Get into the holiday spirit with Crispy Gnocchi in Morel Sauce! These fluffy gnocchi are pan-fried to a perfect crunch and served over a creamy morel and white wine sauce, then topped with Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh parsley. Perfect for celebrating the season!
About the recipe
The French absolutely adore Morel mushroom sauce and it is easy to understand why! These delicious mushrooms have a flavor profile like no other. They bring a depth of flavor and elegant earthy notes to rich cream-based sauces.
In France, morels are commonly cooked into a shallot, white wine, and cream sauce. A heavenly match! I got inspired by this sauce and had the idea of twisting things with crispy gnocchi and Parmigiano Reggiano shavings. Topped with fresh parsley and accompanied by a Chardonnay-based wine, it cannot get better than that!
Unlock 5 secrets to making vegetarian cooking a breeze – FREE!
Sign up for my email series, Ninon’s SecretS: Vegetarian Cooking Made Easy and transform your cooking today!
A few details about the key ingredients
- Morel mushrooms: you can either use fresh, frozen, or dehydrated morels! As fresh morels are pretty expensive and hard to find, I usually use frozen or dehydrated ones. If using frozen morels, thaw them according to the package instructions. For dehydrated morels, rehydrate them in water according to the package instructions. In both cases, keep the morel juice for flavoring the sauce! Also, be aware that raw morel mushrooms are toxic. Always make sure to cook them for at least 5 minutes. Passed this cooking time, Morels are perfectly safe to enjoy.
- White wine: the sauce calls for a crisp, dry white wine. I recommend a crisp Chardonnay wine for the best result. I used Chablis as its acidity is perfect to cut through the fat of the cream.
- Gnocchi is key. You can either buy good-quality Italian potato gnocchi or make your own. I have a Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi recipe just for you!
- Parmigiano Reggiano: I do not recommend using industrial powdered Parmesan. It’s so much tastier to buy a piece of Parmigiano Reggiano DOC and freshly shave it /grate it on top of the dish just before serving.
Wine Pairing for Crispy Gnocchi in Morel Sauce🍷
CHARDONNAY
Here Chardonnay is being used both in the sauce and as the wine to pair it with.
To accompany this decadent and festive recipe, Chardonnay can be chosen still or sparkling. Don’t be afraid to try a creamy “Blanc de Blanc” Champagne, made 100% from Chardonnay grapes.
If you are more on the “still” side of things (without bubbles), choose a developed Chardonnay from Burgundy or Jura.
WINE APPELLATION SUGGESTIONS
Recipe FAQs
For the sauce, yes! You can make the sauce up to the day before. However, I do not recommend cooking the gnocchi ahead of time as they will become soggy. When you are ready to reheat the sauce over medium, boil and pan-fry the gnocchi at the same and serve!
Without morels, the taste will be very different. But chanterelle, grey chanterelle, or even chestnut mushrooms will work just fine.
Other delicious Pasta recipes
Crispy Gnocchi In Morel Sauce
PRINT SAVEINGREDIENTS
For the sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons (20 g) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cups (300 g) Morel mushrooms (fresh or frozen)
- 2 cups (500 ml) Chardonnay-based wine
- 2 shallots thinly minced
- 1 cup (200 ml) heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
For the rest
- 1 ½ tablespoons (20 g) unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 17.5 ounces (500 g) fresh potato gnocchi (either homemade or good quality store-bought)
- ½ cup (50 g) Parmigiano Reggiano (shaved or grated)
- ¼ cup (15 g) flat leaf parsley chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare the sauce
- If using fresh morel mushrooms, clean them with a brush to remove the dirt.
- If using frozen morel mushrooms, thaw them according to the package instruction (keep the morel juice to add to the sauce later).
- In a sauté pan or a pot, heat extra-virgin olive oil and unsalted butter over medium heat.
- Add the minced shallots and cook until translucent.
- For the fresh morels: add the morels, salt and cook for 5 minutes while stirring regularly with a wooden spoon.
- For the frozen morels: deglaze the shallots with morel juice, stir and add the thawed morels and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the white wine and let the preparation simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
- Add heavy cream and white pepper and cook for 5 more minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
- Add the gnocchi and cook according to the package instructions and set aside.
- In a non-stick frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and 1 and ½ tablespoons of unsalted butter over medium-high heat.
- Add the gnocchi and pan-fry them until golden and crispy.
To serve
- In four pasta bowls, pour one piping hot ladle of morel sauce into each bowl.
- Add the crispy gnocchi on top and sprinkle shaved Parmigiano Reggiano and freshly chopped parsley.
- Enjoy immediately with a glass of Chardonnay!
Mes invités ont adoré cette recette facile et extrêmement gouteuse ! Parfait accord avec le Chardonnay ! merci merci
This recipe has become a staple of family celebration meals. Worthy of a table of great chefs! Delicious, fragrant, tasty. Incredible recipe with morels ! I loved
So glad to hear Joe!
The gnocchi are so fluffy and the morel sauce so rich! Lip smacking
Thanks a lot, Helena!