Comfort food, anyone?? It’s currently winter here, and I could use a bit of a warm up. While I’m staring outside at the piles of snow I can’t help but think about hot food (natural, right?) Seriously though, spring weather can’t come soon enough. Especially when you live in a winter tundra. We complain every year about the cold weather and snow, yet we seem to forget about all of it once summer comes around and we continue to stay. It’s an endless circle over here!
But that’s how this recipe makes me feel – we’ve gone through what seems like a million days without sun, and one bite of this feels like we just skipped a few months and went right to May. It’s my little piece of warmth to forget about how cold the air was today. Tomorrow is definitely another day, but until then I think I’ll just sit back and enjoy my hot dinner inside.
Gnocchi is one of my favorite foods in the world. You could certainly add regular pasta to this dish, but I love how light gnocchi makes this dish feel with the heavier tomato cream sauce. Speaking of gnocchi, I noticed it’s become harder and harder for me to find gluten free brands. Anyone else have this problem?? Either I do find it and it’s WAY too expensive, or I drive around to every specialty food store and they are out of stock (I’m beginning to feel like they were never in stock to begin with).
If you’re like me and would rather just make it yourself, this recipe goes really well with my potato and ricotta gnocchi. I like to cook them just until they start to float, and then finish them off in the hot sauce mixture. My gnocchi are light and delicate, and perfect for this dish. But if you do find gluten free gnocchi, this dish becomes a quick and easy weeknight dinner. Better make some extra too, because it’s so good you’ll keep digging in for more.
Baked Chicken and Spinach Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 1 pound gluten free gnocchi, cooked (try my potato and ricotta gnocchi)
- 2 large (or 3 small) chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 14oz jar gluten free pasta sauce (plain marinara or tomato basil)
- 1 tbsp parsley
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 2-3 tbsp mascarpone cheese
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella
- Olive oil
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat 1-2 tbsp olive oil over medium-low heat. Finely chop garlic and sauté for a few minutes. Add the whole jar of pasta sauce, and stir to combine garlic. Stir in parsley and salt.
- Add the mascarpone cheese to the sauce and stir until combined and creamy.
- Add shredded chicken, cooked gnocchi, and spinach to the sauce mixture. Carefully mix all the ingredients together until they are completely coated in the sauce and heated almost all the way through.
- Divide mixture to oven safe dishes or ramekins, and top with thinly sliced pieces of the fresh mozzarella.
- Bake at 375℉ for 5-10 minutes until cheese is melted and ingredients are heated through.
Notes
I like to cook my own boneless, skinless chicken breasts and shred them ahead of time. If you're not gluten free and are looking for a shortcut, you can use a rotisserie chicken.
Nutrition Facts
Baked Chicken and Spinach Gnocchi
Serves:
|
Amount Per Serving: Serves 4-5
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | Author: Zest and Lemons | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat | 0 | |
| Saturated Fat | 0 | |
| Trans Fat | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 | |
| Sodium | 0 | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 0 | |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 | |
| Sugars | ||
| Protein | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium | Iron | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Zest and Lemons
