While I usually nix the idea of a two-step pasta dish (it’s still so good even if you don’t cook it twice!), this one is so quick and easy, even a lazy cook like me can have this on the table in under 30 minutes!

Take me to the pasta!

Whelp, it's been a while since my last post and if I'm being honest, it's because I've been obsessively online shopping for shoes to wear to my college reunion. But it's not as shallow as it sounds! I'm focusing my energies on something I can control because there's a lot right now that I can't. It's easier to compare heel heights and debate the pros and cons of suede in DC humidity than to worry about, say, authoritarianism or long-term career plans or huge and imminent life changes. It's enough to give me an ulcer. Which is also something I worry about.

This casserole is a helpful one to have in your repertoire on busy days and is, as always, a helpful vehicle for vegetables. I tend to shy away from baked pasta since it requires an extra step that the original ingredients don't necessarily need to taste great. But smothering things in cheese is always better than NOT smothering things with cheese and since the gnocchi cook so quickly, the overall prep and cooking time isn't overwhelming. Also, the gnocchi have a lot of starch thanks to the potatoes, which thickens the ricotta so that a bechamel or flour-based sauce isn't necessary.

Spring vegetable baked gnocchi

Time: 25-30 minutes, all active
Yield: 4-6 adult servings, depending on your appetite

1 package shelf-stable potato gnocchi, cooked al dente
1 Tbsp butter
1 large shallot, minced
1 box baby bella mushrooms, chopped
1 box shitake mushrooms, chopped
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 bunch asparagus, woody stems chopped off
1-2 Tbsp water, if needed
½ cup full fat ricotta
½ cup parmesan
Several large pinches of salt
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat broiler.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

While the water is heating, melt the butter in a sauté pan over a medium/ medium-low flame and cook the shallots until opaque, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they soften and begin to release some water, about 5-7 minutes. Add a large pinch of salt.

Add the garlic and asparagus and cook until the mushroom water evaporates. If the mushrooms don’t release any water, add 1-2 Tbsp of water with the asparagus and cook until it evaporates.

Once the water boils, add the gnocchi and as soon as they start floating to the top, scoop them out with a slotted spoon or strainer and put into a large bowl. If only a few gnocchi float at a time, scoop them out in small groups. If the gnocchi aren’t floating or some seem to be cooking at the bottom of the pot for longer than 3-4 minutes, test for doneness and scoop out as long as they no longer taste doughy.

In a large bowl (or right in the baking dish!), mix the gnocchi with ricotta, parmesan, sautéed veggies, salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking dish (if necessary) and top with shredded mozzarella. Bake under the broiler until cheese is brown and bubbly, about 3-4 minutes.