Have you ever tried pan seared potato gnocchi? The soft, pillowy gnocchi get chewy and caramalized on the outside and stay tender on the inside. I made mine with asparagus and mushrooms served with a miso sauce!
When I first tried this recipe, I tried making my own potato gnocchi. The end result was delicious, but the process was a sticky gooey mess. Needless to say, that recipe needs a touch more work before it comes to the blog.
This recipe, however, was a winner! I turned my husband into a gnocchi fan by searing them. We used up almost all of my garden fresh asparagus making this recipe over and over again this spring.
The miso sauce is a riff on one of my favorite pasta recipes, butternut gruyere pasta bake. It uses onion, garlic, herbs, white wine and miso to make a quick pan sauce that is superb with both the gnocchi and the asparagus.
Variations to the Pan Seared Potato Gnocchi with Asparagus and Mushrooms recipe:
- Miso: Use your favorite variety. I like red miso for its strong flavor, but a mild version such as white or yellow will add plenty of umami.
- Dirty a few more dishes to simplify. The recipe has a lot of steps because it helped to dirty fewer dishes. You could always speed things up and simplify the steps by sauting in two skillets instead of one.
- Swap the veggies out for something seasonal. Use roasted squash or sweet potato in fall or winter, and sweet bell peppers in summer.
- Try my gluten free chickpea ricotta gnocchi or my whole wheat ricotta gnocchi in this recipe instead of the potato gnocchi.
- 16 oz package potato gnocchi
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 2 cups chopped asparagus spears
- ½ tsp cornstarch
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 2 TBS butter (or vegan butter)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tsp each: dried thyme and black pepper
- ¼ cup white wine
- 2 TBS miso
- Shredded parmesan, for garnish (optional)
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook until they float. Keep the water simmering.
- When you add the gnocchi to the water, start to heat 1 TBS olive oil in a skillet. When the gnocchi float, use a slotted spoon to drain them as best you can, then transfer to the hot skillet. Cook the gnocchi in the skillet until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes.
- Remove the gnocchi from the skillet, cover and keep it warm while you cook the veggies.
- Add asparagus to the simmering pot of water and blanch for 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm.
- Drain water reserving ½ cup cooking liquid. Mix ½ tsp cornstarch into the reserved cooking liquid and set aside.
- When the gnocchi are finished, saute the mushroom in the skillet until their liquid has evaporated. Remove from the skillet and keep warm.
- Melt butter in the skillet and add onion. Saute until translucent, 2-5 minutes. Mix in garlic, thyme and black pepper. Saute for about 1 minute, or until fragrant.
- Add the miso and white wine, stirring to mix the miso into the pan sauce. Stir the cornstarch slurry and pour it into the skillet, stirring until the sauce thickens.
- Return the gnocchi, asparagus, and mushrooms to the skillet, tossing to coat with the sauce. Serve sprinkled with parmesan, if desired.
