NY Resolution Meals #5 & #6 ~ Skillet Gnocchi with Chard & White Beans and Butternut Squash Mac n Cheese

Day # 5:
Never had gnocchi before and I came across this recipe, so why not try it!?

Skillet Gnocchi with Chard & White Beans

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon EVOO, divided
1 - 16 oz package of shelf stable gnocchi (found in the pasta aisle)
1 med yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 c water
6 c chopped chard leaves (about 1 small bunch) -- Our grocery store didn't have chard, so we got turnip greens instead after looking up a substitute for chard. You can also use spinach.
1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings
1 - 15 oz can white beans, rinsed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 c shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 c finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of EVOO in a large skillet over medium heat. Add gnocchi & cook, stirring often, until plump and starting to brown, 5-7 min. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Add remaining 1 teaspoon EVOO and onion to the pan and cook, stirring, over medium heat for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic & water. Cover & cook until onion is soft, 4-6 minutes.

3. Add chard (or turnip green) and cook, stirring, until starting to wilt, 1-2 minutes.

4. Stir in tomatoes, beans and pepper and bring to a simmer.

5. Stir in the gnocchi and sprinkle with cheeses. Cover and cook until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling, about 3 min.

For dinner we had the gnocchi with garlic bread and a spinach salad!

The verdict: There are a few things I would change about this dish. #1: I don't care for gnocchi. I think this dish would be really good with cheese tortellini. #2: Ryan and I love diced tomatoes. I would add a 2nd can of diced tomatoes. #3: Maybe try a different bean? The white beans I used seemed really dry. I don't know if that was an error on my part in the cooking process (totally possible) or not? Overall though, it was a good meal & Ryan said he would eat it again!

Link to Skillet Gnocchi with Chard & White Beans 

Day #6:

I love butternut squash and macaroni and cheese, so when I came across this I got really excited to try it! We substituted feta for the blue cheese. We aren't fans of blue cheese.

Butternut Squash Macaroni with Tomatoes, Blue Cheese, and Sage

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of butter
1/2 onion, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sage, chopped
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
1 tablespoon flour
2 1/4 c milk
2 c butternut squash puree
salt & pepper
3 c uncooked elbow mac
3 tomatoes
100 g blue cheese

I forgot the salt! Oops!

  ** The recipe doesn't include how to make the butternut squash puree. I am completely ignorant in the kitchen, and under normal circumstances I wouldn't have known how to do this. However, since we made most of Connor's pureed baby foods, I knew exactly what to do!!

To puree the squash: simply cut up the squash, boil it for a really long time until it is super soft, and then throw it in a food processor or blender!

Now..on to the recipe...

1. Bring a big pot of water to a boil. While waiting for it to boil, start your sauce. Melt butter in a large saucepan and add onions. Cook until tender.

2. Add garlic, sage, & chili flakes (I used red pepper flakes) and stir regularly until garlic is tender. Add flour and stir until mixed well, 3 min.

3. Slowly whisk in 1/4 cup of milk at a time, waiting until it starts to simmer to add the next batch.

Thanks Ryan for your photography skills!! Nice view of the bump!

4. Whisk in squash and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile...Connor is on the kitchen floor making music...

Wearing his special shirt from Olivia

5. Turn oven on to 375 degrees and cook pasta according to package directions, slightly undercooking.

6. Drain pasta. Fold pasta, tomatoes, and blue cheese (we used feta because we don't care for blue cheese) into the sauce. Transfer to a casserole dish. My momma always said to use cooking spray...so make sure to spray your pan for easier clean up!!:) Bake for 10 min!

Mama...is it done yet???

For dinner we had BBQ chicken (Ryan grilled out since it was 50 degrees out today!!), peas (when don't we have peas??), and the macaroni dish! Yum!!

The verdict: I LOVED this. I would, however, change one thing..and this is just a personal preference. I don't care for uncooked tomatoes, so I would use diced tomatoes instead of raw tomatoes next time. There will definitely be a next time! You will have leftover butternut squash puree, so make sure to freeze it for future recipes!

Connor's thoughts on dinner:

More pasta please!!!! :)

Link to Butternut Squash Mac n Cheese Recipe