Pan Fried Aglio E Olio Cauliflower Gnocchi

Do you love Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi and are always looking for new and fun ways to cook with it? My favorite way to make it is crisping it up in a non-stick pan so it gets nice and crusty and crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. I still haven’t tried making cauliflower gnocchi by hand because I kind of feel like it’s best made by the people who invented it. Kind of like how I definitely know how to (and have) made homemade dumplings but still prefer to buy store bought because it’s fun to have a plethora of flavors hanging out the freezer, just waiting for a dumpling buffet bonanza.

Anyway, last time I posted a cauliflower gnocchi recipe I kind of got some flack for it. Apparently opening up a package of cauliflower gnocchi and cooking it isn’t really worthy of a post, according to some energy sucking vampires. I kind of get where they’re coming from, but at the same time, l actually love seeing what people make with pre-packaged ingredients. Plus cooking the TJ cauli gnocchi the way they do on the package is bunk. Please don’t follow their instructions because if you do you probably won’t like them. Oh, and this isn’t sponsored by Trader Joe’s, I just love their gnocchi.

My current fave for those little nuggets of goodness, aside from cacio e pepe, is another Italian classic, aglio e olio. What is aglio e olio you ask? Translated, it’s garlic and oil. And that’s what this is. Super simple but full of flavor, low carb, low calorie. All you do is heat up some quality olive oil, infuse it with garlic to make garlic oil, then toss the crisped up gnocchi with it. Finish every thing off with a generous shower of grated parmesan and you’ve got yourself a quick and satisfying vegetarian meal. I like to add some crushed red peppers for spice too.

Keep on cauliflowering friends!

Pan Fried Aglio E Olio Cauliflower Gnocchi Recipe

Store bought cauliflower gnocchi pan fried aglio e olio style with garlic, crushed red pepper, and parmesan

Serves 1

Prep Time 2 mins

Cook Time 8 mins

Total Time 10 mins

• 2 tbsp olive oil divided
• 2 cloves garlic sliced
• pinch of crushed red pepper to taste
• 1/2 package cauliflower gnocchi
• salt and pepper to taste
• chopped flat leaf parsley if desired

• In a non-stick skillet, heat up 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high. When hot, add the gnocchi, frozen from the bag, and fry until golden brown and crispy, flipping once, about 2-3 minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the pan.

• In the same skillet, heat up the remaining oil over medium low heat. Add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook so that the garlic and pepper flakes slowly infuse the oil without crisping or burning. Add the gnocchi back in and toss.

• Remove from the heat and finish with a sprinkle of parmesan and flat leaf parsley. Enjoy immediately!