Vegan Smoked Paprika Brown Butter Gnocchi w/ Crispy Sage, Shiitake Bacon, and Pecans
Difficulty: 2/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 1/3 (3 being spiciest)
Prep & Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
The Challenge: Brown Butter Gnocchi
I had always wondered what is brown butter? Its definitely not vegan, but what the heck is this "high end" item. Well, its pretty simple...its just simmered butter till it "browns" and becomes nuttier. Sounds delicious.
I wanted to do a quick 30-minute meal with some vegan gnocchi I bought, and I thought brown butter with this sounds pretty epic! But I can't just do brown butter...it has to be smoked paprika brown butter. Mix in the smoked paprika with it to give it this warm spiced nutty flavor. We coat the potato gnocchi in this delicious sauce, but it doesn't stop there!
We crisp up fresh sage in the stove top, mix in spinach + pecans, and bake up shiitake slices to make a "bacon." In the end, you get a decadent, salty, buttery pasta dish that is like eating at a fine dining restaurant that you can make vegan and cook up in 30 minutes... not bad huh?
And its gorgeous. The smoke paprkia brown butter gives this gorgeous red/brown buttery sauce over the soft potato gnocchi and the accoutrements are just epic! This dish will absolutely kill.
Let's get into it!
Ingredients:
Smoked Paprika Brown Butter
1/4 cup vegan butter
1 tsp smoked paprika
pinch of salt + pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
Crispy Sage
15 fresh sage leaves
1 tbl olive oil
Shiitake Bacon
4 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms
1 tsp smoked paprika
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbl olive oil
The Rest
1/3 cup pecans, chopped + raw
2 handfuls of fresh spinach
14 oz potato gnocchi
1/2 lemon
Equipment You'll Need:
Cutting Board . Medium Cutting Knife . Measuring Cups . Measuring Spoons . Mixing Bowls . Parchment Paper . Baking Sheet
Before You Cook:
Preheat oven to 400F
Put large sauce pot full of water on high heat to bring to boil.
Chop + wash all fresh ingredients
1. To start, slice shiitake mushrooms into long thin strips. I cut off the base so its just the cap and then slice about 1/8 inch thick strips.
2. Mix the mushroom slices with olive oil + spices. Place onto a parchment-lined bakings sheet and bake for 20-22 minutes at 400F.
3. Add the butter to a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 8 minutes until it starts to brown and get nutty flavor. Mix in 1 tsp smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic. Cook for another 30-40 seconds then mix in pecans. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. While the butter is cooking, add dry/fresh gnocchi to the boiling water, cook for 2 minutes. Set aside. After pecans are cooked, add in the spinach and cook down for 2-3 minutes. Take off heat. Add in cooked gnocchi and stir well. Set aside.
6. Place a small pan over medium heat with 1 tbl of olive oil. After 90 seconds, add the fresh sage leaves and crisp for 4-5 minutes while we wait for shiitake bacon to finish.
7. Once the shiitake bacon is done cooking, plate the gnocchi with the bacon dropped on top and the fresh sage pieces. Squeeze 1/2 a lemon over the top and add pinch of salt + pepper. I serve it in one big bowl for 4 servings!
