Gnocchi and Wilted Spinach Salad
Heavenly Gnocchi and Wilted Spinach Salad. Even the pickiest eaters will love this salad!
Ok, ok, OK, ok, okay, OKAY! So this isn’t the lightest salad to we’ve ever made. I admit it!
Yet it is the salad that will have everyone asking for seconds and thirds.
A double helping of greens, people, doesn’t that count for something?
My kids will eat just about anything; a fact that would make any kitchen-crazed mamma brim with pride!
It took a bit of work through the toddler years, but we arrived at “palate maturity” at the weathered ages of 5 1/2 and 8.
Raw oysters? Yes.
Sushi? Yes.
Spicy foods? Absolutely.
Ripe stinky cheeses? You bet.
Veggies of all shapes and sizes… My two kids will try whatever I put in front of them, and usually enjoy it.
Yet ask for seconds on salad? Never.
That is, until greens started mingling with gnocchi. Oh, how the tides have turned!
If you’ve been reading ASP for a while, you may remember that my husband has a habit of inviting people over for dinner on short notice.
What’s even better, sometimes it’s only short notice for me. He may have phoned our friends a week earlier, but simply forgot to tell me until 5 pm the day of!
(I know what you’re thinking, but he’s still a keeper.)
To make amends, he offers to run to the store or help in the kitchen. Whatever it takes.
One of these particular evenings, I was scrounging in the pantry to come up with a suitable meal for first-time guests, when I found a package of pre-made gnocchi.
Inspiration hit!
We made this hearty Gnocchi and Wilted Spinach Salad to serve as a first-course, in order to buy more cooking time for the rest of the meal.
After that, no other salad has quite stacked up.
Ask my kids. They’ll tell you, this Gnocchi and Wilted Spinach Salad recipe is legit.
Gnocchi and Wilted Spinach Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound packaged gnocchi
- 5-6 ounces baby spinach leaves
- 4 strips thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup walnut pieces
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 cup dried cherries, optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon to the skillet and sizzle until red and crispy. Add the shallots to the bacon and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Then add the walnuts and nutmeg.
- Meanwhile drop the gnocchi into the boiling water. Cook until all the gnocchi are floating, about 3-4 minutes. Once the gnocchi is ready, use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the skillet.
- Add the cherries and stir. Finally add the lemon juice, honey and 2-3 tablespoons of pasta water. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the spinach in a large salad bowl. Pour the hot gnocchi mixture over the spinach and toss. Serve immediately!
Nutrition
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I made this yesterday evening. I left out the bacon as my daughter is vegetarian, and unfortunately I can’t get dried cherries but did the rest of the recipe as written.
It was delicious. I’m sure the bacon adds another level of taste but I was lucky my daughter ate turkey on Christmas day (now her one day a year to eat meat.. ) so I didn’t want to push it. If I do it for myself again though I’ll definitely add the bacon.
Even without the bacon and cherries it was delicious. The lemon and honey give a tart but sweet flavour which really makes you want to have more (we both had second helpings).
I’ve printed the recipe and stuck it to the fridge so I can make it again soon :)
Thank you for sharing the recipe and Happy New Year
Great salad….Congratulations.. however, here it is still a bit cold, the “artificial” baby spinach is really not good….I am . however, thinking of all those summer salads enjoying at the same time simple hearty soups…
kind regards
magdalena
up here often. I am quite sure they will learn lots of new stuff here than anybody else!
This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I enjoy seeing websites that understand the value of providing a prime resource for free. I truly loved reading your post. Thanks!
This looks amazing. I can imagine your kids enjoying it too!
Wow. Putting this salad together on such short notice was pure inspiration. Of COURSE everything's better with bacon, but that still leaves a lot of wiggle room. This looks amazing.
Kudos to your children for their open culinary minds. It will serve them so well as they grow. Keeping my fingers crossed that the door to Dudette's mind will open a bit more in that way.
Now that is quite a salad…with the bacon here I could maybe get my kids to go spinach salad crazy like I am :)
Gosh, I am super impressed by your kids and what they will eat. Even I am iffy about oysters. Good for you. Hopefully, we will follow in your footsteps. :). Salad looks awesome!
I would go for 3rd and 4th…. It looks so good!
This is so so smart. I love gnocchi and the photos of it comingling with salad greens and dressing make me wish I had this for dinner. I've got to try it out. Thank you!
I have very little to say other than "You Are Amazing."
Seriously.
It's great when kids have healthy appetites and will eat just about anything. One of my nephews liked things such as anchovies on his pizza at a young age. I thought it was disgusting but was impressed at his openminded tastes all the same. ;) This salad looks delicious! I had gnocchi last night! Nothing post-worthy, though.
This is very clever. Bacon, spinach, gnocchi – I'm all over that. No wonder your kids like everything. Compliments to the cook.
I surprise Michelle like this sometimes. Even when I honestly forgot, I take credit for intentionally throwing her a curve ball. She's a planner. I'm a wandering mess. Classic Co-dependency.
We really enjoy your blog.
Cheers! Scott & Michelle
I LOVE your salad, and the difference between France and USA, is that probably your excellent salad would be "main dish" here… then, some fruit..;and that's it!
I urge Americans to do that….In most cases it is not the food, bad in itself, but the quantity!!!
Please, keep on giving us food like that, and don't feel guilty !!
That salad looks delicious! Gnocchi is so yummy anyway, but to throw in a little bit of healthy stuff too is just awesome. Yum!
