Chickpea, Spinach & Squash Gnocchi

Rating: 3.78 stars
23 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 4
  • 4 star values: 15
  • 3 star values: 1
  • 2 star values: 1
  • 1 star values: 2

Currants add a surprising touch of sweetness to this simple sauté of chickpeas, spinach, squash and gnocchi. We prefer the texture of shelf-stable gnocchi, but if sodium is an issue for you, opt for frozen instead. Serve with a glass of chardonnay.

EatingWell Test Kitchen
Source: EatingWell Magazine, September/October 2010

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Recipe Summary

total:
35 mins
Servings:
4
Nutrition Profile:
Low-Calorie
High Fiber
Dairy-Free
Vegetarian
Vegan
Healthy Aging
Healthy Immunity
Healthy Pregnancy
Low Added Sugars
Nutrition Info
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Ingredients

Directions

  • If using frozen gnocchi, cook in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions. Drain, rinse and pat dry. (If using shelf-stable gnocchi, skip this step.)

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  • Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add gnocchi and cook, stirring often, until starting to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

  • Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, squash, shallots and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in broth, currants, sage and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring, until the squash is almost cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Add spinach, chickpeas and the gnocchi and cook, gently stirring, until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes more. Serve drizzled with balsamic reduction (or balsamic vinegar).

Tips

Note: Balsamic vinegar reduction, simply balsamic vinegar that is cooked down until thick and syrupy, is sometimes called balsamic glaze or balsamic drizzle. Look for it with other vinegars in well-stocked supermarkets. Or make it yourself: Bring 1 cup balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook until syrupy and reduced to about 1/4 cup, 10 to 14 minutes. (Watch the syrup carefully in the last few minutes of reducing to prevent burning.)

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
Per Serving:
485 calories; protein 15g 30% DV; carbohydrates 92.4g 30% DV; exchange other carbs 6; dietary fiber 9.3g 37% DV; sugars 8.9g; fat 6.4g 10% DV; saturated fat 0.8g 4% DV; cholesterolmg; vitamin a iu 11271.8IU 225% DV; vitamin c 35.1mg 58% DV; folate 186.3mcg 47% DV; calcium 170.5mg 17% DV; iron 6.2mg 34% DV; magnesium 92.6mg 33% DV; potassium 728.7mg 20% DV; sodium 619.3mg 25% DV; thiamin 0.1mg 12% DV.
Exchanges:

5 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 lean meat, 1 fat

Reviews (23)

