This speedy gnocchi dish only has 4 ingredients and takes just 20 minutes to make. Fluffy shop-bought gnocchi is tossed in a simple, yet incredibly tasty creamy black pepper sauce. Usually served with pasta, like spaghetti or pici, we've switched things up by serving with gnocchi, which makes for a heartier midweek dish.
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Yields:
4 serving(s)
Prep Time:
10 mins
Cook Time:
10 mins
Total Time:
20 mins
Cal/Serv:
490
Ingredients
800g
gnocchi
75g
butter
11/2tsp.
freshly ground black pepper
50g
Pecorino Romano or Italian-style hard cheese, at room temperature, finely grated, plus optional extra to serve
Directions
Step 1Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the gnocchi just until they bob to the surface.
Step 2Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. When foaming, add the black pepper and cook for 1min, until fragrant.
Step 3Add a ladleful of the gnocchi cooking water (about 75ml) to the butter pan and toss to emulsify. Next, using a slotted spoon, add the gnocchi, followed by the cheese. Toss to melt and combine.
Step 4Divide between 4 bowls and serve immediately with extra cheese, if you like.
Toasting your pepper in a dry frying pan will give you a more intense flavour.
Make sure you use a vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese, if cooking for vegetarians.
You could swap the cheese for Parmesan, for a richer flavour.
Make sure your cheese is at room temperature so that it melts easier into the sauce, and to avoid a stringy texture.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
