Gnocchi with Roasted Cauliflower

For many years, I avoided Cauliflower, Broccoli and Brussels sprouts – now I grew up having to eat broccoli and cauliflower which was frozen then boiled. If we went exotic it had cheese whiz on top (sorry Mom…) Frankly if I never encounter another boiled stalk I’ll be fine. My mother never served Brussels Sprouts – I think we assumed they were a “Yankee” vegetable and therefore had no place on our Southern table. After we had kids, I figured they would not eat these veggies either and I was right….at least I was right until I discovered roasting vegetables about 3-4 years ago. Honestly there is no simpler thing to do with ANY vegetable but I think roasting works especially well with these three. My kids are good eaters but they feel the same as every other kid about vegetables…however when roasted I hear “awesome…cauliflower or Brussels sprouts”…yea, I just about fell out the first time I heard it too!

This recipe from the Food Network magazine teams roasted cauliflower with another favorite – gnocchi. If you are not familiar with gnocchi, it is a wonderful tiny little dumpling usually made from potato …kind of a cross between pasta and potatoes and frankly what could be better? On their own, they don’t have a lot of flavor, but this recipe uses the roasted cauliflower and sage along with lots of parmesan (I probably went heavy on it) to create a wonderful side dish. I had some leftover flank steak that I served with this, but if you added some prosciutto or good bacon I think this could easily be a nice main dish.



Gnocchi with Roasted Cauliflower

1 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets

12 fresh sage leaves

3 Tablespoons olive oil

Kosher Salt & black pepper

1 pound gnocchi (fresh or frozen)

¼ cup grated Parmesan



Heat oven to 400. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the cauliflower, sage, oil ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Roast, tossing once until the cauliflower is golden brown and tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

Fifteen minutes before the cauliflower is finished, bring water to boil for the gnocchi. Cook according to package directions (usually about 4-5 minutes), drain. Combine the gnocchi with the cauliflower and Parmesan.