This recipe was one of those "throw together the ingredients that you have on hand" types of recipe, but turned out amazing. My family and I are currently in between homes right now. We sold our house—the one that we started our family in—about a month ago and don't take possession of our new house until July. So, we are living at my parents' house for a couple of weeks while they are on vacation and then we will be staying with my husbands parents until we take possession of our new home in the summer. Although not having our own home is tough in many ways, my kids are adjusting surprisingly well and my in-laws have been more than welcoming and helpful with the kids.
Living at my parents house has been great in many ways too, but what I've enjoyed most is taking advantage of my Mom's amazing kitchen and all of the food that she and my dad left behind for us to use. My Mom is the most amazing cook. We grew up enjoying delicious homemade meals every day. She is a foodie through and through and her kitchen is a reflection of that. I noticed that she had two packages of gnocchi in her pantry and realized that I had never cooked with gnocchi before (it turned out to be super easy). She also had a jar of pesto sauce as well as some frozen organic prawns in the freezer. I had purchased some arugula that needed to be used up, so I threw all of the ingredients together and our meal turned out to be much tastier than I ever imagined. The ingredients all seemed to "fit" beautifully together.
In a perfect world, I would have made the gnocchi from scratch and whipped up my own homemade pesto sauce, but when you're a busy mom, 100% from-scratch dinners aren't always possible. This meal is still healthy and made with natural ingredients for the most part. When you do buy jarred sauces (such as pesto sauce) make sure that you read the ingredients list to make sure that you know exactly what you and your family are consuming.
Here's my super easy but fancy Arugula, Prawn, and Pesto Gnocchi Recipe:
Serves 4 or 5 people
Ingredients:
Directions:
Thaw prawns if they are frozen.
Cook gnocchi as per directions on package.
While gnocchi is cooking, heat olive oil in heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add prawns and stir-fry for about 30 seconds (until they start to turn pink). Turn burner down to medium heat. Add minced garlic, cook while stirring for another 30 seconds or so. Add arugula and stir until it starts to wilt. Pour in the white wine if you're using it and reduce heat to low-medium. Allow to simmer for another 30 seconds or so (shrimp should be fully cooked but not overcooked by now).
Once gnocchi is cooked, drain and add to skillet. Add pesto sauce and stir until everything is coated. Serve alongside roasted asparagus or another cooked veggie or salad.
Enjoy!
This delicious and healthy Lemon Parmesan Oven Roasted Asparagus would be a perfect addition to this meal and if you feel like something sweet afterwards, try this yummy Dark Chocolate Avocado Pudding for dessert!
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