This Mushroom Florentine Gnocchi is the ultimate in fall comfort food!
The chillier temps of fall are here guys, and one of my favorite things about fall is comfort food. Who’s with me?
I know, I know. Comfort food is not usually the healthiest, but I know one thing for sure, it’s ALWAYS the most delicious! And this Mushroom Florentine Gnocchi is no exception.
Light, plump and tender gnocchi nestled in a rich and creamy cheese sauce with pancetta, baby bella mushrooms and spinach. And if you guys are in search of the perfect Meatless Monday meal, just omit the pancetta. Sounds good, yes? And see how I added all those veggies up in there? I figured if we were going to indulge we needed to make ourselves feel a bit better by adding our daily dose of veggies. Fist bump! I don’t know about you folks, but I’m feeling better about indulging already.
Consider this dish a grown-up version of mac and cheese. Perfect for a cozy date night at home in front of the fire with a glass of wine, pj’s and fuzzy slippers! Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 16- oz. packages potato gnocchi I use DeLallo's Potato Gnocchi
- 10 oz. baby spinach leaves
- 6 oz. pancetta diced
- 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 3 cups milk
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese divided
- 4 oz. fresh mozzarella cut into large cubes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 2 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large pot, cook gnocchi according to package directions adding spinach leaves for the last minute of cooking. Drain and then return to pot.
- In a large saucepan, cook pancetta over medium heat until browned and the fat has rendered, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from pan with slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate.
- To the fat left in the pan, add butter and mushrooms and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute. Stir in flour to combine and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk and cook until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in all but 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese. Pour over gnocchi and spinach mixture. Add pancetta and fresh mozzarella. Stir gently until well combined. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 25 minutes until golden and bubbly.
Love this! I am not adventurous enough when it comes to gnocchi. I will be trying this delicious mushroom version, for sure :)
Gnocchi is one of my all time favorite comfort food dishes Jennifer! And this dish totally delivered! Enjoy!
Comfort food is definitely one of my favourite things about fall. Though, I love comfort food all year round ;) I can not wait to try this, Mary Ann! It looks SO good! I could take a good dent out of that pan myself…hehehe! Pinned! Happy Monday! XO
You’re going to love it Dawn! Tom really enjoyed it!
It definitely got super chilly here too, Mare! And I’m totally craving all the cozy eats! This gnocchi totally fits that bill!!!! This looks just amazing, my dear! I’m dying over that creamy sauce! And the pancetta! And the mushrooms! AND the spinach! OH MY! I need this in my life!! Pinning to try! Cheers, dear! XOXO
This dish was so incredibly easy and an absolute comfort food winner Chey! I hope you and Boy enjoy it! Thanks for pinning! XO
It’s still not chilly here in Phoenix (although it’s dropped into the 90s) but I’ll take a huge serving of this gnocchi anyway. That gorgeous creamy sauce is killing me!
Eat it in the comfort of your air-conditioned house Kelsie! It’s a MUST!
My family’s favourite ingredients! Pinning !
Yay! Enjoy it!
Love grown-up mac! This looks so comforting for a cool fall night!
Me too Karen! And gnocchi is one of my favorite comfort foods!
Now that’s my kind of date night!! Love this, MaryAnn! Pinned!
Mine to Annie! Now if I could just teach Tom how to make it for me! Thanks for pinning! Happy Monday!
I KNOW this will taste awesome because I have a similar recipe. It is so good and people just love it. I want some of this right now!!
It is such an awesome comfort food dish Natasha! I enjoy something similar at a local restaurant we go to, so I had to recreate it at home!
Oh Mary Ann ~ this looks and sounds like the best meal ever!
Thanks so much Sue! It’s such a comforting fall/winter dish!
Oh yes! This is my kind of comfort food too!! Putting this one on the menu.
Yay! I know you’ll enjoy it Marissa!
This looks absolutely delicious and has my mouth watering!
I hope you give it a go Chris! It’s such a tasty dish. Happy Monday!
I love to make my own gnocchis and adding your delicious sauce would be over the top good. A great recipe Mary Ann .
I cheated and bought store bought gnocchi Gerlinde. Next time I’ll attempt homemade. You’d love the sauce. So easy and creamy. Happy Monday!
This is perfect comfort food! I love all the creamy sauce, the gnocchi and the spinach and mushrooms! One of the best things about baked dishes is the delicious smells that permeate the house while it’s cooking! I’ll bet this dish would have people lingering near the kitchen just waiting till it comes out of the oven!
I lingered…and ate!! I hope you give this one a try Kathy!
All your recipes are fantastic but this one is pure perfection. I am actually salivating over here!
Thanks so much Alida! This one is one of my comfort food favorites. If you’re salivating, then my job is done! Hope all is well! Good luck with your renovations!
This dish is the ultimate comfort food!! I am all about cozy recipes like this right now!
Me too Leigh Ann!
A good baked comfort food dish is alright with me! It’s all about balance, anyway, right? And besides, it’s time to feel comfortable in our stretchy pants – so bring it on! I’m in looove with those baby bella mushrooms and how easy it is to turn this into a meatless Monday meal! Hooray! SO much texture and flavor.. it’s been too long since I had gnocchi! droooooling….
When I think of comfort food gnocchi always comes to mind Traci! It’s one of my favorite dishes. I don’t indulge often, but when I do I make sure it’s an epic experience! Lol!
If it ever dips below 85 here again, I’m making this!!
I’ll keep my fingers crossed Matt!
I am seriously loving this! That is some comfort food.
It’s at the top of my comfort food list all fall and winter long Jennifer!
Mary Ann, it snowed here yesterday!! Although I’m so not ready for winter weather, I’m 100% into this dish! I love, love gnocchi and this just screams heart-warming comfort. Yum!
Snow?! OMG! Already? Well, this dish will warm you right up Katherine!
It is cool and rainy here today (finally, fall!) and I am wishing this gorgeous dish would appear on my table. This is comfort food in the very best of ways! <3
Then this would be the perfect dish Tessa! Wish we lived closer!
Healthy can be a bit overrated, eh? Sometimes you just need comfort. So glad you mentioned what kind of potato gnochi you use. I am always so intimidated to go through the effort of making them homemade to have my kids say, “uh…. these are not my favorite.” So, this will help me white knuckle through their 7 and 10 year old responses to such deliciousness. My hubby and I will be in heaven!
I’ve always loved gnocchi, but sometimes it’s not yet a winner on the palate of a kid! They’ll get there! I was jumping for joy last year when my 24 year old son ate brussels sprouts and loved them!
Do you serve this over anything? Feels a little odd for me to just eat it like this lol. Thanks!
No, I don’t serve it over anything. It’s served just like you would pasta. I would serve in a bowl. Enjoy!
This was very good w/lots of healthy vegetables added. I followed the recipe exactly, but next time I won’t add so much flour(or none at all) and more parmesan cheese to make the sauce taste more alfredo like. I like my sauce not so thick so I would probably start with 1/2 the mozzarella and see how it tastes with less.
Glad you enjoyed it Andrea! That sounds good!