Chorizo Gnocchi with Broad Beans and Manchego

Chorizo gnocchi with a Spanish vibe is a quick & easy meal that adds peas, broad beans & Manchego cheese all finished with sherry vinegar.

Cooking this dish takes just 15 minutes and bolting on roughly the same for preparation means that this dish can be on your table in just 30 minutes!

Spanish Sausage Fried Gnocchi

Simple gnocchi dishes are a great way to change up “pasta night”, gnocchi is quick to cook, tastes wonderful and is really affordable.

This recipe combines traditional Italian potato dumplings, gnocchi, with the bold flavours of Spanish chorizo sausage, paprika, and garlic. The result is a dish that is rich and savory with a subtle smoky spice.

It uses a similar technique to the one used in my pan-fried gnocchi with bacon and blue cheese gnocchi recipes.

Chorizo sausage is a wonderful Spanish smoked paprika-loaded sausage that also features in my Spanish pork chops recipe, prawn and chorizo paella and pork loin steaks with chorizo.

Chorizo has a big and bold slightly smoky flavour that is lightened perfectly with the peas and broad beans in this recipe.

Sherry vinegar and creamy and slightly tart manchego cheese provide acidic tones to round out this easy gnocchi recipe.

I use similar flavours to those in my chicken and chorizo risotto, chicken and chorizo pasta, chicken and chorizo pasta bake and prawn and chorizo pasta recipes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use fresh or store-bought gnocchi?

You can use either, although for me this simple gnocchi recipe is a quick dinner.

As a result, this dish in our house is almost exclusively made with store-bought gnocchi.

Do I have to use cooking chorizo?

In this recipe it really is so much better, chorizo comes either cured or uncured.

Cured chorizo will not leach anywhere near enough oil to make this recipe taste right. It will also crisp up too much and make the dish less pleasant to eat.

Is there an alternative to sherry vinegar?

Sherry vinegar can be expensive but a little really does go a long way and it will last in your cupboard for a long time.

However, if you want a substitute I would use either cider or red wine vinegar.

Sherry vinegar does have a sweetness that the other two do not have, to mimic this I would add just a pinch (two fingers) of sugar and mix before adding to the recipe.

Is there an alternative to Manchego cheese?

Manchego cheese is a creamy sheeps milk cheese and has a slight sweetness reminiscent of fudge and a subtle tartness.

There are no real direct substitutions but other cheeses that would work well are:

• Gruyere: Creamy, nutty with a sweetness.
• Fiore Sardo: Smokey and tart, a great match to the smokey paprika.
• Fontina: A creamy slightly softer cheese with a medium sharpness and a great nutty sweetness.

Serving Suggestions

This gnocchi recipe is designed to be a complete meal but some bread to mop up the oils from the chorizo and cheese are a great addition.

Something like this Galician pan gallego would be a nice addition, although I rarely make bread at home.

I would typically grab either some ciabatta or even focaccia from the supermarket and call it done.

This recipe is a perfect match for a nice Spanish Crianza Rioja if wine is your kinda thing!

Equipment Used

I only name-check brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Stovetop.
• 30cm or 12″ nonstick frying pan.
• 20cm or 8″ saucepan.
• Chopping board.
• Sieve or colander.
• Kitchen knife.
• Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.