Italian Gnocchi with Spinach and Pancetta

Pan-sauteed Italian gnocchi with pancetta and spinach.

Want a quick and easy gnocchi recipe? Try my Italian Gnocchi with Sautéed Spinach and Crispy Pancetta! I use my homemade frozen gnocchi for this recipe, but you can also use the store-bought. Because it’s made with 6 ounces of baby spinach, this is a fairly healthy gnocchi recipe and is a great weeknight dinner for two though you can double the recipe for more diners.

a bag of frozen gnocchi.

Italian gnocchi is one of my favorite ingredients for simple weeknight dinners. On occasions when I make gnocchi from scratch, I usually freeze most of it, so those soft potato dumplings are ready for busy weeknights.

Heck, even if you don’t have a batch in your freezer, you can use your favorite frozen store-bought variety.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

  • It’s quick, easy, and ready to eat in under 30 minutes.
  • Uses a combination of fresh and convenience items.
  • This Italian gnocchi is pure comfort food with crispy pancetta and plenty of cheese for sprinkling.

Ingredients you’ll need:

  • Potato Gnocchi – you can use homemade or store-bought gnocchi. I recommend frozen gnocchi over those cryovacced shelf-stable varieties. The frozen tend to be lighter, fresher with better flavor.
  • Olive Oil – for crisping the pancetta and sauteeing the vegetables.
  • Pancetta – This is like an Italian bacon, cured but not smoked.
  • Shallots – a cross between garlic and onions, shallots get sweeter when cooked.
  • Baby Spinach – this healthy green wilts down very quickly, so even though it may look like a lot of spinach, it isn’t.
  • Sherry Vinegar – for seasoning the vegetables and the rest of the Italian gnocchi recipe.
  • Butter – for sauteeing and to add a bit of richness.
  • Salt & Pepper – for seasoning.
  • Parmesan Cheese – preferably freshly grated.
Crisping pancetta in a pan.

How To Make Italian Gnocchi 

While you bring a pot of water to a boil for this easy gnocchi recipe, you’ll want to fry up the pancetta. I use pre-chopped packaged pancetta for this recipe, but if you can’t find it like that, it’s ok. You can order one or two slices of pancetta (about 1/4″ thick) and dice them up at home. Another option would be to use a few slices of chopped bacon in its place.

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Making Crispy Pancetta

  1. Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add the olive oil. 
  2. When the oil is hot add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally until the fat has rendered and the crispy pancetta is fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. 
  3. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pancetta to a dish lined with paper towels. Set aside.
Sauteing shallots in the pancetta fat.

Next come the sliced shallots. There should be enough oil/rendered fat in the pan to sauté the shallots in.  

Sautéing Shallots

  1. Reduce the heat to medium, so you can cook the shallots without browning them.
  2. Add the shallots to the pan.
  3. Cook them in the pan until they’re softened and translucent, stirring occasionally 2-3 minutes.

I use fresh baby spinach for this easy gnocchi recipe because it’s smaller and more delicate than regular spinach and frozen spinach tends to have too much water in it.

Making Sautéed Spinach for Italian Gnocchi

  1. Into the pan with the shallots, add about half a bag of spinach.
  2. Place the lid on the pan and let cook and wilt for about 30-60 seconds.
  3. Remove the lid and use a pair of tongs to turn and flip the spinach to wilt it entirely.
  4. Replace the lid on the pan and let the sautéed spinach continue to cook until just wilted through.
Tossing cooked gnocchi with the spinach.

This is where the frozen gnocchi comes in. The bite-sized potato dumplings typically goes into the boiling water at about the same time you’ve started to cook the spinach, that way everything comes out even. If you’re using store-bought, follow the instructions on the package to cook them.

Finishing Gnocchi with Sautéed Spinach and Crispy Pancetta

  1. While the gnocchi are cooking, finish the sautéed spinach with a knob of butter, sherry wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Toss the spinach until the butter has melted and the spinach is lightly coated.
  3. When the gnocchi floats to the surface of the boiling water (usually in a 1-2 minutes), scoop it out with a spider or slotted spoon and transfer it to the pan with the spinach. Toss well with the vegetables.
  4. Sprinkle the crispy pancetta over the gnocchi and sautéed spinach.
  5. Finish the dish with parmesan cheese.
Adding pancetta to the Italian gnocchi and spinach to serve.

