Recipe: Delicous Entree - Skillet Gnocchi with Chard & White Beans

The way things work at my house, due to work and gym schedules, is something like this: I do the grocery shopping and meal planning, and my husband does the cooking.  Then, when dinner is done, I basically do the post meal cleanup (dishes, etc).

I can't complain about this arrangement because (1) my husband is an excellent cook and (2) I have a hot meal ready as soon as I get home from the gym, which means I don't end up coming home and stuffing my face with junk while I wait for dinner to cook.

Anyway, last week I fell down on the job and we found ourselves short on a meal option for the week.  Since my husband has the opportunity to work from home, and I knew he would be able to squeeze in a quick grocery run during his lunch hour, I gave him free reign to come up with a dinner option.

What he ended up serving was delicious, quick to prepare, and fairly healthy too.  So, I thought I'd share. 

Enjoy!


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Skillet Gnocchi with Chard & White Beans

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
• 1 - 16 ounce package of shelf stable gnocchi
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 cups chopped chard leaves (about 1 small bunch), or spinach
• 1 - 15 ounce can diced tomatoes (with or without Italian seasonings)
• 1 - 15 ounce can white beans, rinsed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add gnocchi and cook, stirring often, until plumped and staring to brown - 5 to 7 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl.

Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and onion to the pan and cook, stirring, over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Stir in garlic and water.  Cover and cook until the onion is soft - 4 to 6 minutes.  Add chard (or spinach, which is what we used, since our local grocery store didn't have chard that day) and cook, stirring until starting to wilt - 1 to 2 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes, beans and pepper and bring to a simmer. 

Stir in the gnocchi and sprinkle with cheeses.  Cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling - about 3 minutes.

NOTE: My husband accidentally purchased mini gnocchi, which he jokingly called "rabbit turds" when he opened the package and was surprised by their tiny size.  I actually enjoyed the slightly crispy texture the mini gnocchi took on after cooking, due to its smaller size.

SECOND NOTE:  I think that this would be equally as delicious without the cheese, and would recommend serving it without, or topping with cheese after plating (if desired).



Makes 6 servings, recommended to be served with a mixed greens salad topped with vinaigrette. 



Nutrition information for gnocchi dish, via original recipe creator (I did not validate this info):

Per serving - 327 calories; 7 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 8 mg cholesterol; 56 g carbohydrate; 0 g added sugars; 14 g protein; 6 g fiber; 598 mg sodium; 361 mg potassium. Vitamin A (54% daily value),  Vitamin C (48% dv), Calcium & Iron (20% dv).

Carbohydrate Servings: 3
Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 lean meat, 1 fat