Mediterranean potato gnocchi: one reason I love Trader Joe's

by Sarah Gilbert, Posted Dec 14th 2005 @ 1:14PM

mediterranean potato gnocchi from trader joes While I share a few of Stefania's frustrations with Trader Joe's, on the whole, I adore the store. It doesn't hurt that I live only a few blocks away, and I've been known to while away idle afternoons there noshing on free samples and oogling over whatever was the new product to hit the shelves that week.

This week, my favorite new product is the Mediterranean potato gnocchi in a vacuum-sealed pouch. I was skeptical, sure, but it was only $1.29. I took a risk.

The verdict? The texture is lovely, creamy and not too gummy. It cooks in a few minutes (just like the package claims). The flavor is simple, potatoey, not harsh or chemical-flavored (as some other packaged gnocchi I've sampled). It's filling and such a great choice for a quick, fresh, "homemade" meal.

Yesterday, for instance, I made:

gnocchi with garlic, Italian sausage, sage and Asiago cheese
gnocchi with sausage Cook gnocchi according to package directions; drain. Rinse gnocchi pot and heat up a few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Throw in lots of chopped garlic (I used five or six cloves) and a large spicy Italian sausage, squeezed out of its casing.

Cook, stirring frequently to break up sausage, over medium heat, until sausage is cooked through. Add a couple pinches of rubbed sage, or several leaves fresh, chopped sage, a good amount of cracked black pepper, and coarse salt to taste. Toss with gnocchi, adding olive oil as necessary, and cover with lots of freshly-grated Asiago cheese. Serves two or three.

Oh yes, and this meal? Costs approximately $3.00 for two big bowls of delicious gnocchi. Now that's frugal.

Filed Under: Budget Cuisine, Raves & Reviews, Stores & Shopping, Ingredients, New Products, Methods
Tags: boiling, lunch, mediterranean, pork, stores-and-shopping, vegetables

Chew on This

Royal Wedding Cake Details Revealed! - YumSugar

Make Your Own Pop Tarts - CHOW
Denny's Introduces a Maple Bacon Sundae - Eater
Whole Foods Opening Bars in Stores - USA Today
Rules Of Bar Etiquette -- For The Bartender - HuffPost Food

Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

12-14-2005 @1:59PM Heidi said... Whatever you do, do not try the new pesto version of these. I love TJs gnocchi (although they changed the recipe a year ago which boosted the calorie level, but not significantly) - so when we saw the new pesto version last week, my BF wanted to give it a try. He hadn't even gotten to the suggested time when they had turned to mush. Second attempt same problem. Even had they cooked right, the flavor smelled horrid.

Stick with the regular ones, they are great. The best part is they last on the shelf for a long time and still taste fresh.
Reply

Vote upVote downReport

12-15-2005 @6:21AM gillo said... I never tried those gnocchi, although in Italy pasta companies have tried to sell gnocchi filled (literally) with different sauces (pesto, nushrooms, etc.) and it wasn't really a success. Besides, many people keep buying the fresh ones rather than those in packages. On a related note, has anybody tried the gnocchi al semolino? THOSE are real gnocchi :)
Reply

Vote upVote downReport

12-15-2005 @11:41AM FJK said... Haven't tried the vaccuum packed type, but the frozen TJ's gnocchi have been a kitchen staple for us for years and years.
Reply