Read More Reviews
23 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 4
  • 4 star values: 15
  • 3 star values: 1
  • 2 star values: 1
  • 1 star values: 2
Reviews:
Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest
Sue Lanza Hecht
Rating: 5 stars
09/23/2017
I thought the recipe was delicious! I did make some adjustments thought. I roasted the delicate squash and chickpeas. I used dried cranberries added ginger and used much less broth then recommended. I also added crumbled feta on top at the end. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
09/28/2015
Yummy Substituted dried cranberries for the currants as I couldn't find them. It worked very well. I also used salt and pepper to season the gnocchi as I was browning them and salted the veggies when I was sauteeing them. I think those who think the dish is too sweet might find this helpful with added salt it was perfectly balanced. Pros: Great flavors Cons: Add more salt Read More
HealthyGEO
Rating: 4 stars
10/24/2014
Everyone loved it! I followed the recipe as it was but used cranberries instead of currants and it came out great! The last reviewer didn't enjoy it but maybe their gnocchi wasn't good? Or some of the ingredients weren't fresh? It was absolutely delicious for us. I grated some Parmesan cheese on it and drizzled some good quality balsamic vinegar and it was all eaten up in a flash! Will definitely make this again for a quick healthy week-night meal. Pros: Super easy and healthy Cons: none Read More
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EatingWell User
Rating: 1 stars
04/03/2014
I wouldn't make this It was terrible at best. Everything in it we love but all together was just awful. Never again will I waste good ingredients on this dish. Such a disappointment. I'm still wondering how it got such great reviews. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
12/18/2012
Easy savory dish with abundance of good veggies This was delicious and it helped me finally get my husband to eat veggies (he didn't even miss the meat)! I'm not an accomplished cook by any means so I always pay close attention to the reviews to learn from others. Here's my two cents sauteed recipe: I sauteed the gnocchi in the pan longer than the recipe said to get it nice and toasty probably close to 10 minutes. I think this helped maintain its texture once all the liquid was added. Currants - couldn't find them dried or fresh. Ended up using dried Craisen brand cherries. It worked! I used all of the vegetable stock - it cooked down into a nice sauce and I didn't have a problem with anything being too mushy. As much as I love balsamic vinegar I did NOT like the balsamic reduction - it was far too sweet and overpowered the rest of the dish in my opinion. We ate the leftovers the next day without the reduction and it was 10x better. I'll definitely make this again! Pros: Unique combo of flavors - a tasty departure from the norm Cons: I didn't like the balsamic - too sweet. It's much better without it Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/18/2012
So great!! Oh my goodness! This was lovely! And don't you dare substitute the balsamic with hot sauce...As I was cooking I kept stealing tastes here and there and it was good but with the balsamic reduction it was truly amazing. I added a bit of ground ginger but other than that I made no changes. Definitely making this again. Read More
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EatingWell User
Rating: 3 stars
09/02/2012
I didn't like some of the ingredients as written so... I changed/substituted quite a few things. I left out the currants completely (since many said the dish was too sweet) added some salt and made the following substitutions: -sweet potato for squash -spinach/arugula blend for spinach -cilantro (added at the same time as the spinach) for sage -chicken broth for veggie broth -hot sauce for balsamic reduction The hubby and I LOVE this dish with our changes. The arugula helped with the sweetness issue and the hot sauce really finished the dish off nicely. We will definitely make this again. Pros: easy to substitute ingredients based on personal taste quick Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
11/15/2011
Gourmet At Home I made this last night adding 1/2 pound pork apple sausage using only 1 package of gluten-free gnocchi and topping with crumbled Gorgonzola cheese. The flavors were delicious and it was relatively easy. I also only used 1 cup of vegetable broth. Make sure to cut the squash into thin strips otherwise it will take longer to cook. You could also roast it first then simply bring it to temperature. Pros: Good Flavor Profile Read More
stuff.llc@gmail.com
Rating: 4 stars
10/30/2011
This recipe is so easy and very flavorful. The shallots and sage really made this complete. Would be great for Thanksgiving as a non-meat option; taste very seasonal and comforting. I will make it again with the currants...here in AZ they are hard to find out of season. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/30/2011
This tasted great good balance of veggies beans and gnocchi. Very filling. The balsamic vinegar really gave a flavor boost. Would make again. I used dried currants (Sunmaid Zante Currants) they plumped up in the broth and worked out well. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/30/2011
This came out way to watery and all of the crispness of the fried gnocchi disappeared resulting in some sogginess. I would do rice or something more absorbing instead of gnocchi. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/30/2011
Wow. I LOVE this recipe! I didn't have shallots or currants on hand so substituted red onion and dried cranberries which was delicious. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/29/2011
This is a keeper. I used vegetable broth started with 1 cup and only added more as desired. I didn't slice the squash but cut it in chunks and used chard instaed of spinach. It was delicious. Used currants in AZ they are at Sprouts often. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/29/2011
LOVED this recipe! I didn't sub anything and even attempted a balsamic reduction for the first time. The flavors in this dish were awesome! Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/29/2011
Fantastic dish! We loved it and easy to make. I added some walnuts on top for a little crunch...made a nice touch. Read More
tina_wolfram@yahoo.com
Rating: 4 stars
10/29/2011
This was really good. I used whole wheat gnocchi and chicken broth instead of veggie. I didn't put the gnocchi into the broth so it wouldn't get soggy. If you saute dried sage with the garlic the flavor comes out more. The balsamic reduction makes the dish. I'd like to try it with chard. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/29/2011
This recipe turned out OK for me. The flavors are a bit too sweet for my taste and something about the squash with the gnocchi creates a texture that is not appealing to me personally. I wanted to like this because i saw a similar recipe on Martha but in that recipe they used the squash to make the gnocchi. I prefer the gnocchi recipe 'Skillet Gnocchi with Chard & White Beans" to this one. Pros: Cons: Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/29/2011
Dozens of good reviews and one of the few negative ones gets posted under the recipe. That is quite misleading. I very much like these ingredients together. It is a good comfort food. Read More
jo.stephanie@gmail.com
Rating: 1 stars
10/29/2011
Too Mushy and Sweet I wanted to like this recipe because I love the concept and all the ingredients but I hated this dish and couldn't make it past a couple bites. Also I had a really hard time prepping the squash (peeling etc while raw). Did I miss something and do this part wrong? Was it supposed to be raw when I was chopping/peeling the entire squash? My hands were killing me by the end. The squash chickpeas and gnocchi are all soft and create an overly-mushy texture together; the greens ended up overdone and mushy as well; creating an awkward pasty/stringy combo on the fork. I would never make this again and highly recommend skipping this recipe. A waste of a good squash. Pros: Good idea for quick-prep of squash Cons: Bad texture and overly sweet Read More
Joyful
Rating: 4 stars
10/29/2011
I liked it. I used shelf stable gnocchi and think this makes a big difference. I pan toasted it as well as roasting the squash chunks. You can now find packaged prepped squash chunks in many produce sections if you have difficulty peeling a whole one. Once the gnocchi was toasted I added the other ingredients and skipped the broth entirely but might consider just adding a bit next time to help the ingredients come together. The balsamic reduction added a nice touch. I also like the other reader's idea of adding walnuts. I plan to try this next time. Pros: Fresh vegetable and short prep time Read More
AKmomdog
Rating: 5 stars
10/29/2011
YUM! This is the first time I've cooked acorn squash myself. Never liked it when someone else cooked it. I cut it into chunks and peeled then sliced the chunks to make the peeling easier. I cooked it al dente not to mush which really helped. Used very mature spinach and only cooked it to just wilting. Used craisins instead of currants and chicken bullion instead of veg broth since that's what was handy. Just a splash of balsamic from the bottle and added a small sprinkle of shredded parm on top. I will make this again full vegan version when our daughter visits in a couple of weeks. Absolutely LOVED everything about this recipe. I'm a squash lover NOW! Pros: Excellent flavor profile quick cooking good nutrition Read More
misserinann
Rating: 2 stars
10/29/2011
ok but not better than ok I love each ingredient separately but this recipe fails to create a cohesive flavor. It's ok tastes good enough. But I don't think I will ever make it again. Pros: Lots of veggies Cons: Incompatible flavors Read More
sarahhuzzah@yahoo.com
Rating: 4 stars
10/29/2011
Hearty and Delicious! A fantastic fall meal; filling warming and tasty. I like the touch of sweetness from the currants and will add more next time. Make sure the toast the gnocchi well and not over-cook the squash to keep from getting the texture monotony that others mentioned. The only thing I might change in the future is the chickpeas. Not sure what I would sub... perhaps I will just use fewer of them. I felt they overwhelmed the other flavors a bit which isn't good since they are a bit bland. Overall I loved this dish and will make it again. Read More
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