Gnocchi with Roasted Cauliflower

It's Meatless Monday in our house this week... and dinner was pretty good! I pulled this one out of the Real Simple cookbook and it was a great meal. You can serve a small salad on the side if that pleases you, however, I think with the gnocchi the meal by itself is filling enough. Roasting veggies brings out their natural sweetness and the edges get caramelized too which makes them even better. If you haven't tried it, you should! I added a little bit of the pasta cooking water to loosen things up a bit.

Gnocchi with Roasted Cauliflower, almonds, garlic & Parmesan

ingredients

• 1 small head of Cauliflower, chopped into florets
• 12 fresh sage leaves (left whole)
• 3 tbsp EVOO
• 2 large cloves garlic, smashed
• Sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 lb gnocchi
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400º. On a rimmed baking sheet toss the florets, sage leaves, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper with the EVOO. Note: I find using your hands is the best tool for this!

2. Roast the cauliflower for a total of 25-30 minutes or until it is golden brown and tender. Be sure to toss the cauliflower halfway through the cooking time. When tossing add the almonds and garlic cloves to the cauliflower as well. When you remove from the oven give the garlic a quick chop and toss with the cauliflower.

3. Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi according to the package directions. It's best to start this when the cauliflower is halfway through the cooking process. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Drain and set aside.

4. In a large bowl add the gnocchi, cauliflower, garlic, almonds, cheese and reserved cooking water. Toss to combine and serve in individual bowls. Drizzle each serving with some olive oil. 

Even there isn't a "sauce" per say in this, it's still really delicious and not dry as you would expect. I love this cookbook - the meals are simple but full of flavor and very balanced. Also, it provides great tips when preparing the meal. For instance, chopping the cauliflower into florets can be quite messy but if you do it right it's pretty simple. Lay the cauliflower with the stem side up... and using a small knife cut around the core/stem and pull out... then just chop the florets. Another technique if you aren't roasting the cauliflower or broccoli in a recipe is to blanch it for 3 minutes or so... then chop up the florets.

The sage in this recipe gets nice and crispy while you bake it in the oven with the cauliflower and adds some yummy flavor. I used fresh sage leaves from my garden which makes it extra special. Here's a quick a shot of my sage plant...

Fresh Sage from the garden

Enjoy!