Shrimp and Gnocchi with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce

Shrimp and Gnocchi with Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce - made April 15, 2017, modified from Damn Delicious

This is another of those easy one-dish dinners I like to specialize in. Specialize sounds really hi-falutin’ but you can translate that to mean “so easy, even I, a person who can’t really cook, can make this and have it turn out decently well”.

It helps that you can buy ready-made gnocchi, which I did from Trader Joe’s. I also had my handy jar of minced garlic from Penzey’s so I didn’t even have to bother peeling and mincing garlic “from scratch”. Raw shrimp already deveined with tails on are easy enough to clean and take the tails off. After that, it’s just a matter of frying and stirring ingredients then tossing them all together at the end. I skipped the step of baking the shrimp as that seemed like an unnecessary extra step when stir frying would do just as well. I know, I know, I'm a lazy cook. 

This is a rich dish though because of the cream sauce and the Parmesan cheese. I don’t eat gnocchi very often because it’s just so heavy, even in small portions. With a rich cream sauce, you might want to make even smaller portions as this made for a hearty, filling meal even if you don’t eat very much of it. Next time, I might cut back slightly on the garlic and heavy up on the shrimp to balance out the starchy carbs of the gnocchi.

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 16-ounce package potato gnocchi
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Garlic Parmesan Cream Sauce
1/4 cup unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, minced (I used 4 tablespoons Penzey's minced garlic)
1 cup chicken broth, or more as needed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmersan cheese
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, salt and pepper, and parsley leaves, stir frying until shrimp is pink. Drain onto separate bowl and set aside.
2. In large pot of boiled salted water, cook gnocchi according to package instructions; drain and set aside.
3. In same saucepan you cooked the shrimp, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
4. Gradually whisk in chicken broth, thyme and basil. Cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in half and half and Parmesan cheese until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. If mixture becomes too thick, add more chicken broth or half and half, as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add shrimp and gnocchi; gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.