Creative Comfort

Even though the month of May is just barely getting started, I am already finding myself with a slew of busy weekends ahead of me. Consequently, this was my only weekend actually staying put in the District. Usually,I like to make the most of my increasingly few free weekends by trying out some new and fun recipes, but I went into the weekend exhausted and with no desire to do anything that would require the use of my oven. Yes, on top of everything else, summer has started to rear its ugly head in the District (there is no time of year in DC that I hate more than summer...between the heat and the influx of tourists, all I want to do is hunker down in my air conditioned apartment and pray for the arrival of fall, and even better, winter). Unfortunately, any time I bake it doesn't take long for my full size oven to flood my tiny studio apartment with enough heat to make me feel like I'm cooking on the sun. While I was initially not in the mood for dealing with the influx of heat in exchange for cooking, Sunday brought with it a slight cool down in temperatures and with it, my desire to cook returned. 


During a little pinterest browsing the other day I discovered a little piece of gnocchi heaven. I'll admit, gnocchi and I haven't spent much time together over the years. I actually just discovered it a few years back during my early months in DC. Although it was love at first taste, I haven't really sought it out much in the years since, and have never made on my own. During my monthly trip to the suburbs a few weeks back, I was pillaging the local Wegmans when I stumbled upon a delightful surprise: whole wheat gnocchi. Of course, I had to get it. Unfortunately, my multiple weeks of travel resulted in me never getting to try it, until now. I'd picked up some fun cheese at Trader Joe's on my way home from work the other day and it was the perfect accompaniment to my Sunday funday meal. 

Whole Wheat Gnocchi Mac and Cheese

[Original version found here]

Ingredients

• 1 pound purchased or homemade gnocchi
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 teaspoons garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup fat-free milk
• 1/4 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan-Gouda reduced fat cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano 
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes

Gnocchi cooked and topped with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, awaiting cheese :)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375. Prepare gnocchi according to package directions. Drain and place gnocchi in a single-layer in a 1-1/2 quart shallow baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Top with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes
2. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles, then whisk in milk. Continue to whisk mixture and cook until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes
3. Combine smoked gouda and parm-gouda, then add by the handful to milk mixture, stirring until melted before adding the next handful. Once all cheese is melted, season sauce with salt and pepper
4. Pour sauce over gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano over top. Bake gnocchi until they puff and the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Let gnocchi rest for 5 minutes before serving

Enjoy....and prepare for a very happy stomach!