This Miso Brown Butter Gnocchi is a truly unique dish, blending the nutty flavor of browned butter with the salty sweet umami of white miso paste. Plus, the fresh garlic, ginger, and bok choy round out this dish in delicious simplicity. Quick, easy, flavorful. This dish has it all!
Jump to RecipeHow to Make Miso Gnocchi
Step 1: Prepare the Veggies
There aren’t a ton of veggies in this dish, but it does take a few minutes to wrangle the bok choy.
Thoroughly wash the stems and leaves in a colander. The stems can have a surprising amount of dirt on them, so give them a good scrub. Then gently pat dry the leaves and stalks.
Separate the stems and leaves. Starting with the stems, cut the larger stems in half lengthwise and then thinly slice the two stalks into pieces. Transfer to a medium bowl.
Next, cut the large bok choy leaves into thirds. Place the thirds on top of each other and slice into about ½” ribbons. Repeat this process until all the leaves are sliced. Place the leaves aside in a separate bowl.
Dice the yellow onion, mince the garlic cloves, and grate the fresh ginger. Transfer to the same bowl as the bok choy stems.
Slice the green onion and put aside. This will be reserved as a garnish.
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Quick Tips for How to Grate Ginger
Freeze and grate method – this is the approach I swear by. Peel the portion of the ginger knob that you want to grate using a potato peeler. Then pop the peeled ginger in the freezer for a bit. When you’re ready for the ginger, pull it out of the freezer and grate it using a microplane grater, grating across the grain.
Spoon method- Some people recommend peeling ginger with a spoon, rather than a potato peeler. A spoon can better accommodate the weird shape of ginger and peel the skin without taking a large portion of the ginger flesh with it.
Fork method – Use the tines of a fork to grate ginger. Simply rub the ginger back and forth across the tines and wait for the ginger to fall off.
When it comes to grating ginger, grate across the grain. This simply means grate in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the fibers. It makes for an easier, cleaner grate.
Step 2: Cook Gnocchi
Bring a large pot of water to boil. You can start this process before preparing the vegetables so that the water is boiling by the time you finish the veggie prep.
Once the water is boiling, add the gnocchi. Cook about 5 to 7 minutes, or until the gnocchi float. Just to note, I find that store bought shelf-stable gnocchi tend to “false float” and are not actually fully cooked by the time they float to the top of the water. So if you’re using shelf-stable gnocchi, try to boil them the full 5 to 7 minutes to get the correct pillow softness.
Remove the gnocchi from the pan with a slotted spoon and add to a medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat to prevent sticking.
Step 3: Toast the Gnocchi
In a large frying pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the boiled gnocchi. Try to space the gnocchi out into a single level so that they can brown. Cook until browned (about 5 to 7 minutes), flipping the gnocchi occasionally to get both sides crisp.
Remove the gnocchi from heat and return to the bowl. Cover with tin foil to keep warm.
Step 4: Make Miso Brown Butter Sauce
In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and bok choy stems. Cook about 2 to 3 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften.
Add the unsalted butter. The butter should melt, start foaming and begin turning a light golden color fairly quickly. Stir frequently to ensure even browning and to prevent burning.
Once the butter is browned, add the miso paste, reserved pasta water or broth, and pepper. Stir to incorporate. Break down the miso with the spoon. Increase the heat slightly to bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce thickens and is reduced by about half.
Quick tip: if you are using vegan butter in this recipe, note that it can brown, but it won’t have the same nutty flavor as regular brown butter, which gets its flavor from the milk solids. However, you can replicate this by infusing the butter with nuts or nut butter, like pecans.
Step 5: Combine and Serve
Add the bok choy leaves and gnocchi to the pan. Toss to coat. Warm about 1 to 2 minutes, or until the bok choy leaves begin to wilt. Remove from heat.
Divide among 5 bowls and top with fresh green onions. Bon appetite!
Please let us know if you enjoyed this recipe for Miso Brown Butter Gnocchi by dropping a comment and/or rating on the recipe card below. Also, please consider sharing this recipe on social media/Pinterest! 🙂
If you’re looking for more pasta recipes, we’ve got some great ones here!
- One Pot Mushroom and Chickpea Pasta
- Peppery Lemon Herb Linguine
- Healthier Swedish Turkey Meatballs
- Easy Spaghetti Pomodoro
Want some more Asian/Asian-fusion dishes? Give these a try!
- Honey Garlic Tofu and Miso Brown Rice Burritos
- Miso Brown Rice
- Pad Thai with Crispy Honey Sesame Tofu
- Easy Pad Thai
Miso Brown Butter Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 16 oz gnocchi (fresh or shelf stable)
- ½ c reserved pasta water or low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbsp white miso paste
- 2 Tbsp unsalted or vegan butter
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- 1 bunch bok choy, stems and leaves separated
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Bring a large sauce pot of water to a boil. Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup pasta water. Drain. Transfer gnocchi to a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Set aside.
- Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add cooked gnocchi. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until lightly browned and crispy on both sides. Make sure to toss gnocchi regularly to prevent burning. Remove from pan.
- In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and bok choy stems. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the butter and let brown. Add the miso paste, reserved pasta water, and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, stirring frequently. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until sauce thickens and is reduced by half.
- Add the bok choy leaves. Cook 1 minute, or until just begin to wilt. Stir in gnocchi. Toss to coat. Remove from heat and sprinkle with green onions.
This is such a great recipe! Just tried it tonight with pecorino cheese gnocchi from World Market and really loved it 🙂 Looking forward to having it again soon and checking out more recipes from your blog!
That sounds like a yummy addition! I’m glad you liked it. Thank you for the rating! 🙂