Summer Garden Skillet Gnocchi.
We adore this summer garden skillet gnocchi! Use up all those summer veggies from your garden to create a burst cherry tomato and zucchini sauce. Add in some gnocchi and lots of parmesan for the easiest dinner ever. Yum!
Nothing like a quick easy pasta dish to get excited about!
This is my favorite kind of dish to make in the summer – simple, easy, uses up the veggies and herbs, tastes amazing. This skillet gnocchi is made from burst cherry tomatoes, chopped zucchini, red onion, tons of garlic, basil, chives and lots of parmesan.
Sounds amazing, right?!
Right right right.
The whole idea for this pasta started with my burst cherry tomato sauce. I love taking a ton of summer tomatoes, cooking them down into a saucy mess and adding garlic and fresh basil, plus cooked pasta and a bit of starchy water. Oh and parm.
That combo is so fresh and delicious, satisfying and tastes like a big bowl of summer.
I’ve been making a version of pasta like that at least once a week. At least! And let’s just say that I have tons of zucchini on hand. So really, I had no other option.
There’s a super old brown butter garden veggie pasta dish that I shared well over a decade ago. I still make it frequently – you guys do too. And it’s delicious. But I often wish it had just a bit more substance.
Or cheese
Or sauce.
Who am I kidding, I can never make up my mind. But here we are!
I start by cooking down all the vegetables. The tomatoes go first with the shallots, because I like them to burst a bit before I add in the rest.
Then, it’s zucchini. Garlic, olive oil and more.
I cook the gnocchi separately. This only takes a few minutes, but I want to reserve some of that starchy water to help the sauce along.
There is nothing like a silky sauce that has the help of pasta water. It thickens it perfectly, it helps the sauce stick to the pasta and it gives it just a little more oomph. I adore it.
The gnocchi goes in, the extra water goes in, TONS of parmesan, lots of fresh herbs. Think fresh basil, chives, even rosemary or parsley if you have them on hand.
Finally, we eat with extra parmesan on top.
Even though I tend to think of gnocchi as a heavier meal, this still feels light and fresh thanks to all the veg. It’s packed with flavor but not with cream.
Add it to the list!
Summer Garden Skillet Gnocchi
Summer Garden Skillet Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ red onion, diced
- 2 cups whole cherry tomatoes
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped into pieces
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 pound potato gnocchi
- 1 cup reserved starchy pasta water
- 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
- ⅓ cup fresh chopped basil
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or rosemary or thyme, or all 3!
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion, tomatoes and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes burst and begin to break down, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in the zucchini and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the zucchini are softened, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the gnocchi according to the package directions and reserve 1 cup starchy pasta water.
- Add the gnocchi and pasta water to the vegetables in the skillet. Stir in the parmesan cheese. Cook for a few minutes, so the sauce thickens and the cheese melts. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Stir in the basil, chives and other herbs. Serve and top with more parmesan!
Did you make this recipe?
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Cheese forever.
2 Comments on “Summer Garden Skillet Gnocchi.”
I want to make this with cauliflower gnocchi, should I just add hot water because I won’t boil the gnocchi?
This was so delicious with simple ingredients! I also added pancetta because I had some that I needed to use and the flavors were so good! Will definitely be making this again!