This recipe is inspired by 2 things…first, I was grabbing a few ingredients to make some pasta meals for our church group gathering we were hosting. I spotted a package of gnocchi that I hadn’t seen before in this store and it was priced at $1.99. I grabbed 2 packages to make a giant batch of this for everyone coming over. (Note: the recipe below is written for 4 people, so you’ll only need 1 package.)
While I was cruising through the store grabbing the other ingredients I needed, this ‘Creamy Tortellini’ that we used to order at a place called the “Pasta House” in Santiago, Dominican Republic, immediately came to mind. It was the restaurant we frequented when the culture shock hit hard and we just needed a little taste of food from the USA. Even after living there for 6 years, I still would get cravings from “American food.”
This restaurant served an amazing tortellini with peas and bacon, in a homemade creamy white sauce that we pretty ‘soupy.’ You can make the sauce as thick or thin as you like!
It works perfectly with tortellini or gnocchi. Or an other medium-sized pasta shell would work too!
Okay, so it’s another ‘copycat’ recipe…that makes 2 in one week! Maybe I’m starting a new trend for the site. (But maybe not, because we have a new 31 Days series coming up soon…)
{In case you missed it…’Copycat White Mexican Cheese/Queso Blanco Dip‘ recipe from earlier in the week!}
Creamy Gnocchi with Bacon & Peas
Ingredients
- 12-16 oz package potato gnocchi (check to be sure that it's GF if eating GF!)
- 6-8 slices bacon (Try cooking bacon in the oven.)
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 4 Tbsp flour
- 4 cups milk (rice milk works if you are dairy free!)
- 2 cups peas (canned or frozen work)
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh veggies, as side dish
Instructions
- Cook the gnocchi as directed. Usually only takes 2-3 minutes after the water is boiling. Once they rise, remove from boiling water set aside on plate.
- Meanwhile, saute the bacon slices in a large 12-14" skillet. Once cooked, remove the bacon and pat dry. Pour off most (but not all!) of the bacon fat. Run a knife through the bacon to crumble it.
- To the same skillet, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Quickly whisk in the milk, keeping it from clumping. Let simmer over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring often as it thickens. Once the sauce has thickened, add in the gnocchi, peas and crumbled bacon. (Note: If using frozen peas, you'll need to cook them and drain off the water.)
- Let the gnocchi and other ingredients simmer in the sauce for a few minutes. Season with onion powder, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste.
- If you want the sauce to be a little thinner, you can stir in a little more milk, until it reaches desired consistency.
- Prepare some other veggies or side salad.
- Serve Creamy Gnocchi with Peas and Bacon and side of veggies/salad.