In my humble opinion, gnocchi is the pillow of the gods. There’s nothing better than these little pillows of starchy goodness. If I’m not making it from scratch, I’m buying fresh gnocchi from my local grocery store. Nowadays, many retailers sell high quality fresh or frozen gnocchi that can be boiled or fried right onto your dinner table. But there’s something special about ROASTING your gnocchi – no water needed. And this sheet pan cauliflower gnocchi with asparagus is in a league if it’s own.
Cauliflower got the glow up that I’ve been waiting nearly 30 years for. Seriously, cauliflower went from homely, pale, and stinky to downright sexy and all over the media within just a few short years. Did it have a makeover or is it somehow different than the cauliflower from days past? Nope. Cauliflower just got fancy and went to places that no veg had ever gone.
When cauliflower gnocchi became a thing, I was skeptical. I love potatoes. I love gnocchi. But I also love cauliflower. I didn’t know what to make of it. In fact, it took me a good 3 years to TRY it, it took moving across the globe to be in arms reach of a Trader Joes to FINALLY get my hands on a bag of trader joes cauliflower gnocchi. And man, was I missing out.
I had read that reviews on how to cook cauliflower gnocchi, and as met with a range of opinions – never boil it! Air fry it! Pan fry it! I thought to myself… man, that’s a lot of dishes, I don’t have an air fryer, and I’m not in the mood for a 10-dish dinner. So I popped it (from frozen) onto a baking tray with sweet cherry tomatoes, red onion, oil, garlic, and chilli flakes, and started roasted. Let me tell you my friends. It was magic. They got perfectly golden, a little chewy, a lot pillowy and perfectly cooked. After a solid 25 minutes, I added in some fresh asparagus (because… greens), and let it finish up. The tomatoes broke open and the juices caramelized into somewhat of a sauce, and the onion was so sweet it was almost candy. Paired with a pit of grassy asparagus and it was heaven. It was the simplest of meals, with really only 5 main ingredients, but was so delicious, I went RIGHT BACK to trader joes and bought another bag of gnocchi. Now I’m spending my days researched gnocchi and waiting until it’s acceptable to break out another bag of it.
Try out my recipe for sheet pan (no mess!) cauliflower gnocchi below!
Sheet Pan Cauliflower Gnocchi
Author: Micah Siva
Total time: 40 minutes
Serve: 3
Ingredients
- 1 package frozen cauliflower gnocchi (trader joes)
- 1 red onion, cut into 8 wedges
- 1, 400g punnet cherry tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp red chilli flakes
- Salt, to taste
- 1 lb (500g) asparagus, ends trimmed
- Chopped parsley, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F/200C.
- Add cauliflower gnocchi, onion, and cherry tomatoes to a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil. garlic, and sea salt, tossing to distribute in one even layer.
- Roast for 25 minutes. Add asparagus, and roast for an additional 10-15 or until vegetables are tender.
- Enjoy!