Creamy Gnocchi with Whatever You’ve Got

So, we made this for dinner and it was crazy good. Like, immediately-put-this-on-the-website good.

There was, however, a gnocchi situation.

We browned them first—which was absolutely the right call—and then left them in the pan while everything else cooked—which was incredibly delicious but not the dish we meant to make. The tomatoes and veggies released their liquid, our beautiful crispy gnocchi got softer and softer, and eventually we lost a few good soldiers entirely.

They gave their lives for an excellent sauce. 🫡

So we learned from our ‘happy little accidents,’ and now you’ve got options: if you want crispy gnocchi, brown them, take them out of the pan, and don’t bring them back until the very end.

Unless you don’t want crispy gnocchi.

More on that later.

What You’ll Need

• 1 package potato gnocchi
• About 1 lb protein of your choice — Italian sausage, plant-based sausage, chicken, leftover soy curls, rehydrated TVP, or whatever you’ve got
• Tomatoes — whatever kind you have. Chop the big ones; halve the little ones. Or don’t.
• ½ medium onion, diced
• 3–4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 oz Mundus Dairy-Free Cultured Cream Cheese — whatever flavor sounds good
• About ½ cup broth of your choice, plus more as needed
• A couple big handfuls of spinach, kale, chard or whatever green needs to get used
• Fresh herbs, if you’ve got them
• Olive oil or Mundus Dairy-Free Cultured Butter
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Red or white wine, optional
• Red pepper flakes or whatever seasonings make sense for where you’re taking this
• Plant-based parmesan (or whatever parm lives in your fridge), for finishing

Pick Your Cream Cheese

Original: Do whatever you want with it. Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes. It’s so hard to screw this up.

Roasted Garlic & Herb: Garlic, basil, oregano, red pepper. White wine would be really good here.

Spinach & Herby Artichoke: This is your creamy Tuscan situation. Tomatoes, basil or parsley, black pepper, maybe a little thyme. Have artichoke hearts? Do it, be brave.

Jacked Buffalo Dip: We’re not in Tuscany anymore. Think loaded baked potato—black pepper, green onion or chives, maybe broccoli.

Hatch Chili: Cilantro, cumin, roasted corn or peppers. Go with it.

Warm Vanilla Brown Sugar: Maybe no. We trust you, but there are limits.

Make It

1. Protein, onion & garlic.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with a little olive oil.

Add your protein and onion and leave them alone long enough to actually get a good sear. Stirring is useful. Constant stirring is how you get gray sausage and sad soy curls.

Using plant-based sausage, soy curls or TVP? Be generous with the oil. Leaner proteins don’t give up much fat to the pan, and that extra oil makes a huge difference in texture and browning.

Using something that’s already cooked? You’re not cooking it again. Just give it enough time in the pan to get some color and warm through.

Add the garlic toward the end so it gets fragrant without burning.

Transfer everything to a plate. Leave the good stuff stuck to the pan. We’ll get it back.

2. The low-key gnocchi.

Add a little more olive oil or Mundus Dairy-Free Cultured Butter if you need it, then put the uncooked gnocchi straight into the skillet.

No boiling needed!

Cook for about 5–7 minutes, turning occasionally, until they’re golden and crispy in spots.

Want them crispy? Take them out now and put them on the plate with the protein.

Want this more brothy and cozy? Leave them in there. Add more broth later and let them get soft and soak it up.

We accidentally tried that version first. 😂

3. Tomatoes & whatever else you’ve got.

Add your tomatoes.

Cherry, grape, Roma, the tomato on the counter that’s headed to the compost bin soon if you don’t use it. Whatever.

Throw in some fresh herbs if you have them—basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, rosemary. Use what you have.

Cook until the tomatoes soften and start giving up their juices.

4. Wine, if you’ve got it.

If there’s an open bottle around, pour a splash into the hot pan and scrape up everything stuck to the bottom.

White wine will be a little lighter. Red will be richer.

Let it cook down for a minute or two.

No wine? Use broth.

5. Make it creamy.

Add about ½ cup broth, then turn the heat down and stir in 4 oz Mundus Dairy-Free Cultured Cream Cheese.

Let it melt into everything and taste it.

Then season it.

Original might want Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, thyme or red pepper flakes. Garlic & Herb probably doesn’t need much. Spinach & Herby Artichoke loves black pepper and fresh herbs. Buffalo wants chives or green onion, not oregano.

The cream cheese already tastes like something. Don’t bury it under the spice cabinet just because there’s a recipe in front of you.

Let the sauce simmer until it looks right.

You don’t need a timer for this part. If the sauce is thick enough for you, it’s done. If it looks loose, give it another minute. If it looks too thick, add a splash of broth.

Left the gnocchi in? Keep adding broth as they cook. They’ll get softer, the sauce will get starchier, and you’ll end up with something closer to a creamy gnocchi stew.

We know from experience this is still damn good.

6. Everybody back in.

Put your sausage, chicken, soy curls, TVP—whatever you used—back in with the onion and garlic.

Stir.

That’s it. It’s already cooked.

7. Something green.

We used spinach.

You can also use kale, chard, arugula or whatever is currently dying a slow death in your crisper drawer.

Give heartier greens a few minutes. Spinach and arugula need approximately eleven seconds.

8. Bring back the gnocchi.

If you took the gnocchi out, put them back in now.

Gently toss everything together for about 30–60 seconds. You’re just getting them coated and hot.

Top with plant-based parmesan—or whatever parm lives in your fridge—fresh cracked pepper and any herbs you have left.

Then eat.

The Actual Formula

Again, you don’t really need these exact ingredients.

Protein + onion + garlic. Crisp some gnocchi. Cook whatever vegetables need cooking. Deglaze if you’ve got something worth deglazing with. Add broth and Mundus Cream Cheese. Throw in something green. Put everything back together.

Chicken? Great. Sausage? Great. Leftover soy curls? Absolutely. TVP lurking in the pantry? There you go.

You get the idea. Use your food.