Pan Fried Gnocchi with Bacon and Broad Beans

Pan fried gnocchi cooked with crispy smoked streaky bacon & butter, finished with broad beans & parmesan cheese makes a delicious meal.

Cooking in under 30 minutes this dish is a real simple winner with young and old alike and can be increased or decreased in size to suit your family really easily.

Gnocchi with Bacon

I love easy gnocchi recipes, they lend themselves to quick and easy dinners that always put a smile on peoples faces.

My site is littered with them everything from the classic gnocchi alla Sorrentina, sausage gnocchi to my vegetarian mushroom gnocchi bake and glorious blue cheese gnocchi to a simple chicken pesto gnocchi or gnocchi with tomato sauce recipe.

I even make a gnocchi carbonara recipe which gives the classic pasta dish a run for its money!

This recipe takes fried gnocchi and combines it with bacon and broad beans. Little hints of garlic and parmesan cheese round out this delicious meal.

Of course, we fry the gnocchi in the fat rendered from streaky bacon and add a bit of butter for good measure. If you like the sound of that then you must check out my chorizo gnocchi which is fried in the fat rendered from spicy Spanish sausage.

The vermouth adds a beautiful body to the dish and adding the bacon at the very end means that it stays gloriously crunchy.

You should check out my bacon and mushroom pasta for a play on similar ideas but with pasta.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use store-bought Gnocchi?

Yes, I almost always use store-bought gnocchi.

Homemade gnocchi is delicious and easy to make, but it does involve both a lot of time and an experienced touch. But rarely when I want a quick gnocchi dinner do I want the faff of making gnocchi.

I do however have a delicious ricotta cheese gnocchi recipe that is very simple and really quite quick to make.

Do I have to boil the gnocchi?

No, in fact this recipe works better if you do not boil the gnocchi!

Are frozen broad beans ok?

Yes, they are superb! The broad bean season is perilously short and I couldn’t go from one season to the next without my fix.

Are broad beans called anything else?

Yes, depending on where you are from you may know them as fava beans.

Do I have to use the vermouth?

No, but the dish does need the addition of a little moisture. If you want to use a different type of alcohol, both dry white wine and dry sherry are good options.

If you want to avoid the alcohol, use chicken or vegetable stock, with a splash (half teaspoon) of white wine, cider or sherry vinegar.

Recipe Variations

The techniques used in this fried gnocchi recipe lend themselves perfectly to spin-off recipes.

For instance, you can swap out the broad beans for anything from peas to green beans. Both of which are wonderful freezer ingredients that I always have at home.

Many may find this a strange sentiment, but you can even swap out the streaky bacon, because who wouldn’t want bacon right?

But this is particularly good with all sorts of different sausages.

A well-flavoured sausage works best, something like a Lincolnshire or Cumberland sausage are perfect. You can even go for a paprika sausage, for instance, my Italian sausages are amazing in this recipe.

Simply cook them in the frying pan then cut them up and add them at the end of the cooking process as this recipe does with the bacon.

If your sausages do not render out enough fat to fry the gnocchi then simply add more butter. More butter is always good!

You could even do bacon and sausage, knock yourself out and make this fried gnocchi recipe your own!

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.

• Hob/Stovetop.
• 30cm or 12″ frying pan.
• Kitchen tongs or spatula to flip the bacon.
• Stirring and serving spoons.
• Chopping board.
• Kitchen knife.
• A combination of weighing scales, measuring jug, cups and spoons.

Fried Gnocchi Step-by-Step Photos

1. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat, once hot add the bacon in a single layer, and cook for 12-15 minutes or until crispy.
   
2. Remove the bacon (keeping the rendered fat in the pan) turn the heat up to medium-high add the butter, garlic, shallot, and gnocchi and fry for 3-4 minutes.
   
3. Pour in the vermouth, add a lid, and cook for 60-90 secondss.
   
4. Toss in the broad beans stir and saute for 90 seconds.
   
5. Add in the parmesan cheese and cook until melted.
   
6. Return the crumbled bacon to the dish, warm though, and serve right away with parmesan shavings and parsley.