trader joe's cauliflower gnocchi 3 ways

​- entreés -

If you read my post from a couple weeks ago on pre-made, chilled, TJ's lunches, you know that I've been underwhelmed with prepared food from Trader Joe's (if you haven't read it, check it out here). After the cauliflower rice bowl, I decided I'd give Trader Joe's another chance to convince me that cauliflower can taste as good as a potato. The cauliflower gnocchi seemed promising, and I'd heard good things about it, so I decided that would be what I'd pick up the next time we made the trek out to the Germantown TJ's. It lived up to the rave reviews it got - enough to make me go back and get 2 more bags. It is still cauliflower, however, and will not taste like a potato, ( :( ), so I wasn't just going to cook it up with a little butter and eat that 3 days in a row. Here are 3 sauces that you can toss the cauliflower (wanna-be potato) gnocchi or regular pasta in.  

THE GNOCCHI

For each of the different sauces, I prepared the gnocchi the same way. The method is adapted from Foods of Jane's Instagram highlight.

serves 1

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 bag Trader Joe's cauliflower gnocchi
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DIRECTIONS

1. heat the oil on medium heat in a pan large enough that the gnocchi can lay in a single layer and not touch
2. add the gnocchi in a single layer and do not touch them for 4 minutes
3. once the 4 minutes is up, toss the pan a little bit and break up any gnocchi that were frozen together
4. toss occasionally until each side is golden brown, they were cooked ~9 minutes for the cacio e pepe and ~7 minutes for the gnocchi al gorgonzola (see pictures for reference)
5. toss in the sauce and serve

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cacio e pepe (+ shallot)

The first time I tried the cauliflower gnocchi, I wanted to be able to actually taste the gnocchi itself, so I opted for a subtler sauce. Cacio e Pepe became a major food trend this year, seen all over Instagram served in a Pecorino Romano bowl. While I didn't have a cheese bowl lying around, I got pretty close to the same effect with the amount of parm that went into this.

pasta suggestions: cauliflower gnocchi (obviously), bucatini, spaghetti, taglierini
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INGREDIENTS

3-5 tbsp grated parmesan (if you only have the pre-shredded parm, chop it until it is finer)
​1/4 shallot, minced
​3 tbsp butter, divided
fresh cracked black pepper & salt, to taste
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DIRECTIONS

1. melt 1 tbsp butter in a small pot over medium low
2. add the shallot and cook until tender ~2-4 minutes
3. add the remaining butter and cook just until it melts, then turn the heat off
4. put a tbsp or two of the butter and however much of the shallot that you want (you may have extra shallot depending on the size of yours) to the gnocchi pan (over medium low heat) and toss to coat
5. turn the heat down to low and add 3/4 of the parmesan, toss together, and taste
6. add salt accordingly
7. plate and top with remaining parm and fresh cracked pepper (hence, cacio (cheese) e pepe (pepper))

gorgonzola and parmesan cream sauce

When I was in NYC over the summer, we went to Bellini for dinner one night because it was near our hotel. My mother got the gnocchi al gorgonzola, and it was heavenly to say the least. Unfortunately, it was also probably 1,000+ calories. By subbing cauliflower gnocchi for traditional potato gnocchi, it's slightly better for you. While nothing can beat the original at Bellini, I can satisfy my craving for it by making it instead of flying over 1,000 miles to NYC for a bowl.  
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pasta suggestions: fettuccine (i've made a similar sauce with fettuccine, crispy prosciutto, and peas), cauliflower gnocchi (again, obviously), fusilli, pappardelle 

serves 2

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
1/8-1/4 gorgonzola dolce (there are 2 types of gorgonzola, dolce and piccante. if you use the latter, you may need to add more milk, as it is firmer than gorgonzola dolce)
3 tbsp grated parmesan, plus more for serving (optional)
​salt and pepper
chiffonade of basil for serving
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DIRECTIONS

1. melt the butter with the flour in a small saucepan over medium heat. whisk until bubbly and foamy
2. once bubbly and foamy, continue whisking for ~30-45 seconds
3. slowly stream in the milk, whisking constantly 
4. turn the heat up slightly (on medium-high heat but slightly more medium)
5. once the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, turn the heat off
6. break the gorgonzola into small pieces and whisk it into the milk mixture
7. if it's not completely melting, turn the heat on low and whisk constantly. if it's too thick, warm 1/4 cup of milk up separately, and add it in 1 tbsp at a time
8. whisk in the parmesan, serve, and top with more parm, basil, and freshly cracked black pepper

basil butter sauce

This is basically the ingredients of nut-free pesto with the substitution of butter for olive oil. if you already have pesto on hand, you can use that with the addition of extra melted butter or olive oil and get the same effect. You do taste the cauliflower in the gnocchi more with this recipe, so if you don't like the flavor of cauliflower I would definitely suggest the gorgonzola gnocchi over the basil butter and cacio e pepe.
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pasta suggestions: corbata, gigli, cauliflower gnocchi (again x2, obviously), orecchiette

serves 1

INGREDIENTS

2-3 tbsp basil, chopped finely
3-4 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
​3-4 tbsp parmesan
salt and pepper
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DIRECTIONS

1. saute the garlic and 1 tbsp butter in a small pan
2. once the garlic is fragrant and cooked through, add the remaining butter
3. turn the heat off once the butter is melted and add the basil, 2 tbsp parmesan, salt, and pepper
4. serve and top with more parmesan