Smooth, velvety, delectable… this perfectly sums up this brie and bacon gnocchi. Dinner could not get more simple than this! Pillows of gnocchi coated in an amazing brie sauce, complemented by savoury bacon. This should definitely be tried in your next dinner rotation!
It is nearly winter time in New Zealand, which I am super excited for. Cozy and comfort food is my speciality when it comes to home cooking, and winter is prime time for these recipes! This brie and bacon gnocchi fits right into this category, like a warm hug with comforting flavours.
Key Ingredients
- Bacon brings a salty and umami punch. In New Zealand typically bacon comes in a ‘streaky form’, marbled with fat. I fry the bacon so it gets a nice crispy texture, and renders out all its fatty goodness. Then saute the aromatics in the fat for optimal flavour.
- Brie is one of my favourite cheeses after parmesan. It’s smooth and creamy, but not too heavy. For this recipe I remove the white rind, mainly due to its lack in ability to melt the same as the soft inside.
- Gnocchi is the star carb of the dish! These pillowy balls of dough compliment the velvety brie sauce, and are a nice contrast with the bacon. You could substitute with another form of pasta, like shells, but gnocchi definitely plays an important part in what makes this dish special.
- Chicken stock is one of my favourite pantry staples. Using chicken stock adds depth to the dish. It brings the sauce to another level, whilst being a great vessel for the flavours of the dish to shine.
- Aromatics are of course the standard onion and garlic. I finely sliced the onion so that it would quickly caramelise in nicely. Onion and garlic build the base flavours of the sauce.
- Italian herbs are the key seasoning in the brie and bacon gnocchi. The herbs bring a subtle earthy tone that adds another layer to the flavours.
How to make this heavenly brie and bacon gnocchi
Crisp up the bacon.
Start by chopping your bacon into small pieces, then adding them to a non-stick pan on medium-high heat (add 1 tsp olive oil if not non-stick).
Prepare and deglaze.
Whilst the bacon is rendering out and crisping up, peel and cut the onion in half, then thinly slice. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside in a bowl. Use ¼ cup of the chicken stock to deglaze the pan.
Let’s get aromatic.
Add the onion slices to the pan with the leftover bacon fat, along with the butter. Let these caramelise on a medium heat, until they are a nice golden colour. Once the onions have started to caramelise, grate/crush in the garlic and season with the italian herbs.
Prepare and create the brie sauce.
Remove the rind (white outer layer) from the brie cheese. Then place it in the pan with onion and garlic. Pour in the remaining ½ cup of chicken stock. Let the brie melt and stir to create the sauce.
Add your gnocchi.
Add the gnocchi to the pan with the brie sauce, give everything a toss to coat the pasta. Leave the gnocchi to simmer in the sauce for a few minutes to cook.
Complete the brie and bacon gnocchi.
Sprinkle the parmesan into the pan, and place the bacon back as well. Stir everything until the parmesan melts, then serve and enjoy!
Vegetables to pair?
This dish certainly isn’t up there on the healthy scale, but it is a comfort food treat. If you would like suggestions of what veg to have with this, I’d suggest a side of some sauteed green beans. You could maybe add some spinach to the sauce as well.
Storage
I had this brie and bacon gnocchi for lunch the next day and it was amazinggg! Leave the dish to cool to a lukewarm temperature, then place in an airtight container. This should stay fresh in the fridge for up to 2 days. I would not recommend keeping this in the fridge longer than 3 days.
More cozy recipes:
- Chicken Coconut Curry
- Roast Lamb
- Caramelised Onion Chicken
- Short Rib Ragu
- Golden Chicken Soup
- Braised Short Ribs
- Leek and Bacon Orzo
- One Pot Roast Chicken and Vege
Alrighty, now you have everything you need to make this delectable, cozy brie and bacon gnocchi. If you’re looking for a super simple dinner, then you do not want to miss out on this. So come on, grab those ingredients, and let’s get to cooking!
Brie and Bacon Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 250 g bacon
- 125 g brie
- 50 g butter
- 500 g gnocchi
- ¾ c chicken stock
- 1 tbsp italian herbs
Instructions
- Start by chopping your bacon into small pieces, then adding them to a non-stick pan on medium-high heat (add 1 tsp olive oil if not non-stick).
- Whilst the bacon is rendering out and crisping up, peel and cut the onion in half, then thinly slice.
- Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside in a bowl. Use ¼ cup of the chicken stock to deglaze the pan.
- Add the onion slices to the pan with the leftover bacon fat, along with the butter. Let these caramelise on a medium heat, until they are a nice golden colour.
- Once the onions have started to caramelise, grate/crush in the garlic and season with the italian herbs.
- Remove the rind (white outer layer) from the brie cheese. Then place it in the pan with onion and garlic. Pour in the remaining ½ cup of chicken stock. Let the brie melt and stir to create the sauce.
- Add the gnocchi to the pan with the brie sauce, give everything a toss to coat the pasta. Leave the gnocchi to simmer in the sauce for a few minutes to cook.
- Sprinkle the parmesan into the pan, and place the bacon back as well. Stir everything until the parmesan melts, then serve and enjoy!
