If you love making homemade gnocchi then you need to try this Vegan Gnocchi with Mushrooms & Kale! Soft and fluffy gnocchi is mixed with crispy mushrooms, sautéed kale, and the best cashew garlic cream sauce for a delicious dairy-free dinner recipe!
*Recipe originally shared May 2020 and updated August 2022*
What is gnocchi?
If you have never had the pleasure of tasting gnocchi, let me suggest you change that right now! Gnocchi is an Italian dish traditionally made with a mix of potato, flour, eggs, and salt.
However, my vegan gnocchi contains just 3 ingredients- flour, potato, and salt. While I prefer homemade gnocchi, this recipe can also be made with any pre-packaged gnocchi to make it even easier!
While I love Gnocchi with Tomato Cream Sauce, I knew I wanted an even creamier vegan gnocchi sauce next. So I adapted the sauce recipe from my Vegan Truffle Mushroom Pasta and paired it with kale for a nourishing, healthy, and delicious vegan dinner recipe!
Ingredients:
How to make vegan garlic pasta sauce
The first step to making this recipe is to make the creamy garlic sauce.
This sauce is cashew-based and the very first step involves soaking the cashews. Soaking cashews helps to soften them and makes them easier to process into a creamy sauce. It also happens to reduce phytic acid in the cashews while, for some people, can make them easier to digest.
I prefer to soak my cashews in hot water for 30 minutes-1 hour. However, you can also soak the cashews for 6-8 hours in the fridge.
Then blend it all together!
After the cashews are soaked, blend them up with olive oil, nutritional yeast, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, chili flakes, and water to thin.
The end result is a slightly thin, but flavorful, sauce. Believe me, this sauce with thicken as soon as you add it to the pan with gnocchi!
Tips for crispy sautéed mushrooms
After the sauce is prepped, it's time to cook the mushrooms. Here are a few tips & tricks for crispy mushrooms every time:
- Do not overcrowd the pan. The mushrooms will decrease in size quite a bit while cooking. However, add just enough mushrooms to the pan so they do not overlap much or they will not get as crispy.
- Cook until ALL the liquid is gone. Mushrooms go from raw, to juicy, to dried and crispy over a period of 10-15 minutes as the water evaporates.
- Add salt & any seasoning at the very end of cooking. Adding salt early in the cooking process draws moisture from the mushrooms and will prevent them from ever getting crispy.
Assembling the mushroom gnocchi
Once the mushrooms are crispy, add in the massaged kale.
I like to massage kale with a little oil before cooking it because it helps to break down the tough structure of kale and makes it softer and less bitter. Kale doesn't need too much time to cook so we only sauté it with the mushrooms for about 2-3 minutes until it has slightly wilted.
Then, add in the cooked gnocchi and vegan garlic cream sauce.
Cook together for 1-2 minutes until everything is coated and then serve immediately! This recipe makes the perfect amount for 2-3 people, but it also stores great as leftovers.
FAQ & Substitutions:
Can I use other nuts in place of cashews?
For this recipe, I do not recommend replacing the cashews with other nuts. Cashews have a very specific texture and get softer than virtually every other nut.
If you are looking for a nut-free sauce to pair with this recipe, I'd recommend checking out my Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce or my Vegan Lemon Butter sauce instead. Both can be made with oat milk to keep the dish 100% nut-free.
Is it possible to make this mushroom gnocchi gluten-free?
Definitely, however, you will have to use a gluten-free gnocchi recipe. Alternatively, use a gluten-free pasta like Ancient Harvest or Jovial in place of gnocchi.
How do I store leftover vegan mushroom gnocchi?
This kale mushroom gnocchi keeps great as leftovers in the fridge or freezer.
Just store it in a closed container in the fridge for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 1 month. I like to reheat it in the microwave, but it can also be reheated in a skillet.
I truly hope you love this Creamy Vegan Gnocchi with Mushrooms & Kale! It's a great go-to dinner during these times when you really want to eat healthier but still have interesting and easy dinners. Enjoy!
-TSG
More plant-based dinner recipes you will love:
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Creamy Vegan Gnocchi with Mushrooms & Kale
Ingredients
Garlic Cream Sauce:
- ½ cup raw cashews *note they must be soaked about 1 hour in hot water
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- salt to taste I use around ½ tsp, but add according to your preference
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon chili flakes optional, for spiciness, I like ¼ tsp
Other ingredients:
- 12 oz vegan gnocchi about 1 ½-2 cups gnocchi
- 2 cups mushrooms cremini or button
- 2 cups chopped kale loosely packed and stems removed
- 1 tablespoon oil for cooking mushrooms+ massaging into kale, I used olive oil
Instructions
- Add the raw cashews to a container and cover with hot water. Soak for 1 hour before making the sauce. While the cashews are soaking, cook the gnocchi. Fill a pot with water and salt and bring to a boil. Once boiling, gently add in the gnocchi and cook until the gnocchi floats to the top, about 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Once the cashews are soaked, add them to a blender or food processor with the clove of garlic. Process until ground. Then, add in the rest of the sauce ingredients including the water, oil, pepper, salt, and chili flakes. Blend until a smooth sauce forms and set aside.
- Add ½ tablespoon of the oil to a skillet pan and turn on the heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the sliced mushrooms and cook until crispy and browned. Make sure to stir frequently to evenly cook the mushrooms. While the mushrooms are cooking, pour the other ½ tablespoon of oil onto the chopped kale and use your hands to massage it in. Then, add the kale to the skillet and cook with the mushrooms for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Finally, add in the cooked gnocchi and sauce. Mix together until coated for 1-2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Notes
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge up to 5 days and in the freezer up to 1 month in a closed container.
- Both homemade gnocchi or prepackaged gnocchi works for this recipe
Jan Rochefort says
I love gnocchi, mushrooms and kale so this recipe was perfect. The cashew cream sauce worked well. All in all very tasty
Megan says
So happy you enjoyed it!