Pizza Gnocchi – A Delightful Change of Pace

I don’t know about you, but I was unfamiliar with gnocchi until a year or two ago. I’m not sure where it’s been hiding. My love of carbs wholeheartedly approves of this potato-pasta crossover! If you haven’t had gnocchi [or if you are already a fan] this pizza gnocchi recipe is a delicious detour from the normal dinner staples.

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Ok, I’m in. But what is gnocchi anyway?

I first saw gnocchi on Food Network. No doubt someone was making it from scratch. Similar to making homemade pasta, gnocchi is made of flour and eggs. But it also has mashed potato in the dough, which adds to it’s carby goodness. The dough is formed into little balls about the size of a clove of garlic. After seeing this on TV I was convinced, but not willing to dive into making some from scratch. Certainly not after working all day.

Fear not friends! Gnocchi is available at the grocery store in the pasta aisle, fresh pasta section of the refrierator case, and/or the freezer aisle. I use the Private Selection brand from the pasta aisle at Kroger. As much as I love Aldi, I was not a fan of their gnocchi. If you’re making for more than 2 people, I would get two containers of gnocchi. A pound of gnocchi doesn’t make near as much food as a pound of pasta.

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So umm pizza gnocchi. Sounds tasty.

I’ve never been a big fan of red pasta sauce. Recently, though, I’ve been devouring it. I found with some ground meat and a dollop of cream cheese stirred in that I can’t get enough. Gnocchi’s pillowy carbiness satisfies crust component of this pizza-esque recipe. And spices like garlic, basil, and oregano really solidify the pizza flavor experience.

You could add some veggies into the mix if that’s your jam. I don’t prefer my pizza with veggies so I didn’t bother adding veggies to pizza gnocchi either. To help a package of gnocchi stretch I usually have a salad or a veggie like broccoli on the side. If you make 3 servings from this, the calories stack up around 422/serving, where as 4 servings brings it down to 316/serving. These aren’t large servings and I would suggest something on the side.

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RELATED RECIPES: Spicy Southwest Turkey Burgers | The Beefiest Turkey Chili

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Isn’t ground turkey a weird meat choice for this?

I used ground turkey for this recipe because generally it’s cheaper than beef. I brown the turkey with a beef bouillon cube and we really cannot taste that it’s turkey instead. Aldi has a 1.2 lbs package that’s usually cheaper than a pound of turkey anywhere else. And this recipe only uses half that package! #budgetwin I would imagine ground beef, pepperoni, or Italian sausage would all be tasty in pizza gnocchi too.

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The next time you’re in the pasta aisle of your store, pick up some gnocchi and let me know how you like it!

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