Vegan Spinach, Tomato, and ‘Cheese’ Gnocchi

I’m here to share with y’all the easiest, fastest, yummiest recipe I’ve tried in YEARS. Believe me when I say that mealtimes can be frustrating at our hive. Fortunately my little bees aren’t super picky eaters, but they definitely have their opinions, and the bay-bee has been throwing fits at the supper table for awhile now. (He’s just at that glorious age where he realizes he could be playing instead of eating at that time) There have been plenty of nights when I’ve served sandwiches for supper, ordered pizza, or hit up a drive thru. There is NO SHAME in that, y’all. We’ve got to be gracious with ourselves.

So when I do come across something that is a hit...I always share it here for y’all...ans for my own filing away for later purposes. ;) I made a pretty big batch because I’m all about having leftovers. This recipe will feed our hive of five (2 adults and 3 kids ages 9,6,2.5) three times. Keep that in mind if you follow the recipe below. Of course...who doesn’t love having extra to put in the freezer for later on? Did I mention it was super duper easy, extremely fast, healthy and vegan, and DELIGHTFULLY DELICIOUS?!

Ingredients:
4 16oz packages of store bought Gnocchi (I like using Gia Russa because they have a vegan option. Actually I like making my own gnocchi, but that’s a different post for a different day)
5oz Spinach
4 cans diced tomatoes, drained (or dice 6-8 fresh...that’s best, I just had canned on hand)

For the Sauce:
4 cups Almond milk (or whichever milk you prefer)
2 cups raw cashews (I use unsalted halves)
3/4 cup Nutritional Yeast (This is the ‘cheese’ part)
8 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons salt

Directions:
1. Bring 6 quarts water to boil, then add gnocchi. You’ll know the gnocchi is finished when they float to the top! Takes about 3 minutes.

2. Place your spinach in the bottom of your colander, and drain your gnocchi through it! This will wilt your spinach for you in one, easy, foolproof step. You’re welcome. ;)

3. Place all the ingredients for the sauce in a high powered blender and blend until smooth. (We have a Vitamix. If you don’t have a high powered blender you’ll need to soak your cashews overnight or bring them to a boil for a few minutes first to soften them.)

4. Place gnocchi and spinach back in your pot. Add your diced tomatoes and sauce.

5. Return pot to the stove to warm together for a few minutes and for sauce to thicken just a bit.

6. Dip out in a bowl, grab a spoon, and be prepared to be amazed.

This maybe took me 20 minutes to throw together, and most of that was just waiting on the water to come to a boil for the gnocchi to cook in! I’m so excited about this recipe and hope you love it too! All my bees gave it a 10/10. The hub-bee even had a second helping and asked for it to be a monthly meal.

I’m planning on experimenting with this recipe again to make another yummy pasta dish, and y’all will be the first to hear all about it. Let me know if you try this out!

<3