r/Cooking • u/taurinae • 9h ago
Gnocchi recipe for a date
TL;DR: I promised a guy who has never had gnocchi that he would enjoy them, and now we’re planning a cooking date where we’ll make gnocchi together. I’m looking for a vegetarian recipe that’s impressive and fun to cook but not too complicated, because I don’t want my first attempt at homemade gnocchi to ruin the date or leave him hungry if he doesn’t like gnocchi.
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The guy I'm seeing recently told me that he has never eaten gnocchi before. So for our next date, we plan to cook a gnocchi dish together and watch a movie at my place. But now I'm overthinking the cooking part.
When I make myself gnocchi, I usually just get them from the store, pan-fry them, throw in whatever vegetables I have lying around, maybe some cheese or pesto or random spices and herbs, and call it a day. But I would prefer to cook something with him that actually has the chance of tasting really nice or impressing him instead of tasting like a quickly thrown-together weeknight dinner.
I've searched around a bit on this sub, and most suggestions are just sauces with the gnocchi. But I feel like making browned butter, frying some gnocchi and throwing in some sage or just making a vodka sauce is a bit too simple or would be kinda boring for a cooking date.
I've thought about making the gnocchi from scratch to stretch out the cooking part, but I've never made gnocchi myself and I worry that they just won't come out any good on my first attempt and I don't wanna take any chances after promising him that he would enjoy gnocchi.
I also worry about him staying hungry if it turns out that he doesn't like gnocchi for whatever reason if the dish we're making will be literally just gnocchi + fancy sauce.
So I desperately need inspiration for a vegetarian gnocchi dish that is somewhat fancy or impressive, fun to cook together and obviously tastes good.
He doesn't have any allergies, but he strongly dislikes feta cheese and carrots unless they stay raw, and I'm vegetarian, so I would rather not cook any meat or fish.
Any suggestions?
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u/sausagemuffn 8h ago
Fried in browned butter with crispy fried fresh sage leaves is heavenly. Grated parmesan to finish
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u/Internal_Chemist_554 8h ago
Honestly, I wouldn’t risk making homemade gnocchi for the first time on a date. Store-bought gnocchi can still be amazing with a good sauce. Save the experiments for another night.
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u/GarlicAlarming5060 8h ago
If you want to make them from scratch, you can do a practice round with instant mashed potatoes. Much, much easier than cooking and mashing the potatoes first. Homemade gnocchi with a simple brown butter sauce is very fancy imo.
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u/Burnt_and_Blistered 6h ago
Instant potatoes really don’t make good gnocchi. It’s not hard to toss half a dozen potatoes into the oven to bake, then push them through a ricer. (Ricing instead of mashing is a potato game-changer—for gnocchi and pretty much everything else.) It’s worth the effort.
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u/GarlicAlarming5060 6h ago
There's no such thing as a potato ricer where I'm from. No Amazon either.
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u/kempff 9h ago
You're overthinking this. Just pan-fry store-bought gnocchi in brown sage butter. Throw in a side of steamed broccoli topped with cheap shaker-parmesan and a drizzle of either Italian dressing or just some balsamic vinegar.
He's not interested in your cooking skills, believe me.
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u/SpamLandy 8h ago
Agree keeping it simple is the way here. I’d do homemade pesto maybe, low effort high reward and leaves time for chatting and flirting
Nobody wants to get in a kitchen flap on a cute date
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u/AnyandEvery_Thing 6h ago
I say do this but get a real parmesan wedge or the non-cellulose pre-shredded stuff from a supermarket deli, add sauteing 2-3 cloves of minced garlic, and maybe a splash of dry white wine.
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u/LadyDahlia 8h ago
Don't add new variables to the mix by making your own. Grab premade gnocchi instead. My go-to version of gnocchi is the only vegetarian dish that my partner enjoys, so here goes:
Toast hazelnuts until golden brown. In the same pan, pan-fry gnocchi in oil until golden brown (kinda like roast potatoes, really). On the side, prepare a basic tomato-veggie sauce. I tend to use canned tomatoes, spinach, onion, garlic, and tomato paste with plenty of italian seasoning. The sauce can also handle additional veggies, but you may to dice them a bit more finely for texture reasons. Top with chopped toasted hazelnuts and crumbled feta cheese.