Looks good to me! It's like the classic southern wilted spinach salad with an Italian twist – love it! And the added flavor burst of cherries, too :)
gotta love hubbies, a perfect salad, I am also glad my girls wll eat everything(love it)..just two nights ago we tried a prepackaged gnocchi and really enjoyd it, this would be perfect for our next gnocchi adventure, thanks for sharing
sweetlife
wow this looks amazing!
I don't care if this salad is light or not as long as it's delicious! So scrummy looking and sounding. A good way of making salad-haters eat salad…
Cheers,
Rosa
I would finish all and require 2nd, 3rd….Thank you for sharing such a wonderful salad recipe.
Angie
I would love to hear this salad for every dinner :) i bet everybody asked you for more and more!
OMG! Sommer…. my hubby would do backflips for this salad, gnocchi and bacon….that must be so good. And your kids eating raw oysters….bravo!
You are a lucky mom.
Sounds like a winner Sommer. Sometimes when I have guests at the spur of the moment I actually avoid worries and fuss I might typically otherwise have. You came up with a perfect offering to your new guests.
Would this salad be good with soy bacon??? ;)
Fabulous salad idea!!! Can I hire you to train my kids to eat salad?????
Looks delicious! I adore bacon in salads… a favorite at our house. Good thinking on your feet! – xoxo megs
Whatever it takes to get kids to eat the salad greens…that's what I say! This certainly is one delicious way to do it!
Since it is filled under the salad category I am considering it a healthy choice and I will definitely make it.
This salad looks so beautiful, Sommer! I don't care if it's not particularly light. It's still extremely healthful and I want a bowl:) Ooh, and I just love dry cherries. There so nice…
You are a brilliant wife in the kitchen, aren't you? And, hubby will never be encouraged to give you notice when your creative juices develop ideas like this in a pinch! Whoo-hoo! Good for you! Dried cherries, walnuts, bacon… and the spinach to pay penance for the rest… how could you go wrong. YUMMMERS!
:)
Valerie
I love the idea of pan fried gnocchi with the salad and cherries are a great addition here too, very delicious!
Accidentally bought way too much spinach this week so this will come in handy. Cheers!
That is a wonderful salad and so clever of you to mix the gnocchi with the greens. Devious mamas rule :)
chow! Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
we enjoy gnocchi lovely presentation
What a clever idea. I love gnocchi…way to bring it up a healthy notch. I never thought about doing this but why not. Thanks for sharing, yum!
This sounds great! Rich flavors of the season. I find I have trouble with regular light salads I'lll eat in the warm weather. Have to deepen the flabors to want it. This sounds just the ticket!
I love hot salads! Yum. And by the way, I totally hope to have kids like yours. If I end up giving birth to picky eaters, I think I would tear my hair out. I love experimenting in the kitchen, and if all my kids wanted was chicken tenders I just might cry. =)
Gnocchi and Spinach mmmmmmmmm! I would eat this all on my own! There wouldn't be seconds, let alone thirds, for anyone else.
I think it's ok to add gnocchi to salad! It is totally still salad. I've never added gnocchi to salad before but I add pasta to my salads on a regular basis. Sometimes you need that little bit of extra carb to help fill you up :) This salad looks amazing, lovely pictures. Happy new year!
Sounds like a great recipe! I really love the combination of cherry, walnuts, and honey.
This salad might not be the lightest dish, but it certainly looks amazing! I love that it is made with things commonly found in my pantry!
This sounds so good to me right now, Sommer! I am not spontaneous and I admire your ability to pull it all together quickly. ( :
I see a top 9 in this salads future.
Lucky you get ready made Gnocchis!! The salad really looks refreshing and healthy. Like the wilted spinach in it. A healthy start for 2011.
Now THIS is a main-dish salad!! So creative!! Of course, I'm partial to anything with bacon in it :) I am also very impressed that your kids eat anything you put in front of them!! Well done, mom of the year!! :)
Pan frying the gnocchi is a brilliant idea, it must give them a little extra boost in color and flavor before they go into the salad.
By the way, I'm quite impressed at your calm under fire with last minute dinner guests!
Ohhh this salad looks divine!!!
Looks like an amazing dish.The combo of gnocchi and salad has never occurred to me. What a great dish.
Chicken and Gnocchi soup is one of my favs at the Olive Garden.Your Salad looks so fresh.And with that generous serving of gnocchi I wont mind having it on a snowy day even!Happy New Year!
Your salad looks and sounds really delicious!
This looks amazing! I love gnocchi and this is such a creative way to eat it!
Oh my goodness, my girlfriends are going to love this. We have a brunch planned next Monday and I'm for sure making this. I'll let you know if mine comes out half as good as yours:)So awesome that your kids are willing to try whatever you put before them. It's a beautiful thing.
This is the first time I see gnocchi incorporated into a salad and I love it! beautiful photos too!
This looks delicious. I'll have to remember this next time I make gnocchi!
It is so wonderful to hear that your kids are such good eaters! Yay for foodie parents! And I'm very impressed with your last minute party skills. I would get so flustered. This salad looks just delicious. Thank you so much for sharing it with me!
I made a salad yesterday with steak, mixed greens and um, french fries but was probably the fattiest and most delicious salad ever. This is lovely and you totally piqued my interest because of the gnocchi, it's been in my head lately.
wow this is my kind of meal and I would freak if my hubby did this to me he he
Oh my word gnocchi in a salad!!! This looks soooo good. I would seriously have a hard time not eating the whole salad. YUM!
I'd go for seconds of this. Plus it would be easy to keep most of the ingredients on hang "just in case".
I'd grab seconds and thirds with this! Maybe I'll just pop over one day. =)