How to Cook Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi by Completely Ignoring the Instructions on the Package — Worthy Pause (2024)

Table of Contents
Ingredients Instructions Notes FAQs

How to Cook Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi by Completely Ignoring the Instructions on the Package — Worthy Pause (1)

I’d like to talk about the frozen Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi for a sec. Yes, THE cauliflower gnocchi.

I slept on this product for far too long… and I don’t mean as a pillow (because it is gnocchi after all).

I tried it when it first came out (prepared as directed) and it was terrible. And then I started seeing it pop up all over and it looked way better and I revisited the gnocchi in the freezer section. Turns out everyone is obsessed with it for a reason.

The obsession starts with the fact that they are a very clean packaged food. They are made of cauliflower with cassavaflour, potato starch, olive oil and sea salt. So simple—and that means they comply with basically any dietary restriction you or your people might have. They are egg-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, etc. Beyond that though, they taste great and provide a blank canvas for a lot of different dishes.

How to Cook Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi by Completely Ignoring the Instructions on the Package — Worthy Pause (2)

When you ignore the absolutely horrible instructions on the Trader Joe’s bag, things get good. And also ignore all the instructions from other internet people about defrosting them first, because that’s unnecessary/annoying and you know you’ll never remember to do it anyway.

By baking them on high heat, the cauliflower gnocchi comes out crispy on the outside and pillowy on the inside. From there, they are all set to throw into any dish (I mean, people are doing some very creative things with these!), or just eat them right off the pan.

How to Cook Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi by Completely Ignoring the Instructions on the Package — Worthy Pause (3)

makes one package (2 servings)

Ingredients

  • 1 package Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi

  • drizzle of olive oil

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

  2. Spread one (only one—read the note below!) bag of frozen gnocchi onto a non-stick baking sheet. Lined or unlined—choose your own adventure. (My favorite small baking sheet is this jelly roll pan and I don’t usually line it.)

  3. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil.

  4. Roast for 20 minutes, then flip all the little gnocchi babies over.

  5. Roast for another 15 minutes.

  6. EAT.

Notes

  • Huge note! For the recipe to work as written, you can really only do one bag of gnocchi with nothing else in the oven or the oven temperature and moisture levels are impacted. Two bags of gnocchi on separate pans will take about twice the baking time total and the texture may come out a little differently. One pan of gnocchi and one pan of frozen veg will will be able the same result. I still haven’t figured out how to adjust so it works as nicely with larger batches or extra things in the oven, but I’m working on it for you and will update when I land on a plan!

  • These go great as a substitute for or addition to the butter beans in the .

  • You could use these instead of tots on top of your Samosa Chaatdish.

Featured

How to Make Socca (i.e. Farinata, a Chickpea Pancake)

A Minimalist List of Toddler Gear for a One-Year Old

5 Best Korean Face Masks (Because Exactly No One Asked Me)

4 Things You Should Clean More Often But Definitely Don't

Easy Instant Pot Pumpkin Dal

Samosa Chaatdish (Indian Tater Tot Hotdish)

I Put Healing Crystals In My Bra and I Don't Care Who Knows It

Melty Gruyere + Shaved Ham with Herb Salad and a Dijon Aioli Swipe

How to Cook Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi by Completely Ignoring the Instructions on the Package

Spanakopita Creamed Spinach

Recipe

Annie D'Souza

trader joe's, cauliflower, gnocchi, italian, how-to, recipe, real life recipes, healthy dinner recipe, dinner, lunch, easy meal

7 Comments

How to Cook Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi by Completely Ignoring the Instructions on the Package — Worthy Pause (2024)

FAQs

How to Cook Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi by Completely Ignoring the Instructions on the Package — Worthy Pause? ›

Crispy Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi

If cooking in the oven, spread on parchment paper. Make sure the gnocci are in a single layer and not touching each other. Any gnocchi that's touching will cook together and not get as crispy. Cook at 425 for 25 minutes, flip, and then cook another 15 minutes until golden.

How to cook cauliflower gnocchi from Trader Joe's? ›

Crispy Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi

If cooking in the oven, spread on parchment paper. Make sure the gnocci are in a single layer and not touching each other. Any gnocchi that's touching will cook together and not get as crispy. Cook at 425 for 25 minutes, flip, and then cook another 15 minutes until golden.

Do you have to boil Trader Joe's gnocchi? ›

Trader Joe's provides three methods for cooking the gnocchi: in a pan cooked with a little water and then browned with oil or butter, boiled, or microwaved.

How to cook shelf-stable gnocchi? ›

Unlike most dried pastas (or even fresh pastas from the grocery store), you can pour gnocchi straight out of the bag and into a hot skillet full of butter and mushrooms, or onto an oiled sheet pan of cherry tomatoes.

