This is a recipe that I’ve been making for some time (in one form or another), but it’s not one that I’ve ever taken the time to write down. Brown butter and sage is one of life’s best flavour combinations, and adding some browned mushrooms and a bit of hearty kale to this gnocchi dish really turns this into a proper meal.
You can go ahead and use homemade gnocchi for this if you want to be fancy, or just use a high-quality store-bought one. Regardless, the dish is relatively simple and pretty quick to make – in fact, you can have it on the table in under 30 minutes from starting!
How to Make Brown Butter Sage Gnocchi with Mushrooms & Kale
There aren’t a bunch of ingredients in this recipe, but I do like using two different kinds of mushrooms because I think it adds different flavours and textures. For prep, all you need to do is stem and thinly slice them (and we will go ahead and brown them later).
Start first by browning your butter and frying your sage leaves. This is a quick and easy preparation that will make you feel like a fancy chef.
Add some unsalted butter to a large skillet and set it over medium heat. Once the butter is melted and begins to foam, add some sage leaves.
Allow the butter to crisp and fry the sage leaves, stirring every so often, until you see some brown flecks begin to appear on the bottom of the pan – this will only take a couple of minutes.
Remove the sage from the pan and then add a bit of olive oil. Add your mushrooms and a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring every so often, until the mushrooms have released a good amount of their moisture and are beginning to turn a deep golden brown; this will take about 8-10 minutes.
This may seem like a long time, but I highly recommend not cutting corners on this as the browned mushrooms are fundamental to the flavour of this dish.
Once your mushrooms are browned, go ahead and add in a diced shallot. Cook this for a couple of minutes, just until it’s softened.
To the shallot, you can then add in some minced garlic and cook until it’s fragrant – about 30 seconds more.
Now, add some kale, and toss to combine in the mushroom mixture. Allow it to wilt and get tender – and this is a great time to cook your gnocchi.
If you’re using fresh gnocchi, it only takes a few minutes for it to cook. Add the gnocchi to a pot of salted, boiling water and cook just until they start floating to the top.
Then, use a slotted spoon or spider to lift the gnocchi from the pot and into the skillet.
Ladle in a bit of cooking water into the skillet as well and also throw in some Parmesan cheese.
Stir everything until well combined and there is a sauce that clings to the gnocchi, adding more cooking water, if needed, to get to the desired consistency.
Now, all you need to do is add the sage back into the pan and serve! I like to top with more Parmesan cheese and season generously with salt and pepper.
Mushroom & Sage Gnocchi with Kale
Ingredients
- 25 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 15 leaves fresh sage
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 200 g (7 oz) crimini mushrooms sliced
- 1 shallot finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 75 g (3 cups) kale torn from stems & roughly chopped
- 250 g (9 oz) gnocchi
- 50 g (½ cup) parmesan cheese finely grated, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Set a large pot of heavily salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, add the butter to a large skillet and set it over medium heat. Once melted and foaming, add the sage leaves and, stirring occasionally, allow them to crisp and fry as the butter begins to sputter and the milk solids begin to brown, 2-3 minutes. Remove the sage from the pan and set aside.
- Add 1 tbsp of oil to the skillet along with the mushrooms and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have reduced significantly in size and have turned a deep golden brown, 8-10 minutes.
- Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, a further 30 seconds. Add the kale and another pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the kale begins to wilt.
- Meanwhile, add the gnocchi to the pot of boiling water and cook until they float to the top of the water – roughly 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or spider to remove the gnocchi from the water and add them directly to the skillet. Ladle about 60ml (¼ cup) of the cooking water into the skillet and add the parmesan cheese. Toss to coat and melt the cheese, adding more cooking water if necessary to reach the desired consistency of the sauce.
- Add the sage leaves back into the skillet. Remove from the heat and serve, topping with more parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
This is a great, elevated way to enjoy gnocchi that feels like it comes straight from an Italian restaurant. The secret, however, is that it takes less than 30 minutes to make from start to finish!
Are you after a great gnocchi recipe? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!
