Quick and Easy Gnocchi in Creamy Tomato and Spinach Sauce

I will say, I am sometimes really really good at pinch hitting.Which is funny because I am an obsessive planner who, when thrown a curve ball has a tendency to just have a wee bit of a freak out. 

I also am apparently a slow learner because I need to recognize that the idea of that guy I married having the time to make handmade pasta after work is just going to make the universe laugh at you. 

It's been busy around here... mostly for him. So, last night Pasta alla Norma was out, dear god what do we have in the fridge that I can scramble together a meal with without having to defrost anything was in. 

And this is why I keep a pack of shelf stable gnocchi in the pantry at all times. 

These measurements are a little loosey goosey, but you get the idea. Adjust to taste! If you are using shelf stable gnocchi, you can cook that while the everything else is going, just start the water boiling when you start cooking the onions and the timing should be perfect.

Gnocchi in a Creamy Tomato and Spinach Sauce

Serves 2 - Cooks in 20 minutes

2 Cups Cooked Gnocchi (shelf stable, fresh or frozen, all are fine)
1/2 White Onion, diced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
3 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1/2 Bunch of Spinach or 1 cup frozen spinach
1/2 Cup Half and Half (or mix milk and cream as I did)
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan
1/4 - 1/2 Cup Mozzarella (I used smoked)
Salt and Pepper
Fresh Basil to finish 

In a skillet, sautee the onions in either butter or olive oil for about three minutes until softened slightly. Add in the garlic, sautee 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and 1/2 cup of water. Cover and simmer for about 8 minutes. Add the spinach, cover and cook two more minutes. Add the half and half and give it a good stir. Sitr in the gnocchi and parmesan, make sure everything is nice and coated. Now add some salt and pepper to taste. Then stir in the mozzarella, cover and cook two more minutes until the mozzarella is nice and melty. Pour onto a plate, top with fresh basil and a good grind of pepper. 

I served this as is for me, and added a grilled chicken breast for that guy I married. 

A Bit of a Throwback.... Reinvestigating my Vegetarian Days

When I was 12 I decided I didn't want to eat red meat any more. Mostly I was worried about future impacts on my health (jeez, lets not unpack all that shall we... I was TWELVE). I basically then lived off cheese omelettes for several years. I cut out all other meat when I was about 20 and that stuck for about 6 or 7 years. 

I started eating meat again kind of accidentally and then when I got together with my other half, it became at every meal. He was raised very firmly on meat and has a hard time sometimes picturing a meal without it. 

But now, I'm really leaning back into the idea of eating more plant based meals. It's a lot of things... sustainability, health, studying up on how warped of a view we have about how much protein we need. 

But wow, when you've got out of the habit of eating vegetarian it's really really hard to go back. I've been trying to replace two dinners a week with vegetarian meals and I've got to say, it's been tough. I used to be so good at this! We really need to eat things other than pasts! Though in fairness.... spinach and ricotta ravioli in a lemon cream sauce is delicious... rampantly unhealthy, but delicious!

So I'm going another route with this. The plan is to use up all the protein we have in the freezer without adding more, and then going back to grocery shopping based on menu planning, rather than menu planning based on what we have on hand. 

For now, I'm doing very well at veggie breakfasts and lunches....even though I unthinkingly ate a ham sandwich yesterday. So hopefully, February will be all about eating things up and then maybe by March I can start really diving better into more plan focused meals. Wish me luck and feel free to drop me a note on what your favourite non meat focused dinner is!