Gnocchi Burro e Salvia
Pillowy gnocchi tossed in nutty brown butter and crisp sage.
Discover smart recipes
Sign up on Homecooked to cook this recipe as the chef intended, with parallel steps and built-in timers guiding you along the way. Stock your pantry to discover more recipes you can cook with the ingredients you have at home.
Join HomecookedIngredients
- 500 g Potato gnocchi
- 60 g Butter
- 10 Sage
- 40 g Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 tbsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black pepper
Method
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Melt the butter with the sage leaves over medium heat until the butter smells nutty and the sage crisps, about 3 minutes.
- Drop the gnocchi into the water and cook until they float, about 2 minutes, then scoop out.
- Toss the gnocchi in the sage butter with a splash of cooking water until glossy, then add the pepper.
- Plate and shower with grated parmesan.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from ingredients; varies with exact portions and brands.
About Gnocchi Burro e Salvia
Gnocchi burro e salvia is one of Italy's quietest, most confident dishes: soft potato dumplings dressed in nothing more than butter cooked to a nutty gold and a scattering of sage. It belongs to the northern Italian tradition, where gnocchi are treated as a canvas rather than a vehicle for heavy sauce, and the whole appeal rests on the contrast between the pillowy dumplings and the toasted, faintly caramel flavor the butter takes on as its milk solids brown. Sage leaves crisped in that fat turn savory and almost tea-like, and a shower of aged Parmigiano-Reggiano pulls everything together with salt and umami.
Eating it, you get a plush, tender bite followed by the round richness of brown butter and the herbal snap of the fried sage; a splash of the starchy cooking water loosens the fat into a glossy coating that clings to every dumpling rather than pooling on the plate. It's a first course or a light main, and it comes together fast enough to be a weeknight dish while still feeling like something you'd order in a trattoria. What makes this version work is timing the butter to the exact point it smells nutty before it burns, and emulsifying with that pasta water so the sauce stays creamy instead of greasy. Serve it on its own, or ahead of a simple roast, with a glass of a crisp northern white.
Gnocchi Burro e Salvia: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Gnocchi Burro e Salvia?
One serving of Gnocchi Burro e Salvia has about 332 calories, with 9g of protein, 36g of carbs, 17g of fat and 3g of fiber. These are estimates based on the ingredient amounts in this recipe and will vary with your exact portions and brands.
Is Gnocchi Burro e Salvia gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Potato gnocchi. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
Is Gnocchi Burro e Salvia dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano. Swapping those for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Gnocchi Burro e Salvia take to make?
About 18 minutes start to finish, but only around 10 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
How many servings does Gnocchi Burro e Salvia make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.