Meatless Monday Recipe – Gnocchi Skillet

We began the Meatless Monday movement at our house last week. You can read all about my family’s decision to start in this Meatless Monday post shared earlier today.

For our very first meatless dish, I chose this One Pan Gnocchi with Sundried Tomatoes and White Bean Skillet from the Sweet Peas & Saffron website. Gnocchi’s are a favorite at our house, but for our first Meatless Monday recipe I wanted to make a more complete dish.  This skillet was fantastic! Very hearty and filling but so easy to make.

I modified the recipe a bit for the kiddos by replacing the sun-dried tomatoes (they are not fans) with fresh cherry tomatoes on their plates. But otherwise, I left the recipe exactly the same and the kids loved it! Dan was out of town, so he missed out.

In case you are wondering, we buy the shelf-stable vacuum sealed pack of Gnocchi from Trader Joe’s. They worked perfectly for this dish.

Recipe Review ~

The gnocchi turns out perfectly…slightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside and the flavors marry so well together. The sun-dried tomatoes add a perfect little punch of flavor. The mushrooms and white beans give the meal a “meaty” flavor without actually adding meat. One of the best parts of this dish is the clean up. It’s a breeze since everything is cooked in one pan. Score!

Nutrition Review ~

I love that there are 4 cups of spinach in this one dish. Makes it easier to get those leafy greens in and provides iron. Honestly, I feel like I could have doubled the amount of spinach and been happy taste wise.

The white beans and mushrooms offer a combined total of about 15 grams of protein, not horrible but not great either. Total protein varies for each person based on body weight and other metrics, so it’s difficult to give a general recommendation. However, personally I’d add a little more protein to create a “complete” meal for myself by either including a salad topped with nuts/seeds or adding a fried egg on top of the gnocchi to give a bit more protein.

Budget Review ~

Budget wise, this dish is very wallet friendly! Typically I would spend anywhere from $10-$15 on a protein source (chicken or beef) and then have to purchase an additional starch and vegetable to make a complete meal. All in all, that would total out to roughly $17 for one dinner.

This dish costs out to about $10 to make (rough calculation = $2 for pack of gnocchi, $2 mushrooms, $3 spinach, $1 can of beans, $2 sun-dried tomatoes). Very budget friendly in my book.

I will say that I tried to reheat the leftovers of this dish for lunch the next day but I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much once it was reheated. The recipe makes a pretty large batch, so adjust accordingly if you don’t want leftovers!

We are one week into our Meatless Monday journey and so far going strong. Gotta celebrate the baby steps!

Anyone else joining the Meatless Monday movement?

Disclaimer: I did not receive any compensation or free product/services for this post. The thoughts expressed are solely my own.