting the butter in a large sauté pan on high heat. Next add the garlic, salt and pepper. Sauté these for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the garlic to cook.

Next pour the white wine vinegar into the pan and then add the chopped pancetta, mushrooms and leek.

• Pour in the cream (Photo 5)
• Then add the gorgonzola and dried chives (Photo 6)
• Cook and drain the gnocchi (Photo 7)
• Add the cooked gnocchi to the gorgonzola sauce (Photo 8)

Once you have poured the cream into the pan add the gorgonzola and chives on top. Reduce the heat to medium and let the cheese melt, stirring occasionally throughout this time.

On a separate element cook the gnocchi according to the packet instructions in a pot of boiling salted water. Drain this once done and discard the water.

Transfer the cooked gnocchi into the pan, reduce the heat to low and stir to combine.

• Garnish the gnocchi with pepper, cheese and basil leaves (Photo 9)

Once the dish is heated through, you can generously garnish it with the combination of freshly cracked black pepper, grated pecorino romano cheese and basil leaves.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

If you like the idea of a bread side dish, the Turkish Garlic Bread, Ciabatta Garlic Bread or Garlic Pizza Bread will each work well.

Light and bright salad ideas are the Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad or Healthy Panzanella Salad

If desiring to serve alongside meat or making a feast to feed a crowd, try with the Oven Baked Pork Ribs or tangy Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs

Both the Bruschetta Pizza and Ciabatta Pizza will work if you are having an Italian theme and wanting an assortment of dishes.

The colours in the dish are most alive when the dish is presented with pops of colour from the basil, leek, mushrooms and pancetta.

👍 How to Guide

How to Store

Store leftovers of the dish on a plate with cling wrap or in sealed, air tight containers in the fridge. They will last up to 3 days.

How to Freeze

I don't recommend freezing this recipe as the creamy cheese sauce can lead to mixed results when frozen. You are best eating the dish fresh or consuming reheated leftovers.

How to Reheat

You can add leftovers to a sauce pan on the stove and use medium heat with a drop or 2 of oil to stir till heated through. It will take between 5 to 10 mins. Or you can reheat the leftovers in the microwave, this will only take about 2 to 3 minutes on high.

😉 Substitutions and Variations

Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:

• You can substitute bacon in place of the pancetta. If doing so, you are best off using bacon rashers roughly chopped as opposed to diced bacon. This is to impart a salty flavour with bites of texture into the dish that small bits of bacon would not achieve.
• Blue cheese can be substituted for the gorgonzola (equivalent amount). Danish blue or Stilton are good options.
• Add some spinach (when sautéing the mushrooms and leek) for an additional vegetable component in the dish.
• You can used finely chopped green onions in place of the leek if you wish to.
• Sage is another herb that works well with this ingredient combination. You can add 1 teaspoon at the same time as the dried chives or use the sage in place of the chives.
• You can toast and crush some walnuts to sprinkle over the top of the dish for extra garnish if you want a little firm texture on top also (uncrushed toasted pine nuts will work well too).
• Parsley can be substituted for the basil leaves, both chopped curly or flat leaf will work.
• 500 grams (16 ounces) of gnocchi is 'supposed' to serve 4 people as written on the packet. However, if you are serving big eaters you are best off using 2 x packets of gnocchi, ie 1kg or 2 pounds.

💡 Tasty Tips

Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:

• The gorgonzola is a very soft cheese. The best way to cut it is to keep it in the packet, remove the lid or plastic front piece and use a butter knife to slice it into cubes.
• Once the gorgonzola has been added to the pan, you want it to fully melt. This will take around 5 to 6 minutes and you can stir the dish occasionally during this time.
• If the sauce starts to bubble a lot around the edges, then reduce the heat.

🤓 Frequently Asked Questions

What does gnocchi gorgonzola taste like?

Gnocchi gorgonzola has a creamy, cheesy taste with a little saltiness from the pancetta. The leek and mushrooms provide both flavour and texture to the dish also.

What is traditional Italian gnocchi made of?

Traditional Italian gnocchi is made from a combination of flour, egg, mashed potato and semolina.

What sauces go best with gnocchi?

Here are 7 sauces that pair well with gnocchi:

1. Creamy pesto sauce
2. Red pesto sauce
3. Marinara sauce
4. Bolognese sauce
5. Gorgonzola sauce
6. Blue cheese sauce
7. Beef ragu sauce

😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes

Dinner can be super easy to get on the table with minimal fuss and effort if you have the right recipes to turn to. Here are some ideas I know you will love:

• Linguine Al Pesto
• Baked Meatball Subs
• Tagliatelle Alla Bolognese
• Fettuccine Bolognese
• Spaghetti Alla Bolognese
• Chicken Spaghetti Bolognese
• Greek Lamb Shanks
• Lamb Bolognese
• Pork Bolognese
• Linguine Bolognese

It is time to get our gnocchi on my friend! You can also find all of my pasta recipes in the one spot.

Adrianne

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