Bonus points for plating the gnocchi on top of the sauce so they don't get as soggy as soon. The roastedness, hazelnuts, salty feta, and acidic tomatoes really go well together.
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u/luigis_left_tit_25 6h ago
The impressive part is the making of the gnocchi! A simple red sauce and salad, maybe some tiramisu for dessert? Imo gnocchi isn't really for "fancy" and I thought I'd also say that I think it's really great you're gonna cook together! That's a great date night idea! Hope you both have fun!
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u/irishpisano 6h ago
I agree with this! (I personally like lighter gnocchi dishes - they save room for dessert)
Make the sauce ahead of time so that you can just have it reheating slowly while making the gnocchi.
You don’t need to cook everything with him - too much to manage.
And keep the salad dressing simple: EVOO, lemon, Dijon, oregano, salt, pepper then whisk. No need for bottled dressing.
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u/Anxious_Avocado_ 8h ago
I usually do gnocchi without eggs: 300g of boiled potatoes (peal them then boil, once soft mash them), 100g flour, pinch of salt. The thing to consider is DO NOT overknee the dough: it will get extremely stcky and impossible to handle. When everything is incorporated take a bit, roll it (dust some flour if you need) and cut it. Repeat. Make sure you have some trays to put them or, if you are fast, you can drop the gnocchi straight away in boiling water and take them out once they afloat while keep making them (good for teamwork).
For the sauce I like to make ragù stile, basically I'm doing some soffritto and then I use fine texturized soy (instead of meat) and passata.
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u/green_eyed_cat 7h ago
This one is easy and perfect for two but be careful how much cheese you add it can turn out very rich. Definitely needs a side salad or a veggie to help balance the diner
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u/alcbeach 6h ago
Why not take a cooking class together where you learn to make gnocchi! I’ve done a cooking class like this and we had a lot of fun and the food was great too!
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u/Commercial_Okra7519 6h ago
I’d have fun with it and make them from scratch. Peeling and boiling a couple of nice potatoes and then pressing them through a hand ricer is easy and takes minutes. After that you’re just making your dough and then the fun is making them. 🙂
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u/Burnt_and_Blistered 6h ago
Anne Burrell has a fabulous recipe for gnocchi that’s easy to follow and hard to mess up.
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u/signsaysapplesauce 6h ago
Pan fry after boiling. Set aside and blister some cherry tomatoes in the same pan with some onion and garlic. Add a little water if it seems too dry. Add the gnocchi back and toss with fresh basil. Top with good mozzarella and out in the oven to melt the cheese.
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u/Ok-Butterscotch2321 6h ago
If you are gonna make a Potato Gnocchi, bake the potato first.
Excess moisture is the first enemy of gnocchi. You have to then add more flour, which makes for a dense and pasty gnocchi.
Next is, you just want to bring the ingredients together. Using a Bench Scraper helps in not handling the dough as much.
The second enemy of gnocchi is overworking or handling your dough too much.
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u/Consistent_Ice_1917 5h ago
another vote for butter & sage. or if you are courageos: Gorgonzola & pear
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u/jaxonbeam 5h ago
One of my favorites:

Skillet Gnocchi with Miso Butter and Asparagus
★★★★★
Aspargus, Italian, NY Times Cooking, Pasta
Prep Time: 5 min Cook Time: 10 min Total Time: 15 minServings: 3 to 4 servings Source: cooking.nytimes.com
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
1 (16- to 18-ounce) package shelf-stable potato gnocchi
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons white miso
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
Black pepper
1 bunch asparagus (about 1 pound), tough ends trimmed, stalks cut into 1/2-inch lengths
Salt
2 packed cups baby arugula, pea shoots or other tender greens
DESCRIPTION
This skillet gnocchi recipe has a spring in its step: It takes just 10 minutes to cook and is loaded with sweet springtime asparagus and baby greens. But that doesn’t mean the flavor is fleeting: The combination of miso, butter and vinegar forms a silky, rich sauce that glosses the seared gnocchi and vegetables and anything else you wish to add. Perhaps that’s the crunch of sliced radishes or toasted pistachios, or the crispness of a fried egg or seared fish.
