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This is a quick and easy way to fancy up Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi and turn it into a creamy, veggie-packed dish that you will love. This gnocchi comes together in minutes and makes the perfect date-night meal that is both vegan and gluten-free.
If you haven’t tried Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi yet then this is a great recipe to start with. In this recipe, we fancy it up a bit and cook it a little differently to get the gnocchi nice and golden, fluffy and loaded with flavor.
Don’t worry if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you because you can use pretty much any brand of cauliflower gnocchi like Whole Foods, Amazon, or Green Giant but Trader Joe’s gnocchi is one of the best due to the quality ingredients and price.
What is trader joe’s cauliflower gnocchi?
Trader joe’s cauliflower gnocchi is found in the freezer section of Trader Joe’s and costs around $3. It gives you a nice serving of veggies since it is made with cassava flour and cauliflower rather than the traditional gnocchi that is made with flour and eggs. This makes it lighter and pretty diet-friendly so almost anyone can enjoy it.
How do you cook cauliflower gnocchi?
There are a few ways you can cook cauliflower gnocchi to get it nice and golden and fluffy. One way not to cook it is by following the package instructions, which will result in more soggy, flavorless gnocchi. Here are a few of our favorite ways to cook it to get it perfectly golden and delicious!
- Pan fry it – this is by far the best method (and my favorite) since it takes the least amount of time and results in wonderfully golden gnocchi every time!
- Air fryer – you can easily cook the frozen cauliflower gnocchi right in the air fryer to get it nice and crispy but would need to add other ingredients to give it some flavor.
- In the oven – while this is a fine method for cooking gnocchi, it will take a while to get it nice and golden.
How do you serve cauliflower gnocchi?
In this recipe, the gnocchi is served in a creamy dairy-free mushroom and spinach sauce. You could also serve it with some tomato sauce and melted cheese if you do not need to keep it vegan. It is also delicious tossed in some pesto sauce.
Ingredients you will need
- Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi – you can find this at almost any Trader Joe’s store in the freezer section. Other brands like Whole Foods and Green Giant would also work fine.
- Spinach – fresh spinach works best in this recipe.
- Mushrooms – baby bella or button mushrooms.
- Onions – red onion, shallots, or yellow onion will work.
- Coconut milk – full fat, canned coconut milk, or, heavy cream for a non-vegan version.
- Garlic – fresh minced garlic.
- Olive oil – extra virgin olive oil or butter.
- Vegetable stock – store-bought or homemade is fine.
- Parmesan cheese – optional
- Dried basil or oregano – you could also use Italian seasoning.
- Salt and pepper – used to enhance all of the flavors
How to cook Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi
- Cook the cauliflower gnocchi – heat a pan with olive oil to medium heat. Add the gnocchi and toss and cook it until golden. Set aside.
- Make the sauce – add the oil to the same pan and heat it to medium heat, then add in the onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook until the veggies are soft then add in the spinach. Cook that all together until the spinach is wilted then season with salt, pepper, and dried basil. Pour in the stock and milk and toss and cook until the sauce thickens slightly. Then sprinkle in the parmesan cheese, if using.
- Combine – add the cooked gnocchi back to the pan with sauce and toss it all together.
- Serve – divide into bowls and serve topped with grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley or basil.
Tips for Success
Admittedly, this recipe is pretty easy and simple to make but here are a few tips to help you along the way.
- Use Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi – if you can find it then trader joe’s brand works best in this recipe, although I have had a few readers try it with the Whole Foods brand and it worked out well. Note: this recipe also works with trader joe’s sweet potato gnocchi.
- Pan fry the gnocchi – this will get it nice and golden in minutes and really brings the flavor of the gnocchi and, as mentioned, is the best method for cooking it great every time!
- Fresh spinach works best – fresh spinach is best in this recipe but frozen spinach with the water rung out will also work. You could even use kale!
Storing and reheating
This gnocchi is best if eaten right away but you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Easily reheat portions in the microwave until warmed through.
