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We could eat this quick and easy brown butter gnocchi every night of the week! Tender potato dumplings are pan-fried and tossed in a rich, nutty browned butter with sage, then served with parmesan. It’s ready in 20 minutes!
I love recipes like this pan-fried gnocchi with brown butter and my quick pasta with garlic breadcrumbs. They keep the ingredients simple and authentic! Try this one-pan pasta risotto for another easy weeknight meal.
Table of Contents
We’re taking my parmesan gnocchi with sage butter one step further with this mouthwatering brown butter gnocchi. Browning butter brings out a rich, nutty flavor in the sauce that’s totally irresistible. Meanwhile, the crispy pan-fried gnocchi act like little sponges, soaking up all the savory, herby flavor of the butter and sage. This is a quick (as in 20 minutes quick) meat-free dinner that’s perfect for weeknights. The leftovers taste delicious the next day!
Reasons to Love This Easy Fried Gnocchi with Brown Butter
- Ready in 20 minutes. Like most under-30-minute dinners, this brown butter and sage gnocchi is made for weeknights. I make it in one skillet (not counting the pot used to boil the gnocchi first), so cooking and clean-up are quick and easy.
- Rich, nutty flavor. Browning the butter for the sage butter sauce is an easy extra step, and the flavor is super rewarding. It takes barely 5 minutes to brown butter in a skillet. I’ll show you how down below.
- Easy. I love making this brown butter gnocchi for family dinners, but it’s also great to make whenever we entertain friends. I don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen and everyone always raves about how delicious this buttery gnocchi is!
What Is Gnocchi?
Though it’s considered a pasta shape, gnocchi (pronounced “nyow-kee”) is a type of Italian potato dumpling. It’s often served in sauce, like the sage butter sauce in this recipe, but just about any sauce tastes great! You can also add gnocchi to soups, or use it as a replacement for pasta in pasta salad.
Ingredients You’ll Need
I’ll serve gnocchi with everything from homemade alfredo sauce to bolognese, but classic sage butter will forever be a favorite. The ingredients are very simple, as you’ll see below. I’ve included some notes here, and you’ll find a printable list with the full recipe amounts in the recipe card after the post.
- Gnocchi – You’ll find ready-to-cook potato gnocchi in the pasta aisle at most major grocery stores. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can even make your own. It’s definitely on my bucket list, just not on a busy weeknight!
- Olive Oil – For pan-frying.
- Butter – I’ll show you how to brown butter below. You can use salted or unsalted butter, whichever you prefer.
- Garlic – Freshly minced.
- Sage – Fresh sage leaves are a popular choice in gnocchi recipes. The flavor compliments the butter sauce perfectly! You could substitute dried sage in a pinch, or another herb, like basil or thyme.
- Parmesan – Optional, for serving.
How to Make Brown Butter Gnocchi
Follow these easy steps to have this golden pan-fried brown butter gnocchi on the table in under 20 minutes! Scroll down to the recipe card for the printable instructions.
- Cook the gnocchi. First, add the gnocchi to a pot of boiling water. Watch it closely while it cooks, and drain as soon as the gnocchi floats to the surface. Depending on the gnocchi you’re using, this can take anywhere between 20 seconds to 1 minute.
- Pan-fry. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet. Once you’ve drained the gnocchi, add it to the skillet and cook for 5-6 minutes until the dumplings are lightly browned. Remove them from the skillet and set aside for now.
- Brown the butter. Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Once it’s melted, cook it for 2-3 minutes until it darkens and starts to smell nutty and fragrant.
- Add sage. Stir in the fresh sage and cook for a couple of minutes as the butter continues to brown and the sage infuses.
- Put it all together. Lastly, add garlic to the brown butter sauce and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Then, return the gnocchi to the skillet and toss it with the sauce to coat. Once that’s warmed through, season your brown butter gnocchi with salt and pepper, and serve topped with freshly grated parmesan.
Is It Better to Boil or Fry Gnocchi?
The correct answer is both! The best way to cook gnocchi is to boil it first, followed by a quick pan-fry. Boiling ensures that the gnocchi cooks though, while frying gets the outside golden and crispy.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overcook gnocchi. Not all gnocchi cooks the same way, so keep an eye on it while it boils. The trick to knowing when gnocchi is cooked is to watch when it floats. Right as the dumplings start to bob to the surface of the water, take the pot off the heat and drain it. Overcooked gnocchi can be gluey and mushy.
- Try not to burn the butter. The key word here is “brown” butter, not burnt butter! If you’re using a dark pan, you may not be able to see the butter browning. In this case, go by smell. Butter takes on a fragrant, nutty smell after a few minutes of cooking, indicating that it’s browned.
What Do You Eat With Gnocchi?
When it’s time to eat, I love serving brown butter gnocchi with a simple tossed salad or asparagus and a side of garlic bread or fluffy focaccia bread. It’s also great with a starter of bruschetta, or I’ll bulk up the meal further with a main like Tuscan chicken or Italian stuffed chicken. We’ve been devouring these Biscoff chocolate chip cookies lately for dessert!
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Any leftover gnocchi can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. I like to drizzle leftovers with olive oil to prevent them from sticking.
- Reheat. Warm the brown butter gnocchi in a skillet on the stovetop or use the microwave until it’s hot throughout.
More Pasta Dinner Recipes
Brown Butter Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 1 pound gnocchi
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 10-12 fresh sage leaves
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Parmesan Cheese, optional topping
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook gnocchi until they start to float.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet, over medium high heat. Once the gnocchi are floating and the oil is hot, drain and add the gnocchi to the oil. Cook for 5-6 minutes until the gnocchi start to brown. Remove from the skillet.
- Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Once it melts, let it keep cooking for the next 2-3 minutes until it starts to get lightly golden and smells just a little nutty.
- Add the sage leaves to the butter and let it cook for another 2-3 more minutes. The butte will continue to get golden brown.
- Finally add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until it smells garlic and nutty. Add the cooked gnocchi back to the skillet and toss everything to coat well. Heat for another minute to warm the gnocchi.
- Serve topped with Parmesan cheese if desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Brown butter sounds fantastic in this dish- wonderful idea to use it in a savory recipe to add that special flavor 😉
Pretty dish and healthy, too. Making gnocchi at home is actually fun–you’ll really like it, but you’re right, not for a weeknight. My kind of dinner.
I have a package of gnocchi in my fridge that has just been waiting for this delicious sounding recipe! Thanks, it looks wonderful!
It IS very little butter, but my problem is the gnocchi. 😉 I have a little issue with it. Called I eat-the-whole-bag-eat-at-once-OMG-I-love-gnocchi. I need some sense of portion control!
I love zucchini and probably would have picked them as my veggie choice. Tiffany on the other hand would pick broccoli over any other veggies.
Either way, this would be a delicious weeknight dinner
What a simple and tasty meal for the weekdays. I am in love with gnocchi. Delish!
Definitely saving this recipe for when my zucchini plant is abundantly producing in late July and August. Quick and easy, so it won’t heat my kitchen when it is otherwise too hot to cook!