This Italian gnocchi has just enough buttery sauce to lightly cloak the pillowy dumplings and flavor the spinach. Crispy pancetta adds pops of texture and salt. The sherry wine vinegar adds just a hint of acid, to cut through the heaviness of butter and rendered pancetta. A light dusting of parmesan cheese adds another umami layer to this simple meal. You’ll love it for the variety of textures and flavors, not to mention the prep and cook time, which is usually around 15 to 20 minutes combined… You can’t beat that with a stick.

More Easy Gnocchi Recipes:

A serving of Italian gnocchi in a shallow bowl.

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Italian gnocchi with pancetta and spinach.
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4.43 from 7 votes

Gnocchi with Sautéed Spinach and Crispy Pancetta

This is a super-easy gnocchi recipe with fresh spinach and crispy bits of pancetta. Ready to eat in about 15 minutes
Author: Lisa Lotts
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword gnocchi, pancetta, spinach
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Servings 2

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 cups potato gnocchi
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 4 ounces finely diced pancetta
  • 2 shallots thinly sliced
  • 6 ounces baby spinach
  • teaspoons sherry wine vinegar
  • teaspoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon pasta water (from cooked gnocchi)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

FOR GNOCCHI

  • Fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to a boil for the gnocchi. When the water reaches a boil and you’re about to start the spinach, add the gnocchi and cook until the gnocchi float to the surface (about 2-3 minutes for homemade) or follow package instructions).

MAKE CRISPY PANCETTA:

  • While the water is heating, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Stir in the pancetta and cook for 3-5 minutes or until golden and crisp. Transfer pancetta to a dish lined with a paper towel to drain.

FOR SAUTEED SPINACH:

  • Reduce the heat to medium and add the sliced shallots to the same pan as the pancetta and cook stirring, occasionally until the shallots are tender and translucent.
  • Add half the package of spinach to the shallots. (NOTE: this is also the time to add the gnocchi to the boiling water). Cover with a lid and cook for about 30-60 seconds. Remove the lid and using a pair of tongs, turn the spinach over to continue to wilt. When teh spinach has mostly wilted, add the remainder of the spinach and cover for 30-60 seconds. Use the tongs to turn the spinach and return the cover to the pan. When spinach is nearly all wilted, stir in the sherry vinegar and butter. Remove from heat.

ASSEMBLING EASY GNOCCHI RECIPE

  • As the gnocchi begin to float to the surface of the boiling water, use a slotted spoon or kitchen spider to transfer them to the spinach mixture and toss to combine. If the gnocchi mixture seems dry, add a tablespoon or two of pasta water from the cooked gnocchi.
  • Sprikle the cooked pancetta onto the spinach and gnocchi mixture and toss to combine. Garnish with parmesan cheese and serve.

NUTRITION:

Calories: 810kcal | Carbohydrates: 93g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 1657mg | Potassium: 702mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 8285IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 418mg | Iron: 12mg

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7 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This was absolutely delish and more filling than I thought it would be. I added sliced mushrooms and used prosciutto instead of pancetta. This will be on my rotation list!

  2. 1/2 cup of parmesan is too much as the recipe says “a light dusting”. It’s a really good dish though.

  3. Oh my goodness!Love Gnocchi and have never ever made them at home… but I am definitely going to give it a shot as you have made it look so easy!yumm

  4. 5 stars
    Mouth watering! This is going on my next meal plan!

  5. Jessica Formicola says:

    5 stars
    I love quick and easy meals like this! Adding it to my must make list for sure!

  6. Tayler Ross says:

    5 stars
    I just love gnocchi, and this recipe looks incredible! I can’t wait to try it for dinner tonight!

  7. Priya Shiva says:

    5 stars
    I’m glad you have shared step by step recipe to make gnocchi from scratch. Looks totally yummy!