Like Recipes?

Sign up to receive Chef Jackie’s recipes right in your inbox!

plant-based blt gnocchi

by Jackie Newgent | January 22, 2022 | 2 Comments

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·5 from 1 review

If you marry a BLT sandwich with a bowl of gnocchi — and veganize it — you’ll get this super tasty plant-based BLT gnocchi dish! Or at least I did! So, now there’s no need to make decisions … you get to indulge in both comforting foods at once. And this is one indulgence that you’ll want often. I do!

Choose your gnocchi

First, pick your favorite plant-based fresh or frozen gnocchi — or make your own if you’re a make-from-scratch kind of cook! You can even go non-traditional by using cauliflower, sweet potato, or almond gnocchi. And, if for some reason you’re in more of a regular pasta or whole grain mood, know that this recipe is really versatile — it works with pasta shapes, like farfalle or fusilli, or with whole grains, like farro or freekeh.

Make your gnocchi

Gnocchi only takes a few minutes to prepare, so be sure all of your ingredients are prepped and ready to go! Once you’ve drained your gnocchi of choice, you’ll simply toss it together in a skillet for a couple minutes with olive oil, nutritional yeast (aka “nooch”!), baby spinach, lemon zest, sea salt, hot pepper flakes, and sun-dried tomatoes. Now, all that’s left to do is add toppings!

plant-based blt gnocchi_portabella bacon strips — plant-based portabella bacon strips before baking

Top your gnocchi

This is where you can have lots of fun with add-ons, choosing those that offer sooo much flavor, texture, color and, of course, nutrition. Try my picks — but know that you can play around with toppings next time! What are my picks? Pan-toasted pine nuts, sliced grape tomatoes (for a pop of color!), plant-based bacon, microgreens or fresh basil and an optional drizzling of garlic, basil, or truffle oil for extra luxuriousness.

plant-based blt gnocchi_portabella bacon strips after baking — bowl of prepared plant-based portabella bacon strips

For the vegan bacon, you can go with your personal favorite, like THIS. Or prepare one of my two variations on it in advance: plant-based portabella bacon strips (I used 20 strips in this recipe!) or baby bella bacon bits. And FYI, this mushroom-based bacon becomes chewier as it sits on the steamy gnocchi, so plan to serve it quickly after adding the bacon to enjoy a hint of crispness.