• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Hungry Healthy Happy
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Wellbeing
  • FREE eBook
  • Contact
  • Home & Garden
  • Family
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Wellbeing
  • FREE eBook
  • Contact
  • Home & Garden
  • Family
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Wellbeing
    • FREE eBook
    • Contact
    • Home & Garden
    • Family
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Italian

    Spinach and Mushroom Gnocchi

    By Dannii · Published 22nd June 2021 · Updated 22nd June 2021 · 62 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links and generates income via ads · This site uses cookies · Post contains 1379 words. · About 7 minutes to read this article.

    348 shares
    • 7
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Spinach and mushroom gnocchi in a round bowl with a title text overlay.

    This comforting and vegetable packed Italian dish is ready in under 10 minutes. Spinach and Mushroom Gnocchi tastes far more indulgent than it actually is. Simple comfort food at its finest, and a great way to enjoy mushrooms more.

    A bowl of cooked gnocchi next to a bowl of salad leaves and a striped towel.

    Perfectly cooked, light and pillowy gnocchi, covered in an easy homemade creamy sauce and packed with meaty mushrooms and spinach for a green boost. A quick weeknight meal that is nutrient dense and comforting too. If you are trying to eat more vegetarian meals, then this is a good one to start with.

    Jump to:
    • Why should you try it?
    • What you will need
    • Step by step
    • What mushrooms to use
    • Creamy sauce
    • How to adapt it
    • What to serve it with
    • FAQs
    • Extra tips
    • More Italian recipes
    • Recipe
    • Feedback

    Why should you try it?

    • Quick and easy comfort food
    • Takes just 10 minutes
    • Easy to adapt with different vegetables
    • You could add a protein to it

    What you will need

    • Gnocchi - We used a good quality store bought gnocchi to save some time. However if you have a little extra time, then you could make your own.
    • Mushrooms - The key to this dish being the best it can be, is to use a selection of mushrooms. They add so much amazing texture. To make this a budget friendly meal, you could just use the cheapest mushrooms you can find.
    • Shallots - These add a nice sweetness to the mushroom gnocchi. You could swap them for half a small onion if you prefer.
    • Spinach - A great way to add a green boost to this dish. You could use chopped up kale instead.
    • Creme fraiche - This is how we make a simple creamy sauce. You can use reduced fat to save some calories.
    • Parmesan - Added to the creme fraiche and it makes a deliciously cheesy sauce. Any cheese that melts well, like cheddar, will work well.
    • Mustard - This adds a nice pop of flavour to the sauce. You could use dijon instead.
    All the ingredients needed for this recipe laid out with text overlay labels.

    Step by step

    One: Add the gnocchi to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Drain once cooked.

    A saucepan full of gnocchi.

    Two: Heat the oil to a pan. Add the shallots, garlic and mushrooms and gently cook for 5 minutes.

    Two shot collage of mushrooms and shallots in a pan, one uncooked, one cooked.

    Three: Add the spinach and drained gnocchi and cook until the spinach has wilted.

    Two shot collage of spinach and gnocchi added to the pan, before and after being cooked.

    Four: Add the creme fraiche, parmesan and mustard. Stir so that all the gnocchi is coated and serve.

    Two shot collage of creme fraiche, parmesan and mustard added to the pan, before and after cooking.

    What mushrooms to use

    Mushrooms add lots of texture to this dish, so it's important to use a selection of different ones. You could just use one type, but a mixture of mushrooms will really take this dish to the next level. We like to use chestnut, shiitake, baby portobello and oyster. It makes the dish look more appetising too.

    A selection of different mushrooms.

    Creamy sauce

    When it comes to Italian dishes, you can't go wrong with a creamy sauce. However, creamy sauces doesn't have to be full of calories and fat. We make a lighter creamy sauce by using reduced fat creme fraiche with a little cheese melted in and some wholegrain mustard. It takes seconds to put together, but it is full of flavour.

    We used reduced parmesan, but you can swap it it for mozzarella or reduced fat cheddar, or any cheese that melts well. You could add some cream cheese too.

    How to adapt it

    This is an easy dish to adapt, and you could swap in any vegetables that you have on hand. We used spinach because it cooks quickly, however you could sauté kale and use that instead. 

    Try to only use quick cooking veg, rather than root vegetables that would take longer. Bell peppers and courgettes work well in this, or you could fry some broccoli for an extra green boost. Artichokes go really well in it too.

    To make this a really quick and easy meal, we used store bought gnocchi in a packet. However, you could make your own gnocchi which is far easier to make than you might think. We will have a recipe for that soon.

    If you don't want a creamy sauce, then you could swap the creme fraiche, mustard and parmesan for our Easy Tomato Pasta Sauce instead. You can also just stir some pesto in.

    Cooked gnocchi mixed with mushrooms and spinach in a creamy sauce.

    What to serve it with

    Garlic bread of course! Gnocchi and garlic bread are such a delicious match. Either buy some ready made, or make your own easy garlic bread by cutting up some French stick and spreading it with a mix of butter, crushed garlic and dried herbs. Then pop it in the oven for 10 minutes.

    We like to serve this with a big green salad too. Because, you can never have too many greens in your life, right?

    A bowl of mushroom gnocchi in front of a bowl of salad.

    FAQs

    How to store mushroom gnocchi

    This dish is so quick and easy to make, that you can just make it from fresh. However, if you end up making too much then it does reheat well. Just add it to a hot pan and then cook until warmed through.
    You could always chop up all the vegetables in advance and then keep them in the fridge until you are ready to cook it.

