This creamy mushroom gnocchi recipe is so simple and packed with flavor! Delicious and indulgent and quick, perfect for a cozy night at home or to make for a date night. Curl up on the couch with a blanket and your favorite book or comfort movie with a bowl of this mushroom gnocchi!
I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I used to think that gnocchi was way overrated. To me, it felt way too heavy to enjoy more than a few bites, especially when paired with a creamy sauce.
Turns out, I just wasn't eating good gnocchi, lol. When you get a bowl full of fluffy, pillowy, soft gnocchi, it is SO comforting and hard to beat. This creamy mushroom gnocchi is the perfect balance with the sauce being comforting without being heavy.
Use store-bought gnocchi or make your own Vegan Gnocchi for this recipe. And, if you're like me and still believe that long pasta is superior, try making a very similar Creamy Mushroom Pasta Sauce and pairing it with any pasta shape you like!
Recipe Origins
It seems that the entire dish in this style doesn't have a "true" origin (as always, please correct me if I am wrong). However, creamy mushroom gnocchi is clearly heavily influenced by the Italian dish gnocchi ai funghi.
But let's talk about gnocchi first. Gnocchi is a type of pasta that originates in Italy, and possibly even Ancient Rome (predating pasta by a few centuries!). Typically, gnocchi refers to an Italian dumpling made with flour, egg, and cooked potato. However, there are other types of gnocchi that use ricotta, other potatoes, cauliflower, etc. Though it is technically a dumpling, it is treated as a pasta in terms of cooking and presenting.
Gnocchi ai funghi translates directly to "gnocchi with mushrooms," and can be found in various forms throughout Italian menus. This recipe is technically a form of gnocchi ai funghi, but it is not meant to be the exact way it may be made it Italy.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Comforting without being heavy - The sauce is creamy and cozy, but there is no roux or heavy base to make it feel like "too much."
- Easy - No complications here! Make this in just a few minutes.
- Customizable - Easily add spinach, vegetables, protein, etc.!
What you need for this recipe
Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Gnocchi - Make it yourself or buy it store-bought! I used store-bought for simplicity.
- Baby Bella Mushrooms - I think these work the best in this sauce, but I love more unique mushrooms too! So feel free to add other mushrooms, but I recommend using baby bellas as a base.
- Shallot - Freshly minced shallot. Substitute with a sweet onion if necessary.
- Garlic - Fresh garlic, I don't advise using the jarred garlic for this recipe.
- Heavy Cream - This is the base of the sauce, so I do not recommend using anything lighter than heavy cream, otherwise it will be too thin.
- Parmesan - Freshly grated parmigiano reggiano is best in this recipe, though pre-grated works too.
- Butter - Use a high quality, good-tasting, salted butter! Stick butter is best.
Step 1: Prepare Ingredients
Mince the shallot and thinly slice garlic.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the gnocchi.
Place the pre-sliced baby bella mushrooms on a cutting board and roughly chop them into small pieces. Alternatively, chop them in a food processor.
Grate the parmesan cheese using a box grater or a microplane.
Step 2: Make the sauce
Heat butter over medium heat in a nonstick pan and add the minced shallots.
Add a large pinch of salt and continue to stir the shallots so that they sweat and don't brown.
Once translucent, add the sliced garlic and sauté until garlic has softened.
Add all of the chopped mushrooms and allow them to sit on medium-high heat for about 2 minutes.
Stir and allow to sit again for about 2 minutes. Repeat this process until all of the mushrooms have cooked down and shrunk by nearly half.
Add heavy cream and parmesan and stir to combine.
Simmer on low heat to thicken.
Step 3: Finishing touches
If you haven't already, boil the gnocchi according to package instructions, or until they float.
Drain and add to the mushroom sauce.
Toss to combine.
Season and serve hot and garnish with more cheese if desired.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Initially, the sauce will be relatively thin. Allow it to simmer for longer if you would like it to be thicker and/or add more grated parmesan to thicken.
- Make your own gnocchi or use store bought! Store bought works perfectly fine and it is what I used in this recipe.
- I think baby bella mushrooms work the best in this sauce to create a true "mushroom-y" flavor, but I love more unique mushrooms too! So feel free to add other mushrooms in addition. Oyster, chanterelle, morels, and porcini would add great flavor and texture to this dish.
Recipe FAQs
Though often categorized with pasta, gnocchi is an Italian potato dumpling. However, it is treated as a pasta in the way that it is boiled, sauced, and served.
If making the gnocchi by hand, the biggest key is to avoid too much moisture in the potatoes. In terms of cooking the gnocchi, be sure to not overcook them as they boil very quickly. Overcooking gnocchi can result in gooey mush instead of fluffy pillows.
When stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container, this dish should last at least up to 1 week. Always inspect leftovers for impurities before consuming.
Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Creamy Mushroom Gnocchi
Equipment
- Sharp Knife
- 1 Large Pot
- 1 Large nonstick pan
Ingredients
- 16 oz Fresh Gnocchi (1 16 oz package)
- 8 oz Baby bella mushrooms pre-sliced
- 1 Shallot small, diced
- 1 clove Garlic thinly sliced
- ½ cup Heavy cream
- ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano microplaned or grated
- 2 tablespoon Salted butter
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more for sweating the shallots
Instructions
- Mince the shallot and thinly slice garlic.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the gnocchi.
- Place the pre-sliced baby bella mushrooms on a cutting board and roughly chop them into small pieces. Alternatively, chop them in a food processor.
- Grate the parmesan cheese using a box grater or a microplane.
- Heat butter over medium heat in a nonstick pan and add the minced shallots.
- Add a large pinch of salt and continue to stir the shallots so that they sweat and don't brown.
- Once translucent, add the sliced garlic and sauté until garlic has softened.
- Add all of the chopped mushrooms and allow them to sit on medium-high heat for about 2 minutes.
- Stir and allow to sit again for about 2 minutes. Repeat this process until all of the mushrooms have cooked down and shrunk by nearly half.
- Add heavy cream and parmesan and stir to combine.
- Simmer on low heat to thicken.
- If you haven't already, boil the gnocchi according to package instructions, or until they float.
- Drain and add to the mushroom sauce.
- Toss to combine.
- Season and serve hot and garnish with more cheese if desired.
Notes
- Initially, the sauce will be relatively thin. Allow it to simmer for longer if you would like it to be thicker and/or add more grated parmesan to thicken.
- Make your own gnocchi or use store bought! Store bought works perfectly fine and it is what I used in this recipe.
- I think baby bella mushrooms work the best in this sauce to create a true "mushroom-y" flavor, but I love more unique mushrooms too! So feel free to add other mushrooms in addition. Oyster, chanterelle, morels, and porcini would add great flavor and texture to this dish.
Anonymous says
Excellent!!
Easier to make than it seems and tasty!
Laura says
So good!!
Nat says
I made this in a pinch on a cold night & it was savory and comforting! I didn’t have heavy cream on hand so I substituted crème fraiche & didn’t need to simmer long because the crème fraiche made it nice and thick. I garnished with lemon zest & parsley, added salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Really great recipe to make with mostly pantry ingredients!!