More cauliflower recipes
- Crispy Air Fryer Cauliflower
- Baked Cauliflower Bites
- Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
- Mediterranean Cauliflower Rice
Did you try this Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi recipe? If you did then please leave a rating and comment below, I would love to hear how yours turned out!
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How To Cook Trader Joes’ Cauliflower Gnocchi
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 people 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This is the best recipe for cooking trader joe’s cauliflower gnocchi. It is pan-fried, then tossed in a dairy-free creamy mushroom, spinach sauce. It comes together in minutes, is loaded with so much flavor, and makes the best healthy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil – divided
- 1 package Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- ½ cup diced red onion
- 2 cups sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 3 cloves of garlic -minced
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- ⅓ cup vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon dried basil or oregano
- 1 cup coconut milk -full-fat or heavy cream
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese – if not making this fully vegan
- ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley – optional for serving
Instructions
Cook the cauliflower gnocchi
- Heat a skillet to medium heat, add in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the gnocchi and toss and cook it until golden. About 3-5 minutes then remove the gnocchi from the pan and set it aside in a bowl or on a plate.
Make the creamy veggie-filled sauce
- In the same pan, you cooked the gnocchi in add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add in the diced red onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Let that cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms start to get nice and golden brown.
- Add in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in the vegetable stock, dried basil or oregano and stir to combine it with the veggies. Season with more salt and pepper. Let that come to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add in the coconut milk and stir it in with all of those deliciously simmered veggies and let that all cook for 2 more minutes.
Put it all together and serve
- Add in the cooked gnocchi and stir. Let that all cook for 2 minutes. Finally, stir in the grated parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper if needed, based on taste.
- Plate and top with freshly chopped herbs like basil or parsley and more grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
- To make this fully vegan skip the parmesan cheese or use vegan nut and seed parmesan cheese.
- To store – This is best if eaten right away but can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Although it will lose a little bit of flavor but will still be delicious.
- To reheat – heat in the microwave until warmed through, and top with fresh herbs and parmesan cheese to freshen it up. You could also reheat it in a pan on the stovetop.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: sautéed
- Cuisine: American
I am definitely going to try this – is there something else I could sub for the mushrooms? Or if I just omit them, would everything else be made just the same?
Hi Alissa, You can use diced eggplant or even tofu in place of the mushrooms or simply just leave them out.
Yum!! Is there anything to sub for hte coconut milk if i dont have that?
Hi Alex, the coconut milk works best in this recipe but you could use any unsweetened plant-based milk or heavy cream if you don’t need to keep this dairy-free.
Hi! Could provide the approximate nutrition information for this recipe?
Thank you!
Hi Ash! Thank you so much for letting me know it was missing. I have updated the recipe card to reflect the nutritional information.
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Is cauliflower gnocchi thawed or frozen for this recipe
Hi Jess, the cauliflower gnocchi is frozen. Enjoy!
Amazing!! We loved this recipe & topped with some vegan parm and red pepper flakes. Paired with a pinot noir. Boyfriend said he would eat it every day if I made it
Hi Sarah, So glad you and your boyfriend enjoyed it!
I just made this and it was DELICIOUS! I didn’t have all the veggies you listed and even subbed water for vegetable broth and it still tasted delish! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Hi Caroline. Thank you for your comment. I am so glad you liked this recipe. It is a family favorite in our house.
Love the flavors in this dish. Superb!
I love the rich flavor the mushrooms add to this recipe.
Could not stop “tasting .” Ha ha
It’s a keeper.
Thanks Amy.
SO yummy! Has become a staple meal for us!
Thank you, Megan! I am so happy you liked it.
This was my first try with these wonderful cauliflower gnocchi! Very interesting that these gnocchi are made in Italy by a company that makes nothing but gnocchi! Glad that someone asked whether to defrost the gnocchi? No! I fried in a pan til crispy. From frozen right out of the bag. Did not have coconut milk so used heavy cream. Used drained frozen spinach. I did use white wine to deglaze the pan. This was absolutely delicious! Will definitely make these again! My husband loved my vegetarian dinner! Thank you so much!
Hi Theresa, I am so glad you liked it.