A fancy but simple Creamed Spinach Cauliflower Gnocchi with Crispy Bacon in under 20 minutes! This soft, pillowy Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi in a creamy spinach sauce makes an easy and gluten free pasta dinner, perfect for a weeknight!
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Yes I used the frozen cauliflower gnocchi from Trader Joe’s for this recipe – minimal effort dinner.
I considered making my own cauliflower gnocchi from scratch – even had a recipe put in on my phone – but effort!
I think we can all agree that buying gnocchi and just straight up using it is way easier!
Ingredients for Creamed Spinach Cauliflower Gnocchi with Bacon
This easy creamed spinach gnocchi uses just a few ingredients, and made even easier with frozen gnocchi and frozen spinach.
- Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi or a different one
- Frozen Chopped spinach
- Bacon – I used the reduced sodium
- Almond milk for the creamy sauce part of this gnocchi recipe
- Dried Rosemary or other herbs
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Parmesan Cheese – you can either shred or grate some fresh or use the store bought shredded version
- Mozzarella Cheese – I used the reduced fat version
Some other alternatives for this Spinach Parmesan Gnocchi
I used Trader Joes cauliflower gnocchi for this recipe, but you can use regular potato gnocchi. Or worst case, use a large shaped pasta like Orecchiette; You might have to switch up the cooking directions though.
You could also try to use fresh spinach here, but make sure you let it wilt on a pan first, cool, and squeeze out all the moisture.
Feel free to switch out the almond milk for a regular half and half, or even whole milk.
You also have quite a choice of dried herbs here. I went for a rosemary gnocchi because it went really well with the cream sauce, but Oregano, Thyme or even Italian Seasoning are good options.
And as for that bacon, prosciutto would be another fancy alternative – or turkey bacon for a low fat recipe.
Tips to make the Best Healthy Creamy Spinach Gnocchi:
This cheesy gnocchi might be super easy, but what makes it delicious is getting that cooking method right.
- Place the uncooked bacon on a cold pan and let it cook; If the pan is already hot, it will just sizzle all around.
- Directly place the frozen gnocchi in the heated skillet. Don’t try to separate the pieces, this will happen as it cooks.
Warning: The gnocchi will lose shape if you try separating the pieces and will turn into mush.
Can you store Bacon Spinach Gnocchi?
Yes!
This I think this is the best part about this homemade creamy spinach gnocchi – other than the fact that you only need one pan.
You can keep the cooked gnocchi – complete with spinach sauce for up to 3 days in the fridge. I would recommend keeping the bacon in a separate container though.
It really makes a great easy meal prep dinner!
Some more Spinach or Bacon Pasta recipes you might like:
Or just some recipes with a Creamy Spinach Sauce:
Creamed Spinach Cauliflower Gnocchi with Crispy Bacon
Ingredients
- 4 strips Bacon, Reduced Sodium
- 3 cups Frozen Cauliflower Gnocchi, 1lb or 454g, see notes for fresh
- 3 cups Frozen Chopped Spinach, 9oz or 255g; or use fresh
- 1¼ cup Almond Milk
- 1 tsp Dried Herbs, Italian Seasoning/Oregano/Basil/Rosemary
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Onion Powder
- ⅔ cup Shredded Mozzarella, Reduced fat, 75g
- ⅓ cup Shredded Parmesan, 27g
Instructions
- Place bacon on cold skillet, heat to medium and fry for about 8-10 minutes until both sides are crispy.
- Transfer to plate lined with paper towel and press. Let cool and chop into pieces. Set aside.
- Drain out most of the bacon grease, add gnocchi and let cook about 3 minutes, untouched.
- Add spinach and almond milk, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add dried herbs, garlic powder and onion powder, stir, and cook another minute.
- Stir in shredded mozzarella and parmesan.
- Transfer to plate, top with bacon, more shredded parmesan and serve hot!
Notes
- In an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
- Servings: 6 cups | Serving size: 1½ cups
- Calories: 288kcal
- Fat: 13.4g | Saturated fat: 5.8g
- Carbohydrates: 22.5g | Fiber: 5.9g | Sugar: 2.6g
- Protein: 14.2g
I was so disappointed when I opened the pantry and realized I was out of pasta sauce cuz I was really feeling like having creamy pasta for lunch. Didn’t expect this to be as satisfying and fulfilling as it was! Just wanted to take a nap after eating this…
Yay! I’m glad I was able to solve a problem 🙂 Thanks a bunch for giving this a try as an alternative to your usual pasta!