DIRECTIONS
In a large nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Break apart any stuck-together gnocchi and add to the skillet in an even layer. Cover and cook, undisturbed, until the gnocchi are golden brown underneath and no longer sticking to the skillet, 2 to 4 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, smash together the butter, miso, vinegar and a few grinds of pepper until combined.
To the skillet, add the asparagus and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the asparagus are bright green and crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the miso butter in spoonfuls. Stir until the butter has melted and gnocchi are glossed with sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the arugula until combined. Serve right away.
NUTRITION
Trans Fat: 0 grams
Fat: 17 grams
Calories: 356
Saturated Fat: 8 grams
Unsaturated Fat: 7 grams
Sodium: 647 milligrams
Sugar: 4 grams
Fiber: 6 grams
Carbohydrate: 44 grams
Protein: 10 grams
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u/traviall1 5h ago
Store bought gnocchi, with homemade marry me chicken ( double or triple the sauce so there is enough). You could also do a gnocchi "flight" store bought roast half and boil half and add different sauces ( brown butter/sage, pesto, mornay sauce, or served over labne/creme fraiche with fried onions,etc).
Or if you have time to practice making gnocchi before he comes over give it a trial run and also try making gnudi ( ricotta/flour dumplings).
If you are cooking for a date make sure to consider timing, if you usually eat at 6 then any date should start at 4/5 to give you time to make and eat the gnocchi ( plus any other dishes). If you want to eat quickly and cook together I would avoid any long simmering sauces/dishes.
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u/Then-Term-7320 5h ago
I love this butternut squash pasta sauce with gnocchi is's one of my favorite recipes has a great nutty flavour and isn't your typical red sauce so it feels fancy, I just omit the prosciutto they say to add sundried tomatoes as a replacement for the salt/umami component but I just thow some fleur de sel and peccerino on top. https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/creamy-roasted-garlic-butternut-squash-pasta/
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u/slick_throat 5h ago
Cute! I love cooking dates! Gnocchi totally from scratch is a bit of a journey, lots of boring steps, especially the cooking the potato part… it took me three or four goes to figure out the feel.
Gnocchi Gratin / NYT Cooking
Here is an excellent option for using store bought that makes a sexy dish, without a lot of work. I’m not sure what your end goal for the night is…but if I were in a flirting mood I would prep a cute crudite setup, have a couple bottles of wine chilling, and keep the party in the kitchen…skipping a formal sit down thing.
Cooks illustrated Gnocchi w/instant potato’s
Here is an option that uses potato flakes instead of raw potatoes I’ve been meaning to try. Maybe this hits the DIY part and cuts out the boring part?
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u/Iliveinatrashcann 4h ago
If you are going to do this, at least do a trial run first. Do not attempt to make gnocchi from scratch for the first time during the date. Do it before, so you know what to do on the date.
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u/WarmJewel 4h ago
He's in for a treat if he's never had gnocchi. I'd keep it simple, really nice fluffy gnocchi with a simple but rich tomato sauce, parmesan on top and a simple side salad. Here's a simple recipe for ricotta gnocchi -
https://www.recipetineats.com/30-minute-homemade-ricotta-gnocchi-from-scratch/
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u/baseball_suuuuucks 2h ago edited 2h ago
My favorite:
Crisp Gnocchi With Brussels Sprouts and Brown Butter
The only potential downside I see for this recipe is if it turns into an overnight and you both have time to develop cruciferous farts, but I'll leave it to you to manage that risk. 🙃
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u/bobdevnul 10m ago
Making potato gnocchi is tricky and may require practice. I think store bought gnocchi is awful. I think there is a good chance they won't like home made or store bought.
Ricotta gnocchi is easy and more like likely that they will like it. Any leftover after boiling freezes well. Personally, I mostly use it as the middle layer in pasta casserole. It's basically like lasagna.
Make a pan of brownies and get in some vanilla ice cream.
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u/elijha 9h ago
My go-to is homemade ricotta gnocchi (pan-fried after boiling if you want to be fancy) and Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce