Inspired by my upcoming trip to Italy in April, I got a craving for gnocchi, which I’ve only made once before! Gnocchi are soft dough dumplings that are typically made from wheat, potato, egg, and dairy (among other things). Gnocchi recipes vary among regions of Italy and come in different sizes. If you’ve never had them, they are delicious! You can also easily find gluten-free options here in the U.S. and I look forward to trying the authentic, fresh varieties while I am in Italy!

For this recipe, I had to do some digging. I wanted it to be a creamy sauce without the cream! I already had two chicken breasts cooked and ready to go, along with a bag of raw spinach. ContentednessCooking.com gave me the idea for the tahini, but I found its flavor to be very strong. So I spent some time playing with the sauce and this is the result! The date sugar helps mask the nutty flavor of the tahini, but you may be fine with it! The author of this recipe really loves it!

I left out the garlic this time, but I probably would sauté it with the spinach next time! I prefer it to be well cooked, not raw. I also wasn’t sure how it would fit with all the other flavors. Overall, I think this turned out well! And now that I have a whole can of tahini, I’ll be experimenting again soon!

Ingredients:

• 17.6 oz gnocchi *of your choice! Mine was dairy free.
• 1 small package of raw spinach
• 2 baked chicken breasts, shredded
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Sauce Ingredients:

• 12 oz organic marinara
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened cashew milk
• 1.5 tbsp date sugar *to taste (I sprinkled a little more in at the end because the tahini flavor was still too strong.)
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp salt

Simmer the sauce ingredients in a sauce pan for a while on medium low, continuously cooking until thickened.

Sauté spinach on medium low in a large sauté pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cook until wilted. Stir often to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Boil water for gnocchi in a large pot and cook to package directions. Drain and set aside when finished.

Add gnocchi back to the large pot after drained, add sauce and stir well. Add spinach and shredded chicken breast, mix well. Add more salt and pepper to taste! 

Stir on medium for a few minutes until everything is warmed up. 

*If you have time, turn heat to low, cover and let the flavors meld for a little while (maybe while you do the dishes)! I do this a lot with meals like this because I hate coming back to dirty pots and pans after I eat. 

Either way, this is one of those dishes that will be even better tomorrow because the flavors will have had more time to mingle. My asian stir fry was like that! So great leftover!