10-Minute Creamy Gnocchi with Peas and Asparagus

Spring on a plate with these 10-Minute Creamy Gnocchi with Peas and Asparagus. It’s really that quick and so so so so delicious! To speed things up I use pre-made gnocchi; then, there are bright peas and asparagus cause you know I always try to make the most of seasonal ingredients. And finally, we have a creamy situation that oh my! It is lemony, garlicky… dreamy!

I developed this recipe last year, fully inspired by Karishma from Home Cooking Collective . She shared a pizza with a white sauce base on Instagram that woke up all my foodie sensors. So, after asking her for permission to grab the idea and adapt it, this creamy gnocchi recipe was born. It combines greens with an amazing creamy sauce, cause, as I always say, it’s about balance, right? One has to eat healthily but also enjoy every bite (and also as always, let me add that healthy does not mean light).

Back to the inspiration… Karishma recently shared the photo of her pizza again, which was a light bulb moment for me to share this gnocchi recipe. Last year I shared the photo on IG, which you loved, but not the details. And here I am: recipe, photos and video ready for you (with Karishma’s blessing, a cooking gem and source of inspiration with everything she does, really).

In short, I hope you like this 10-Minute Creamy Gnocchi with Peas and Asparagus as much as we do at home.

10-Minute Creamy Gnocchi with Peas and Asparagus Ingredients

• Gnocchi: the core of this dish. I have used pre-made gnocchi but with good ingredients, nothing strange on the label (flour, egg, potato, salt).
• Peas: a super springy product, although if you want, you can buy them frozen which are cheaper.
• Asparagus: another seasonal product. Remember to discard the woody end, although if the ones you have are thin they may be tender end to end, so removing the tip is not necessary.
• Double cream (or whipping cream): cream with more than 35% fat. It’s necessary for the sauce to thicken without the need to add flour or any similar thickening agent.
• Milk: since in Spain double cream (and single cream) comes in 200 ml and 500 ml cartons, when I developed the recipe I wanted to avoid as much as possible to end up with cream leftovers. Thus, I used milk which is something we generally have on hand. It worked like a charm, cause 200 ml of double cream wasn’t enough liquid.
• Garlic: it brings an incredible flavour. In this recipe you have to peel and crush them to infuse the sauce. In this way, they will leave a light scent of garlic that will not rule over the rest of the ingredients. Note that without this garlicky touch the sauce will not be the same.
• Lemon: another layer of flavour. It goes wonderfully with peas and asparagus, plus an acid touch is key to counteract (or accompany) the fatty part of a dish. Also, as I mentioned in the Lemon Ricotta Loaf Cake recipe, I don’t know why but for me lemons mean spring.
• Salt: essential in any savoury dish.
• White pepper: its touch is a bit more aromatic than the one of black pepper, I find that it goes so well with white sauces like this one, bechamel, etc…
• Cheese (optional): to garnish. You can grate a little Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese.
• Mint (optional): the combination of mint, lemon and peas is a classic and the touch of freshness that the mint brings couldn’t pair better with the creamy sauce.

Note about the Creamy Lemony Garlicky Sauce

This sauce is extremely tasty and it’s ready in less than 10 minutes. One thing must be taken into account though. At first, you will see that it’s quite liquid, but after adding the lemon and letting it simmer, you’ll see it ends up thickening.

If you want it more liquidy, don’t hesitate to remove it from the heat earlier. Over time and while it rests it thickens a bit, so be careful! If you add it very very thick to the gnocchi and don’t serve them immediately, you may end up with slightly paste-y gnocchi instead of creamy gnocchi.

What Else Can I Serve the Creamy Lemony Garlicky Sauce with

This sauce is going to become a new essential, you’ll see, cause you can eat it with so many things:

• Grilled chicken, to make it more interesting.
• White fish such as sea bass or hake. As with chicken, sometimes grilled fish can just be a bit boring if we don’t vary. This little sauce (with or without peas and asparagus) is a good idea for a change.
• Pizza, as Karishma has taught us.
• Pasta in general (orecchiete, spaghetti, penne…)

Cooking the Peas and Asparagus

To get multiple texture layers in this gnocchi recipe, we simply have to scald the peas and asparagus so they are cooked al dente. Scalding means submerging something in boiling water for a brief period of time, in this case, we are going to cook them for 2 minutes.

You will see that once they are scalded I put them directly with the gnocchi, but if you wanted to, you could transfer them to a bowl with iced water to stop the cooking process and keep their green colour even more. In this recipe, I skip this step because the final colour is already beautiful as is (besides tasting great), and I was after a simple and quick recipe for the day you’re in a hurry or have little time to prep a meal (and the same applies to me XD).

I hope you fall in love with this creamy gnocchi recipe, it’s a perfect mix between comfort food (the gnocchi and the sauce) and a touch of green. In addition, it’s an easy, quick and flavorful idea for a meal with your family or friends, any time throughout the week. I dared to serve it to Tamara from la Hogazana, so you can imagine how good it is!

If you make this 10-Minute Creamy Gnocchi with Peas and Asparagus recipe, be sure to leave a comment and rate it. Hearing from you is everything! Oh, and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram, I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking! 

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10-Minute Creamy Gnocchi with Peas and Asparagus

Spring on a plate with these 10-Minute Creamy Gnocchi with Peas and Asparagus. It's quick, super tasty and combines comfort food with greens!

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Prep Time2 minutes mins

Cook Time8 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Servings: 2

Author: Paula

Ingredients

• 500 g gnocchi
• 100 g peas - ideally fresh but you can also use frozen (see notes)
• 70 g asparagus - woody end removed and cut into 2 cm pieces (trimmed weight)
• 100 ml milk
• 200 ml double cream - or whipping cream
• 2 cloves of garlic - peeled and smashed
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• Salt
• White pepper
• Parmesan Cheese - or Grana Padano cheese, grated for garnish
• Mint leaves - for garnish

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and cook the gnocchi until they start to rise to the top of the water. Once floating, remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon. Set aside.
• In the same pot, add the asparagus pieces and the peas and scald for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside with the gnocchi. If you want, you can reserve a handful of peas and asparagus as a garnish at the end.
• Meanwhile, place the cream, milk and garlic in a saucepan. Bring the mix to a gentle simmer so the garlic gets infused. After roughly 3 minutes, add the lemon zest, lemon juice and season with salt and white pepper. Simmer for a couple of more minutes until it slightly thickens while stirring so the sauce doesn’t split.
• Mix the hot sauce with the gnocchi, peas and asparagus.
• Serve on a platter or bowl and top with the reserved peas and asparagus (if you had some reserved), some mint leaves and grated Parmesan.
• Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

• If you use frozen peas, thaw them first or cook them directly from frozen keeping in mind that they will need a little more than 2 minutes. If you cook them from frozen, add them alone first and once the water boils again, cook them for a couple of more minutes and add the asparagus.