This simple 15-minute pan-fried vegan gnocchi with green asparagus and tomatoes in creamy sauce is a delicious lunch or dinner recipe that is quick and easy so make in one skillet! The creamy asparagus sauce is not only super delicious with crispy pan-fried gnocchi, but also goes perfectly with pasta, potatoes or rice.
Quick Pan-Fried Gnocchi in Cream Sauce
I love one skillet meals because not only are they super quick and easy to make, but they’re also super versatile and customizable so you don’t have to do any extra shopping beforehand. This pan-fried gnocchi skillet takes just 15 minutes to make and only requires a few ingredients. Plus, the recipe is not only delicious, but also very healthy. Prepared with lots of fresh ingredients in a light cream sauce, the potato dish is absolutely perfect for the whole family – your kids will love it too!
Simple 15-Minutes Lunch or Dinner Recipe
This delicious gnocchi stir-fry is not only the perfect recipe when you’re busy, but it’s also ideal for using up leftovers! You can use any vegetables you have in your fridge and instead of gnocchi you can use pasta, potatoes, rice, quinoa or other grains. If you still have a batch of homemade gnocchi in your freezer, this recipe is perfect to use them up now!
Creamy Gnocchi – with or without asparagus?
I love gnocchi with green asparagus in cream sauce! So during asparagus season, I like to prepare this recipe with asparagus. But if asparagus isn’t available right now, you can use other vegetables like zucchini, carrots, broccoli, squash or mushrooms instead. By the way, crispy roasted gnocchi with garlic mushrooms is also one of my favorite recipes for every day!
But no matter what you choose – the combination of pan-fried gnocchi, onions, garlic and colorful vegetables in a creamy sauce is just awesome!
-> Here you will find everything about asparagus!
Creamy Asparagus Sauce – Quick Recipe
If you just want to make a quick creamy asparagus sauce to serve with other dishes, you can simply leave out the gnocchi and tomatoes in this recipe. Just sauté the onions, garlic and asparagus. Season the asparagus stir-fry and pour in the cooking cream. Then just let it boil down for a few minutes, and the simple vegan asparagus cream sauce is ready!
Ingredients for this Recipe and Variations
- Olive oil: or another vegetable oil for frying like canola oil
- Gnocchi: homemade and pre-cooked or ready-made gnocchi from the refrigerated section.
- Onions & garlic: for the best flavor and a great irresistible aroma!
- Green asparagus: or other vegetables to taste
- Cherry tomatoes: or other crisp and ripe tomatoes
- Vegan cooking cream: e.g. soy or oat cuisine
- Nutritional yeast flakes: or Vegan Parmesan to taste
- Salt and pepper: feel free to add other Mediterranean spices to taste
- Lemon: a squeeze of lemon juice for freshness
- Herbs: basil and parsley or an Italian herb mix – either fresh, frozen or dried.
How to make Gnocchi Asparagus Stir-Fry in Cream Sauce
As always, I recommend checking out the recipe video and these step-by-step instructions first. Then you can find the full recipe with the exact measurements in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Pan-fry Gnocchi and Vegetables
First, heat some oil in a large pan and fry the gnocchi in it for about 4-5 minutes until golden brown. At the same time, sauté the onion, garlic and asparagus one by one in another pan. Season generously with salt and pepper and round off with a squeeze of lemon juice.
Step 2: Season and Refine with Cooking Cream
Add the pan-fried asparagus to the gnocchi. Add the vegan cooking cream, nutritional yeast flakes and tomatoes as well and cook for about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Garnish with fresh parsley, basil and vegan parmesan if desired.
Do you have to precook Gnocchi?
If you use ready-made gnocchi from the refrigerated section, you can pan-fry them directly without cooking, since they are already pre-cooked. To make sure you buy the right gnocchi, you can simply read the instructions on the package you how to prepare them.
Can you pan-fry raw Gnocchi?
If you make gnocchi from scratch, you should not pan-fry them raw, because they would stick to the pan and lose their shape. By the way, the same applies to frozen gnocchi from the freezer. Therefore, cook both varieties first according to the recipe and then let them drain and cool on a rack before frying them in the pan.
How to store Gnocchi in Sauce?
The sauce prevents the gnocchi from sticking together. Therefore, once the gnocchi asparagus stir-fry dish has cooled, you can simply place the leftovers in an airtight storage box or cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
How many grams of Gnocchi per serving?
As a main meal, usually expect 200 to 300 grams of gnocchi per person, while as a side dish or appetizer between 100 and 150 grams will suffice. So this recipe yields 2 servings as a main dish and 4 servings as a side dish. If you have more guests, you can of course adjust the quantity. However, I recommend then to use two large pans, so that it is not overloaded and you can pan fry the gnocchi perfectly.
This Gnocchi with Asparagus in Cream Sauce Recipe is:
- Quick and easy to make
- Vegetarian
- Vegan (when using vegan gnocchi and dairy-free cooking cream)
- Gluten-free (when using gluten-free gnocchi)
- Healthy
- Totally delicious!
- Versatile
- Perfect for lunch or dinner!
More Gnocchi recipes to Try:
- Sweet Potato Gnocchi
- Pumpkin Gnocchi
- Gnocchi with Wild Garlic Pesto
- Crispy Gnocchi with Garlic Mushrooms
- Stuffed Gnocchi with Spinach Pesto
- Gnocchi Vegetable Stir-fry
- Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce
Recipe Video
If you try this easy gnocchi recipe, feel free to leave me a comment and a review! And if you take a picture of your skillet dish and share it on Instagram or Facebook, please tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka so I don’t miss your post! Happy cooking! 😊
Creamy Gnocchi with Asparagus and Tomatoes
Author:Ingredients
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil or canola oil
- 21 oz (600 g) vegan gnocchi homemade and precooked or ready-made from the refrigerated section
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic chopped
- 8.8 oz (250 g) green asparagus or other veggies (see tips here)
- 8.8 oz (250 g) cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup (250 g) vegan cooking cream e.g. soy or oat cuisine
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes or vegan parmesan to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 squeeze of lemon juice
For garnish (optional)
- fresh parsley
- fresh basil
- vegan parmesan
Instructions
*Note: Check out the recipe video + step-by-step pictures above!
- Heat about 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet and fry the gnocchi in it for about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown (see tip: pre-cooking yes or no?).
- At the same time, heat the remaining oil in another pan and sauté the onion for 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Now add the asparagus and sauté for another 3 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper and drizzle with a squeeze of lemon juice. Then transfer everything to the gnocchi.
- Add the vegan cooking cream, nutritional yeast flakes and tomatoes and let the gnocchi simmer for about 3 minutes. Taste and add more salt, pepper and lemon juice if needed.
- Garnish with fresh parsley, basil and vegan parmesan if desired and enjoy!
Notes
- You can also make this gnocchi stir-fry dish with other vegetables or add more. Mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, and broccoli are great, for example.
- Also feel free to check out the recipe for my gnocchi vegetable stir-fry without asparagus!
- This recipe makes 4 servings as a side dish and 2 servings as a main meal.
- More helpful tips and information about the recipe, including ingredient and storing notes, are mentioned in the blog post above!
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