Healthy Gnocchi Recipe

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Made with a combination of spinach, white beans, and diced tomatoes, my healthy gnocchi recipe is designed for families looking for a delicious, easy to make, and nutritious Italian meal that everyone will love! This comforting and flavorful vegetarian dish makes a great lunch or an easy dinner and works well for meal prep too!

My healthy veggie gnocchi is one of our family’s favorite healthy vegetarian Italian recipes. It’s so flavorful and delicious, and I have been making it for years. Made with a combination of whole wheat gnocchi, spinach, diced tomatoes, white beans, crushed red pepper, fresh basil, lots of garlic, and gooey cheese, it’s beyond tasty.

You can serve my healthy gnocchi recipe for any occasion. It’s a delicious meal for lunch or dinner, or as a packed dish to take to school or work. It’s also great for when you have friends over and want to serve them a hearty and beautiful meal. You’ll love taking the whole skillet to the table or to your next potluck.

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🥘 Ingredients

My healthy gnocchi recipe uses simple ingredients that add flavor and protein to this colorful meal. For the full recipe and nutrition facts, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Gnocchi: I use whole wheat gnocchi to add fiber and whole grains to this meal. It tastes just as good as traditional gnocchi, but is healthier for you. Gluten-free gnocchi is also an option – you can use any type of potato gnocchi you like – there are tons of varieties at most stores. You’ll find store-bought gnocchi stocked in the pasta aisle at the grocery store. One of my favorites is the Trader Joe’s brand, but most stores will have a whole wheat option.

Olive Oil: Olive oil cooking spray is my secret to pan-frying the gnocchi. It’s the key to getting a great texture and outer crust. You can use any cooking spray or even a little butter if you don’t have olive oil cooking spray. You’ll also need regular olive oil (or any oil of your choice) for cooking the onions and garlic.

Spinach: Frozen spinach adds flavor, nutrients, and a bold color to this healthy low fat gnocchi recipe. I also chose to use frozen cut down on the preparation time but you can use fresh spinach or any chopped leafy green veggie (like chard or kale) as well.

White Beans: Cannellini, navy, or great northern beans are all excellent choices.

Diced Tomatoes: Canned diced tomatoes form the base of the healthy gnocchi sauce and are what make this recipe nice and saucy. I’ve used both regular and petite-diced tomatoes and they work well. If you don’t have canned diced tomatoes, you can use crushed tomatoes or even marinara sauce.

Red Onions & Garlic: I like to use red onion as they add a little zestier onion flavor than white onion. And fresh minced garlic always adds the most flavor.

Cheese: I use a combination of shredded mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese to create the perfect gooey cheesy topping for this veggie gnocchi skillet. Feel free to use vegan cheese too.

Crushed Red Pepper: Red pepper flakes add a touch of heat and extra flavor. You can easily increase or decrease the amount to personalize this recipe.

Herbs & Seasonings: I use a combination of fresh basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper to add lots of flavor without calories or fat to this healthy gnocchi dish. Dried Italian seasoning especially offers a large profile of flavors in one ingredient. Look for a salt-free variety. Use salt and black pepper generously to taste, and reserve some fresh basil for topping the dish before serving.

🔪 How To Make Healthy Gnocchi

Making my veggie gnocchi recipe is really simple and perfect for beginners in the kitchen. The steps are very easy and it only requires 20 minutes of prep time. You’ll have a home-cooked meal on the table in under an hour.

Check out my video below to see how this healthy meal comes together with very little effort.

Boil Gnocchi And Cook The Onions: To begin, I cook gnocchi in boiling water in a large saucepan according to the package directions. Then I drain it and set it aside. Next, I heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large skillet and add the onion and garlic to cook for a few minutes until the onions are soft and translucent.

Pan Fry The Gnocchi: Using olive oil cooking spray, I pan fry the cooked gnocchi in a separate skillet until lightly browned.

