Parmesan Fried Gnocchi

This Parmesan Fried Gnocchi is a totally delicious side dish that's ready in minutes. Serve it alongside grilled chicken or fish with a salad or veggies for an unbelievable dinner.

Given that I spend large portions of my day thinking about food, I'm always surprised by how many people I know who don't cook. Maybe they never learned how because there's always been someone in their house to cook for them. A parent and then a partner usually. It's not that they aren't interested in food, but they just have no intention of making anything for themselves. I do not understand these people.

There's another group of people who tell me they don't cook very much because they just don't have time. This I can relate to. There are so many evenings when time just gets away from me. If I cooked dinner, it would be about 10 pm before we actually ate. Thank goodness for Just Eat. If I want to be able to make dinner every day, I find that I really need to set myself up for success.

Trying to make every single thing from scratch on a Monday night is a sure way to end up hating yourself. In my opinion, there's absolutely no shame in taking a little help from the grocery store. Use your favorite bottled salad dressing as a marinade for chicken, for example. Or dress up some microwavable steamed veg with some dried herbs from your pantry.

If your meal needs a quick carby side dish, this Parmesan Fried Gnocchi will be your new go to. It's the perfect substitute for roasted potatoes which would take ages to chop and cook. Use your favorite store bought gnocchi, and add flavor with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and dried herbs. People will forget about everything else on their plate.

All you have to do is heat a skillet and drizzle in some oil. I used garlic oil for a little extra hit of flavor, but use whatever you have on hand. Then add the gnocchi straight from the package and keep tossing it in the hot oil until it starts to get crispy. Grate over some parm and sprinkle in some dried thyme and oregano, or just use Italian seasoning if you have it. That's all there is to it.

Life gets crazy, but you are totally worth the effort. Take it easy on yourself. Make something simple like Parmesan Fried Gnocchi. Put your feet up and be awesome.

Recipe adapted from Kitchen by Nigella Lawson.

Looking for more kitchen shortcuts? Set your week up for success with Transformer Chicken that you can prep ahead of time at the weekend.