Crisp Gnocchi With Brussels Sprouts and Brown Butter

By Ali Slagle

Updated Sept. 9, 2024

Crisp Gnocchi With Brussels Sprouts and Brown Butter
Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Sylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(26,127)
Comments
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For a fantastic meal that can be ready in 20 minutes, toss together seared gnocchi and sautéed brussels sprouts with lemon zest, red-pepper flakes and brown butter. The key to this recipe is how you cook the store-bought gnocchi: No need to boil. Just sear them until they are crisp and golden on the outside, and their insides will stay chewy. The resulting texture is reminiscent of fried dough. Shelf-stable and refrigerated gnocchi will both work here, but the shelf-stable ones do crisp up a bit better.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1pound brussels sprouts (or cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower or even cabbage)
  • 1lemon
  • 4tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
  • ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes
  • 1(18-ounce) package shelf-stable or refrigerated potato gnocchi
  • 6tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced into 6 pieces
  • ½teaspoon honey
  • Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

526 calories; 33 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 52 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 11 grams protein; 697 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Trim and halve the brussels sprouts. Using a vegetable peeler, peel thick strips of lemon zest, then coarsely chop. (You should have about 2 teaspoons chopped zest.)

  2. Step 2

    In a large (preferably 12-inch) skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high. Add the brussels sprouts, season with ½ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper, then arrange the brussels sprouts in an even layer, cut side down. Scatter the lemon zest over the top and cook, undisturbed, until the brussels sprouts are well browned underneath, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the red-pepper flakes, stir and cook until the brussels sprouts are crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl.

  3. Step 3

    In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high. Break up any gnocchi that are stuck together, add them to the pan and cook, covered and undisturbed, until golden brown on one side, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the butter and honey, season with salt and a generous amount of black pepper, and cook, stirring, until the butter is golden, nutty smelling and foaming, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the brussels sprouts until warmed through. Serve with grated Parmesan.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
26,127 user ratings
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Comments

R. Lax

Dear NY Times stylist, thanks for using my father's, Michael Lax's, teak handled, cast iron, skillet, the large one, by Copco. Great skillets, but note, if you find one, due to the selection of the teak handle, you cannot put them into the oven. My father was an industrial designer and designed/started Copco. The NYTimes ran his obituary in 1999. He was a diehard New Yorker, born and raised in the west village on Morton Street and he went to Alfred University in the Industrial Ceramics dept.

Roland

Rather than honey, I substituted a splash of aged balsamic for sweetness as well as a touch of acidity.

summysumsum

This works great with the Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi too.

Kelly B

Look, it low key drives me nuts when y’all say 5 stars and then describe how you completely reinvented the recipe. That said, I made this once as written, and we liked it enough to make it again. The second time, I used shaved Brussels because I had a bag of them on hand from Whole Foods, and when I got to the part about adding the honey, I couldn’t bring myself to do it because I don’t think the sweetness is necessary, especially if serving with something savory (we were having steak). This dish was the star of the night, according to my family. Shaved Brussels allow the veggies to get as crispy as the gnocchi…No regrets, although next time I will be heavier handed on the red pepper flakes.

Wend

Really liked this easy dish. Used frozen Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi. Went straight into a hot and oiled pan and left untouched for 10ish minutes. Added cooked chicken sausage to the pan. Meanwhile, roasted veggies in oven. Combined, tossed with a hint of honey, cumin, red pepper flakes and parmigiana.

Christa

This is one of my favorite NYT recipes, along with Ali Slagle's Olive Oil-Braised Chickpeas and Broccoli Rabe (and variations), and I have made this recipe so many times with varying cruciferous vegetables: simple and tasty, just like her Olive Oil-Braised Chickpeas and Broccoli Rabe. I always look forward to Ali Slagle's recipes and articles, and I love her cookbook, too.

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