    Do I have to boil the gnocchi first?

    No, you can actually skip this step and save yourself some time. You can sauté the the gnocchi in the pan with the mushrooms and it makes then nice and crispy.

    Can I make this mushroom gnocchi gluten free?

    Yes, you can easily make this gluten free. Just make sure to use gluten free gnocchi and make sure all the other ingredients that you are using are gluten free too.

    Can I make this with homemade gnocchi?

    We used store bought gnocchi to make this a super quick and easy meal, however you could use your favourite homemade gnocchi recipe for this too. Have you tried our Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi?

    Extra tips

    • If you wanted to add meat to this, then leftover shredded chicken or some chopped cooked bacon would work.
    • If adding other vegetables, make sure they are quick cooking softer vegetables.
    • You can use any cheese that melts well in this recipe.
    • Swap the wholegrain mustard for dijon mustard if you prefer.
    • Top it with some fresh herbs, extra cheese and a sprinkling of pine nuts.
    • A little bit of the starch water from the pan added to the sauce makes it lovely and silky, so don't drain all the water.
    • If you don't have gnocchi, you could make this recipe with any pasta sauce instead - it's a great pasta sauce. It's also a good sauce to pour over chicken or salmon too.

    More Italian recipes

    • Easy Tomato Baked Risotto
    • Easy Bacon Pasta
    • Low Carb Lasagna
    • Pasta e Fagioli Soup (Pasta and Bean Soup)

    Do you want to be kept up to date on more delicious posts like this? Please subscribe to the blog mailing list (it takes 30 seconds).
    Click here to sign up.

    If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog then let us know how you got on in the comments below, we love hearing from you!
    Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - we love sharing photos when people make our recipes. You can use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.

    DON’T FORGET TO RATE THE RECIPE ↓

    Recipe

    Spinach and mushroom gnocchi in a round bowl.

    Spinach and Mushroom Gnocchi

    This comforting and vegetable packed Italian dish is ready in under 10 minutes and will quickly become a firm family favourite.
    the words low fat in a white circle.
    Low Fat
    An illustration of a v-shaped plant.
    Vegetarian
    5 from 31 votes
    Pin Print
    Course: Lunch
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Allergen:
    An illustration of a carton of milk.
    Dairy
    An illustration of two ears of wheat.
    Gluten
    An illustration of a mustard bottle.
    Mustard
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 268kcal
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    UK Metric Measures - US Customary Measures
    • 500 g gnocchi
    • 1 teaspoon olive oil
    • 250 g mixed mushrooms sliced
    • 2 shallots diced
    • 2 garlic cloves crushed
    • 80 g spinach
    • 4 tablespoon 0% creme fraiche
    • 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
    • 50 g Parmesan grated

    Instructions

    • Add the gnocchi to a pan of boiling water and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Drain once cooked.
    • Heat the oil to a pan. Add the shallots, garlic and mushrooms and gently cook for 5 minutes.
    • Add the spinach and drained gnocchi and cook until the spinach has wilted.
    • Add the creme fraiche, parmesan and mustard. Stir so that all the gnocchi is coated and serve.

    Notes

    • If you wanted to add meat to this, then leftover shredded chicken or some chopped cooked bacon would work.
    • If adding other vegetables, make sure they are quick cooking softer vegetables.
    • You can use any cheese that melts well in this recipe.
    • Swap the wholegrain mustard for dijon mustard if you prefer.
    • Top it with some fresh herbs, extra cheese and a sprinkling of pine nuts.
    • A little bit of the starch water from the pan added to the sauce makes it lovely and silky, so don't drain all the water.
    • If you don't have gnocchi, you could make this recipe with any pasta sauce instead - it's a great pasta sauce. It's also a good sauce to pour over chicken or salmon too.

    Nutritional Information

    Serving: 1portion | Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 661mg | Potassium: 355mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1973IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 200mg | Iron: 6mg
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @hungryhealthyhappy on Instagram and tag #hungryhealthyhappy!
    DisclaimerThe nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
    « Canarian Potatoes (Papas arrugadas)
    Easy Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Beth

      June 23, 2021 at 2:57 pm

      5 stars
      This sounds so tasty and looks so great! I can't wait to make this soon! My family is going to love this with our dinner tonight!

      Reply
    2. Natalie

      June 23, 2021 at 2:31 pm

      5 stars
      Oh yum! What a nice dinner idea. I will make this tomorrow. My boys going to love this. Thanks!

      Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Dannii in hat and glasses stood on a beach.

    Welcome! My name is Dannii. Here you will find easy family recipes with a healthy twist, along with travel, home and family life and general happiness.
    Established in 2011, Hungry Healthy Happy has become one of the UK's most popular food and lifestyle blogs, with two successful recipe books published.

    About us»

    Popular

    • The Best Air Fryer Fries (Air Fryer Chips)
    • 10 Minute Chickpea and Spinach Curry
    • Easy Tomato Pasta Sauce
    • 10 Minute Sticky Ginger Beef

    Featured in

    Collage of media outlet logos.

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy
    • Advertising
    • Blog

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • See our Web Stories page

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work with us
    • FAQ

    Featured in

    A selection of publications that Hungry Healthy Happy has been featured in

    As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Hungry Healthy Happy • All Rights Reserved • Site Design by D Martin

    • 7
    348 shares