Gnocchi is one of our favorite foods, and we’re generally fans of kale. Why not put those two things together? Trader Joe’s has had a lot of success with their gnocchi experiments in the past, so we were definitely curious to see what the Trader Joe’s Kale Gnocchi is all about. Is this frozen gnocchi another hit, or is it a dish that you should pass by when you see it in the freezer aisle?
We chose to cook this using the preferred method, which is to saute the gnocchi in a pan. The process is pretty simple; just heat some oil in the pan before adding in the gnocchi. Just make sure you stir the gnocchi frequently as it heats up. Without regular stirring, you’ll wind up with half-frozen chunks. After seven minutes or so of stirring, it should be good to go.
We initially tried to eat this gnocchi plain, but it just wasn’t working for us. It’s a pretty simple dish — the only ingredients are kale, potato starch, chickpea flour, sea salt, and extra virgin olive oil — and it doesn’t really taste like much of anything. Even the kale flavor isn’t very strong. We were able to improve the dish a little by adding some pepper, but it’s still on the bland side.
The gnocchi is also a little dry, which is why we think it would really benefit from being paired with some sort of sauce. Since it’s pretty plain, it’d work with virtually any type of sauce. You can play things straight and pair it with tomato, mix things up and try alfredo, or even get really creative and serve the sauce with pesto. Just don’t try to eat it as is, even if you’re a kale fan. It feels like part of an entree rather than a complete meal.
Trader Joe’s Kale Gnocchi is too plain to eat on its own, but if you’re looking for a frozen gnocchi you can pair with other ingredients, it’s a pretty decent option. Its clean, simple ingredients make it a healthy and high-potassium option. It’s no substitute for our favorite frozen gnocchi dishes, but it still deserves a closer look if you have the patience to experiment with it a bit.
To learn more about the nutrition content, ingredients, or cooking instructions for this Trader Joe’s frozen gnocchi, check out our package scans below.