Wilt The Spinach: I add the spinach to the onion and garlic, and let it cook until the spinach defrosts and starts to wilt.

Stir In Vegetables And Seasonings: To the spinach mixture, I add the tomatoes, white beans, Italian seasoning, basil, crushed red pepper, and salt to taste. Then I give the mixture a good stir and bring it to a simmer.

Add Gnocchi: Once the sauce begins to simmer, I stir in the gnocchi and sprinkle the top with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Simmer Until Cheese Is Melted: Finally, I cover the pan and cook the dish until the cheese is melted and the vegetables are bubbling, about 3-5 minutes. And that’s it! Now, serve my spinach white bean gnocchi skillet warm!

📖 Variations

Extra Cheesy: Add additional cheese or swap out the cheese for another variety. Swiss, gouda, cheddar, provolone, and asiago would also blend well with the white bean gnocchi flavors. I’ve found that freshly grated cheese (vs. pre-shredded) will offer the most flavor.

Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi: Add ¼ – ½ cup of sliced or diced sun-dried tomatoes along with the canned tomatoes. Sun-dried tomatoes are available whole or sliced in a package or oil-packed in a jar.

Fresh Pesto: You can use a variety of different pestos with this healthy gnocchi with veggies – just add in 1-2 tablespoons along with the crushed tomatoes! My family loves this creamy gnocchi with a kale pesto or my pesto without pine nuts.

Kid-Friendly Gnocchi: This recipe is already pretty kid-friendly, but if you’re making this gnocchi for toddlers or young kids, you can cut the gnocchi pieces in half before serving, so it’s more bite-sized. Depending on how picky your kids are, you can cut the veggies super small or switch them out as needed.

More Herbs: Sprinkle additional finely sliced fresh herbs on top before serving. Oregano, parsley, or rosemary would add texture, herby flavor, and a pop of color to this easy healthy gnocchi recipe.

Extra Vegetables: Try any combination of your favorite veggies for this filling meal! Asparagus, carrots, zucchini or summer squash, red bell pepper, sweet potatoes, chard, kale, and butternut squash would all work well. Basically, just add in any extra veggies you have in the fridge – almost anything will work!

Gluten-Free: To make the dish gluten-free simply use a gluten-free gnocchi.

Creamy Vegan Gnocchi: When I want to make a vegan version, I use plant-based gnocchi such as cauliflower gnocchi and omit the cheese or use vegan parmesan cheese.

Dairy-Free: To make my healthy low calorie gnocchi recipe dairy-free, all you have to do is omit the cheese.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

My vegetarian gnocchi goes well with a variety of side dishes and is also filling when served alone. Our family enjoys eating this meal with salad, bread, or roasted veggies. 

With Salad: A fresh salad is a great way to offer additional vegetables and add color to your dinner table. Pair this recipe with a spinach and arugula salad or this tomato avocado cucumber salad.

With Bread: Italian main courses and bread just automatically go together in my house! This smooth gnocchi and melty cheese also pairs well with all types of bread from soft and fluffy dinner rolls like these vegan dinner rolls, pita, vegan flatbread, sourdough, or buckwheat sourdough bread, or with this vegan garlic bread or plain toast.

With Roasted Veggies: Roasted seasonal vegetables like these crispy air fryer carrots, roasted broccoli, or air fryer Brussel sprouts are also a delicious complement to this savory meal.

🫙 Storage Directions

Storing & Meal Prep: One of the things I love the most about this healthy gnocchi dinner is the leftovers. Once the dish is completely cool, put the gnocchi in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also make a double batch for meal prep if you want to cook once and eat a few times throughout the week. Note: I do not recommend freezing this dish, as the texture of the gnocchi will change when thawed and reheated.

Reheating: My meatless gnocchi recipe can easily be reheated in the microwave on medium heat for 30-60 second intervals or until heated through. You can also reheat it on the stovetop on medium heat until the gnocchi is warm and the cheese is melty.

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