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.
I’ve been enjoying your recipes for awhile now and just wanted to say thanks! Went out a picked the last lemon off the tree for this gnocchi – yum!!
Oh my gosh – doesn’t get fresher then that. Heavenly! So glad you enjoyed the dish, Melissa!
I made this dish last night. It is so good!! Great flavor and texture. And it was simple to put together (high on my list for recipes!). Thank you for another great recipe!
I’m thrilled you loved it, Kristine! Thank you so much for your feedback and star rating! :)
That looks delicious
OMG, we just tried your crispy gnocchi preparation method last night for a side dish – no capers or spinach, just garlic – and we are dying! It’s a game-changer! I always thought you had to boil them first and ended up with a soggy mess. This is so much faster and easier, and it tastes better! Thank you so much for sharing.
Right? Such a time saver and the texture is SO much better. I’m so, so glad you loved the method, Kelly! :)
Read The Great Alone last week – have such a book hangover from the incredible story. Also highly recommend her book called The Nightingale if you haven’t read!
Seriously – I wanted the book to keep going and going and going. The Nightingale is another favorite of mine from Kristin Hannah – maybe I’ll just take it upon myself to read everything she’s ever written. ;)
Yummy! I love the addition of spinach!
It’s one of my favorite parts about the dish – hope you love it, Kelli!
I love your site! Curious about using EVOO and high heat? I thought extra virgin olive oil wasn’t suppose to be used to saute? Thoughts?
Hi Rachel! You are right – when cooking a stir fry for example, on high heat, you’d want to use canola, coconut, grapeseed, avocado or another cooking oil that’s specifically made for cooking at high temperatures. These gnocchi are pan fried on medium-high at the hottest so extra virgin olive oil is just fine to use!
So loved your gnocchi recipe with chicken and bacon. Husband who has cancer and now doesn’t like many foods ate 2 helpings! Looking forward to trying this one. Thanks for the book recommendation. Also great suggestions from your blog followers. Love your blog.
I’m so sorry to hear about your husband, Adrienne, and am so glad he found something to enjoy eating. My very best wishes to you both! <3
This looks so yummy… I can’t wait to try it! Yes, I totally agree on the social media thing. One of my favorite recent reads was The Breakdown; I’ve added two of the books you recommended..The Woman in the Window and The Great Alone look awesome.
Thanks Angie! Hope you love the new books!
Try reading the essays posted daily on coffee and crumbs blog. I LOVE this motherhood blog and the stories the women share. So beautiful. I started listening to their podcast which you can find on their site as well and it’s such a breath of fresh air! When I don’t feel like reading that’s what I’ve been turning to. Also the book long days of small things which I heard about through them bc they guest invited the author on their podcast (drawing a blank on her name) is beautiful so far. Look it up to see if it’s down your alley. It is faith based. The second chapter literally had me in tears… it was that beautifully thought provoked and well written and another aspect of motherhood I just never even had thought about.
Thanks for the recommendation, Holly! I follow C&C on Instagram but don’t think I’ve ever actually visited the blog. I’ll so do that. Thank you again!
Hi! I remember that you said that you studied in Japan – with that in mind, you should read Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. It’s a historical fiction novel set against the backdrop of WWII-era Korea and Japan. So sweeping and emotional – by the second page I could tell that I was in the hands of an incredible storyteller. Please check it out!
Amazing! And yes, great memory, S. I will definitely check it out. Thanks for your recommendation!
Yummy! Also, I have to say that I’m all about the social media cleanse as well and was doing well this winter not doing mindless “thumbing” throughout the day but lately I’ve gotten bad, especially before bed which is the worst time all of all to do it for sleep reasons. I need to get back on track and between you and another site I’ve read just this afternoon I’m motivated to do just that! Have a great weekend Kristin!
Yes, same Val! I’d prolong sleep so I could swipe through social media for 30 minutes first? Dumb. I feel so much better now. Hope you’re doing well and are enjoying the gorgeous weather this week!
I loved the Nightingale so I’ll definitely be downloading The Great Alone! I highly recommend “Mudbound.” It’s not an easy read in some parts but it’s so good. Then you can watch the movie (currently on Netflix).
Awesome! I’ll check it out, Cari – thanks for the recommendation! I hope you love The Great Alone.