When the cold weather arrives, there's nothing quite like soft pillows of gnocchi swimming in creamy Alfredo sauce to warm you up. At least that's how I feel this time of year. Yes, you could make your own Alfredo but reaching for the store-bought version makes this one-pot recipe feel like light work, even on the busiest weeknights.
And actually, this creamy kale gnocchi changed the way I think about store-bought Alfredo. Like anything, it's always good check the ingredients (more on this later!) But if you feel good about what's listed then there's really nothing to feel bothered about. It's just saving you a few steps—and a few items off the shopping list.
Why I love this recipe
- Comforting on Cold Days: Soft pillows of gnocchi swimming in Alfredo sauce? What could possibly be more comforting than that?
- Perfect for a Weeknight: Carbs, greens and protein come together in one pot so there's no excuses not to cook.
- Tastes Better the Next Day: Making it perfect for leftovers or lunches on night two. You could even double the recipe to make it stretch a little further!
This was inspired by my recipe for cheesy leeks and greens (one of my all-time favourite holiday sides) just reimagined for busy weeknights. If you like this style of recipe, you'll probably also like my charred cabbage with sausage and white beans—it's the same, but a little different.
Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make creamy kale gnocchi with turkey and leeks at home:
- frozen gnocchi
- ground turkey
- curly kale
- leeks
- garlic
- Alfredo sauce
- parmesan
See recipe card for quantities.
Hint: Before this recipe, I was hesitant to reach for jarred Alfredo sauce. I assumed the agents added to stabilize would lead to a weird gelatinous texture—and while that is true for some brands, it's not a fair analysis for all of them. My favourite is Rao's (pictured above!) and I like it because it has a short ingredients list and the first 5 plus ingredients are all recognizable (and pronounceable). This is a rule I like to follow for most processed foods and it hasn't failed me since.
Equipment
I'm using one of my all-time favourite kitchen pieces—my enamelled cast iron skillet. It's more functional than it is beautiful (which says a lot because this thing is stunning!) and is probably my most-used piece of cookware. I can't recommend it enough.
Storage
Transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 3-5 days. Add a splash of water before reheating to loosen the sauce and keep everything saucy.
Related
Looking for more easy recipes? Try these:
Ingredients
Method
- In a large, oven-safe skillet or brasier add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom, about 3 tbsp. Heat oil on medium-high and add 450g ground turkey in large chunks, pressing down as you go to maximize browning. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and lots of cracked black pepper. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes, then flip and break into dime-sized pieces.
- While the turkey cooks, preheat oven to 400°F. If you haven't already, wash and chop enough curly kale to fill 4 cups and thinly slice 2 leeks and 3 garlic cloves.*
- Back in the skillet, reduce heat to medium and push the turkey to one side. Add a bit more olive oil (about 1 tbsp) to the other side, along with kale, leeks and garlic. Season with a bit more salt, about ¼ tsp. Cook on medium until the kale reduces in volume by half, about 5 minutes, then mix with the turkey until evenly incorporated.
- To the skillet add 400mL Alfredo sauce, then fill the jar half-way with water, give it a good shake and dump it in the pot. Mix well, give it a taste and adjust seasoning.* Add 400g frozen gnocchi and mix one more time before topping with grated parmesan—measure with your heart!
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until the gnocchi are soft and pillowy. Serve warm with more parmesan and cracked black pepper.
Notes
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:
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