Is Trader Joe's cauliflower gnocchi frozen? ›

They're frozen, made in Italy and they're a near-perfect dupe for potato gnocchi—tender, pillowy, fluffy, carb-y (but without the carbs!).

How to heat up Trader Joe's gnocchi? ›

Method: Preheat oven to 425 degrees then line a half sheet pan with a silpat or parchment paper. Pour frozen gnocchi onto the pan then spread into an even layer and mist with nonstick spray. Roast for 20 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring halfway through.

Why are my cauliflower gnocchi mushy? ›

DON'T follow the directions on the package and steam or boil the cauliflower gnocchi. They'll end up mushy and soggy.

Does packaged gnocchi need to be boiled? ›

Pre-packaged gnocchi should be cooked in boiling water – just like any other pasta.

Is Trader Joe's Cauli gnocchi healthy? ›

Yes, cauliflower gnocchi can be a healthier choice because it uses a vegetable that's less starchy than potatoes, says Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN, Nutrition Director at the Good Housekeeping Institute.

How do you heat packaged gnocchi? ›

First, you'll want to reheat your gnocchi properly. For best results, preheat your oven to 350℉ and place the gnocchi on an oven-safe dish. Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through. Alternatively, you can boil water in a pot and add the gnocchi when it reaches a rolling boil.

Is it better to bake or boil gnocchi? ›

The secret to the lightest, most tender potato gnocchi is to bake the potatoes instead of boiling them. A baked potato is dryer than one that has been boiled, which means you avoid having to add more flour to the dough to account for excess moisture, a practice that leads to over-kneaded, tough gnocchi.

Can you cook gnocchi without boiling? ›

No boiling required! If you've never made sheet pan gnocchi before, prepare yourself: once you try it, your weeknight dinner rotation will never be the same! The reason it's so magical is that you don't have to boil the gnocchi. That means that this recipe requires no pasta pot and no waiting for water to boil.

Why is my gnocchi mushy after boiling? ›

Your gnocchi may be mushy because of any or all of the following reasons: boiled the potatoes instead of baked them. used waxy new potatoes with too much moisture in them. not used eggs to help texture.

Is cauliflower gnocchi healthier than potato? ›

Compared with traditional potato gnocchi, Trader Joe's frozen cauliflower gnocchi shaves off almost 90 calories per cup (140 vs. 227) and has less than half the carbs (22 vs. 48) and 2 grams more fiber (6 grams).

How many Weight Watchers points is Trader Joe's cauliflower gnocchi? ›

TJ's cauliflower gnocchi is an Instagram favorite. WW members embraced it in 2019 by tracking a one-cup serving more than 150,000 times. At just 4 PersonalPoints, it's a worthwhile way to spend your Budget.

Is cauliflower gnocchi actually healthy? ›

Yes, cauliflower gnocchi can be a healthier choice because it uses a vegetable that's less starchy than potatoes, says Jaclyn London, MS, RD, CDN, Nutrition Director at the Good Housekeeping Institute. "Non-starchy veggies are lower in carbs but often higher in fiber, which can help you stay fuller, longer," she says.

How do you cook Trader Joe's outside in gnocchi? ›

The stovetop instructions tell you to toss them in 1 T. of butter or oil and then add 4 tablespoons of water. I cooked about half the bag of gnocchi in 1 T. of oil, cooking for 2-3 minutes, then reduced the water to 1 tablespoon and continued cooking another 4-6 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned.

Should you rinse cauliflower before cooking? ›

The separated florets have to be washed properly under a tap. This removes dirt and large parasites such as worms. The next step is cleaning the cauliflower in mildly warm water in which a little salt was dissolved. This process – which should last 10-20 minutes - destroys several microbes and large parasites.

Can you cook frozen gnocchi in a skillet? ›

This method is also very simple — all you'll need is a large skillet or pan, butter, and the frozen gnocchi. Massage the bag of gnocchi to separate, put about two tablespoons of butter in the pan, and turn the pan to a medium heat. Add the gnocchi into the pan in an even layer, and let it sit for about 2-3 minutes.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Lidia Grady

Last Updated:

Views: 6181

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (65 voted)

Reviews: 80% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Lidia Grady

Birthday: 1992-01-22

Address: Suite 493 356 Dale Fall, New Wanda, RI 52485

Phone: +29914464387516

Job: Customer Engineer

Hobby: Cryptography, Writing, Dowsing, Stand-up comedy, Calligraphy, Web surfing, Ghost hunting

Introduction: My name is Lidia Grady, I am a thankful, fine, glamorous, lucky, lively, pleasant, shiny person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.