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We make a lot of gnocchi dishes in our house, and we rarely use recipes for them. This corn, bean, and spinach gnocchi can definitely be made from a recipe, but the beauty of the recipe is that it’s very forgiving.

Gnocchi goes well with most vegetables in my opinion, so I sometimes I call this dish “gnocchi surprise.” It’s a little different every time I make it! Just all depends what we have in the pantry and refrigerator that day! Sometimes I throw in zucchini or yellow squash. Sometimes I add different types of cheeses. Other times I’ll add in different types of beans or even some broccoli. Seriously, so easy.

To make this recipe even easier, you have the option of using only one pot, so less dishes can definitely be a perk with this recipe.

Here is this week’s “gnocchi surprise” recipe which turned out tasty and pretty healthy too. Read on for this corn, bean, and spinach gnocchi recipe tutorial.

How to make corn, bean, and spinach gnocchi

Gather your ingredients:

1 Tb of butter
Package of gnocchi (most any flavor works well!)
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 package of baby spinach (fresh works ok, too)
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese

Picture Tutorial How-To

First, you need to cook the gnocchi according to package directions. I used pumpkin gnocchi because, well, that’s what was in the pantry tonight.

(As an aside, my sister calls gnocchi snot balls. They really do have a weird texture once cooked, but they’re still so yummy!)

If you’re wanting this to be a one-pot meal, drain the gnocchi after cooking and reuse the initial pot. If you don’t mind an extra dish, meanwhile, melt 1 Tb or so of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. You could also use oil, but I like the taste of butter too much!

Add beans and corn (drained and rinsed) to skillet and heat 2 minutes or until heated through.

Then, add the bag of spinach to the skillet.

Stir occasionally until spinach becomes wilted. It will wilt faster if you put the top on the pan. (Watching spinach wilt has to be one of my least favorite parts of cooking! When I stir, food from inside the pan always goes all over the stove. And I’m too lazy to put it in a little at a time. So this is always a messy part of cooking for me!)

Add in drained gnocchi and stir to combine.

Season with salt and pepper and top with as much Parmesan cheese as desired. We are trying to be healthier over here, so I don’t add as much cheese as I used to. Nor do I season things with salt as much either. I do like using real Parmesan cheese rather than the powdered stuff. There’s something about gooey cheese that really hits the spot!

All done! We loved enjoying our corn, bean, and spinach gnocchi and hope you do too!

If you’re looking for more quick and easy weeknight meal ideas, I definitely recommend checking out all our quick, weeknight dinner ideas.

Black Bean, Corn, and Spinach Gnocchi

A quick and easy meal filled with vegetables added to gnocchi.

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword weeknight, quick

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

1 Tb butter
1 pkg gnocchi
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1 pkg (8 oz) fresh spinach or baby spinach
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese for topping

Instructions

Cook the gnocchi according to package directions. I used pumpkin gnocchi because, well, that's what was in the pantry tonight.
Meanwhile, melt 1 Tb or so of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add beans and corn to skillet and heat 2 minutes or until heated through.
Add spinach to skillet. Stir occasionally until spinach becomes wilted.
Add in drained gnocchi and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and top with as much Parmesan cheese as desired.