Crispy Gnocchi Piccata is a quick and delicious gluten free side dish that's full of fresh and zesty flavor. Ready in under 10 minutes!
Looking to switch up the side dish for dinner tonight? Try my Crispy Gnocchi Piccata, a buttery yet light and simple side that cooks in just 10 minutes!
Crispy Gnocchi Piccata
Crispy Gnocchi Piccata is store-bought, packaged gnocchi that’s sauted in extra virgin olive oil until crispy then tossed with capers, a modest amount of butter, fresh lemon juice, and a ton of fresh baby spinach.
Piccata usually calls for a mixing lemon, butter, and capers, but the spinach not only bulks up the recipe but gives it a healthy punch too. Ridiculously good!
Crispy Gnocchi Piccata is ready in about 10 minutes and the light, fresh flavor pairs perfectly with just about any protein.
Start by heating 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large, 12″ skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add 12oz shelf-stable gnocchi straight from the package (don’t boil first) then shake the pan to get the gnocchi into an even layer.
Saute for 2-3 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown.
I use Delallo Gluten-Free Gnocchi for all my gnocchi recipes.
- Note: if you don’t need to eat gluten-free, regular gnocchi usually come in 16oz packages (vs 12oz) so bump up all the remaining ingredients a touch if using a whole package of regular gnocchi.
Continue to saute the gnocchi until fork tender and golden brown all over, 2-3 more minutes, then scoot them off to the side and add 2 Tablespoons butter (or vegan butter) and 1-1/2 Tablespoons drained capers to the cleared side of the skillet.
Allow the butter to melt then toss everything together to combine.
Last step is to add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice into the skillet, followed by 4 cups baby spinach that have been roughly chopped. Saute until the spinach has just wilted, 1-2 minutes.
Give the dish a taste then add more lemon juice and/or salt if necessary.
That’s all she wrote! Absolutely DELICIOUS – so much so that it really doesn’t matter what you serve alongside this delectable little side dish because it’s going to steal the show. Enjoy!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 12 oz shelf-stable gluten free gnocchi, Delallo recommended
- 2 Tablespoons butter or vegan butter
- 1-1/2 Tablespoon drained capers, or more!
- 4 cups packed fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/2 lemon
Directions
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large, 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add gnocchi then arrange into a single layer and saute until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy, 2-3 minutes. Stir then continue to saute until the gnocchi are fork-tender and golden brown all over, 2-3 additional minutes, stirring often. Push gnocchi to one side of the skillet then add the butter and capers to the cleared side of the skillet and allow butter to melt. Once melted, toss everything to combine.
- Add a drizzle of fresh lemon juice and chopped spinach then saute until spinach wilts, 1-2 minutes. Taste then add more lemon juice and/or salt if necessary. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Looks amazing! And please read The Alice Network! It is one of the best books I have read in a long time!
Ooo, ok! Will go check that out now – thanks Smitha!
Ummm. Did anyone else see that Trader Joes now has a cauliflower gnocchi product now?! Buying ASAP.
WOAH! Report back and let us know what you think, if you get a a chance!
Good lord this looks delicious. I can’t get enough lemon lately so this is going to be a total win at my house.
ALSO. That ding-dong electrician can take a SEAT. *insert eye roll*
HA, yes, ding dong indeed!!! ;) Goodbye, sir.
If you like WW2 fiction, I highly recommend “We Were the Lucky Ones”. Tough read, but so so good, especially since it’s based on a true story. I also recently enjoyed “A Man Called Ove”, about a crusty old man who forms some unlikely friendships.
Wow, just read the summary for We Were the Lucky Ones – sounds like a good one. Thank you for the recommendation, Melani!
Sounds yummy, Kristin! We have some gnocchi here, and look forward to making this recipe soon!
I hope you love it, Nancy!
Have you read The Nightingale by this same author? Fantastic. And I feel like I’m 3 years behind the rest of the world here, but I read ‘Big Little Lies’ recently and it was great – super fast read and a great story without being really heavy.
Yes, ugh, one of my very favorites!! I haven’t read Big Little Lies as I watched the TV series last year. Have you seen? AMAZING!
I went a car dealership once to pre-look for a new car. The guy just kept saying that he’d rather my husband be with me for all the information and test drive. Said that he didn’t want to have to go through it with me alone even after telling him I usually pick the car for us!!! Arghh…. On another note, thanks for including the picture of the gnocchi that you use! It’s so helpful to see what to look for in the gluten-free section that is ok to cook with for celiac!
So obnoxious! Hope you were able to find a different sales person!!
This will be a side for dinner next week. The IGE recipes I make most often are Mongolian Beef Noodle Bowls, Honey and Balsamic Onions Chicken Skillet and Chicken Bacon Rice Bowls except I add toasted pine nuts to it.
I read Lilac Girls and thought it was outstanding. If you like historical fiction, I just finished I Was Anastasia which was very good too. I felt let down at the ending of The Tuscan Child. Now I am about midway through Hurricane Season by Lauren K. Denton. So far so good.
Thanks for sharing so many yummy recipes.
Oh you made my day! I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipes so much! Ben put a little spin on this Bacon Chicken Rice Bowls earlier this week – seasoned the chicken with homemade lemon pepper seasoning then added butter to the rice. YUM. :) I just finished Lilac Girls last month – so, so good. WW2 fiction is a huge favorite of mine. I will check out Hurricane Season – than you for the rec!
We had your crispy gnocchi with bacon/chicken last night…one of my faves. Will have to try this one as well!
It’s a tie between how much I love both of them! Hope you enjoy this version too, Beth!
I just finished Lilac Girls at your recommendation, and loved it! Recently I read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and really like it – quirky, but def not fluffy. Or if you like to read thrillers, the book My Husbands Wife was great.
Side note – last night we made your crunchy taco skillet – all of my kids love that one!
I feel like I need a thriller in my life – I’ve been reading WW2 fiction for years, it feels like – time for a change. Thanks for the rec, KD!
Ugh, I hate when men do that. I’m an engineer and I get that on occasion when meeting with clients, drives me crazy. Top of our summer to do list is going to the water park. They had a crazy good deal on season tickets so we jumped on them. With a 2 year old and 7 month old we never wanted to go with a day pass b/c they are so expensive and the kids only last like 3 hours. With a season pass we can go every weekend for a few hours. I’m counting down the days until opening day!
Totally feel you on the season passes – sometimes hard to swallow paying so much up front but so, so worth it when the kids are young and you have no idea how long they’ll last each trip. Have FUN!
That looks delicious! Also… I applaud you for not completely losing your cool with that awful mansplainer electrician. (Can you imagine talking to a client that way?!) I fear if I’d been in your shoes, I would’ve put on a bimbo act, cocked my head to one side, and said “gee, do you think I need someone else here? Like, my lawyer? Yeah, let me see how quickly she can get here.”
(Either that or “gosh, you’re right, we need a male present for this! BRB! Don’t you go anywhere!” and then returning with my two year old rocking bed hair and his Mickey diaper. “Ok! He’s ready to weigh in on this.”) Grumble. :)
Literally lol’d! Totally using the lawyer line next time this happens to me.
LOVE. IT. Oh my gosh, it was so bad. I had to check the calendar to make sure I was still living in 2018. ?
That looks amazingly tasty and easy and I have some gnocchi in my pantry. Time to get some spinach! Thanks for a great recipe!