Spinach Chicche, plus Parmigiano Butter Sauce

Mini homemade spinach and potato gnocchi (Chicche) served in a simple yet undeniably good Parmigiano Reggiano and butter sauce. If you're craving something comforting yet elegant, this dish is hard to beat!

Ok, this is genuinely one of the most good recipes we've ever made. The sauce is silky and buttery, packed with good cheesy Parmigiano flavour that's almost impossible to resist. It's a recipe that we'll go back to again and again whenever proper comfort food is needed.

The base of the dish is chicche (pronounced KEE-keh), which are tiny potato gnocchi rolled into small balls instead of your classic gnocchi shape. We've added spinach to ours for added colour and flavour, which we love. They're incredibly soft and light and solid served with a rich, cheesy sauce like this.

Because chicche are smaller (we'd say about half the size of regular gnocchi), they do take a little more time to roll out. It takes us around 30 minutes to roll a full batch. We find it therapeutic though, the solid activity for a slow weekend afternoon, but you can opt to shape regular-sized gnocchi instead, which will take you half the time.

The sauce itself couldn't be simpler; it's made with Parmigiano Reggiano, butter and a little reserved pasta water to create the most good silky, smooth and creamy sauce!

Ingredient notes

• Potatoes – avoid waxy potatoes, you need floury potatoes to make gnocchi, such as Maris Piper, Russet or Yukon Gold.
• Spinach – We use baby spinach, which doesn't need to be trimmed. If you use mature spinach, remove the tough stalks.
• Italian 00 flour – This is a pantry essential for us, so we always have it to hand, but you can use all-purpose flour to make gnocchi instead.
• Butter – use good quality unsalted butter (there's a lot of salty cheese in the sauce, so we don't need more salt from the butter).
• Parmigiano Reggiano – this is such a key ingredient which gives the sauce good flavour. buy it and grate it yourself (pre-grated is not worth the shortcut).
• Semola – this is another pantry essential for us. It's suited to dusting on trays to lay the chicche on to stop them from sticking. If you don't have it then regular flour will do.

Quick note on grating cheese

It's so important to finely grate the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese so it melts quickly and evenly into the sauce. We like to use the bumpy/spikey side of a box grater (see the photo below).

Grate the Parmigiano in a circular motion, which creates a fine, crumbly cheese. Although it may look similar to pre-grated Parmigiano that you can buy, don't use the packaged version. It often contains anti caking agents to avoid it clumping which will affect both the flavour and texture of the sauce.

Recipe tips and FAQs

Work quickly – The sauce and chicche come together quickly at the end, so you have to move fast. Have your pan warm and start melting your butter as you add your gnocchi to the boiling water. When the gnocchi are done, your butter should be melted.

Emulsify the sauce – The secret to a creamy sauce is the pasta water. reserve it so you can add it to the cheese and butter at the end. Instead of draining the chicche, we transfer them using a strainer ladle.

Can we use store-bought gnocchi instead?

Yes, to make this recipe quick and easy, you can use store-bought potato gnocchi instead. We'd use around 1.5lbs (670g) for four people.

More gnocchi recipes to try

Gnocchi

Strangolapreti (Bread and Spinach Dumplings)

Gnocchi

Spicy Sausage Baked Gnocchi

Gnocchi

Arugula Pesto Gnocchi with Burrata and Pancetta

Gnocchi

Gnocchi alla Sorrentina

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Spinach Chicche (gnocchi)

• 450 g (1lb) floury potatoes (such as maris piper, russet or yukon gold)
• 210 g (1 and 1/2 cups) Italian 00 flour ((can also use all purpose flour))
• 1 large egg
• 150 g (5oz) fresh baby spinach
• Salt and pepper
• Semola Rimmacinata (for dusting (can also use more flour))

Parmigiano butter sauce

• 110 g (4oz) Parmigiano Reggiano (very finely grated)
• 100 g (7 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 125ml ml (1/2 cup) reserved pasta water ((always reserve more than needed))

Equipment

• Potato ricer
• Strainer ladle

Method

Prep the ingredients

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach and boil for around 30-40 seconds until wilted.

2. Drain the spinach then when cool enough to touch, squeeze out as much water as you can. Chop the spinach as finely as possible then set aside.

3. Meanwhile, wash the potatoes but keep them whole with the skins on. Place them in a large pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Boil for 15-25 minutes (depending on size) until cooked through.

To make the chicche (gnocchi)

1. Place the flour in a mound on a clean work surface. Use the bottom of a bowl to create a large, wide well in the middle (photo 1).

2. Drain the potatoes and pass them through a potato ricer while still hot (we do this with the skins on and remove the skins from the ricer before adding the next one) (photo 2).

3. Add the chopped spinach on top of the potato and sprinkle with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Add the egg and use a fork to incorporate it into the flour and potato mixture. Use your hands to gently bring everything together until a soft dough has formed (photos 3-5).

4. Cut the dough in half, then each half into quarters. Roll each piece into long, thin logs and cut them into mini gnocchi then roll them into balls. Place the chicche on a large tray sprinkled with flour or semola (photos 6-9).

5. Tip: You can choose to make regular-sized gnocchi if you prefer, which is a lot quicker.

To make the sauce

1. Once your chicche are ready, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Get a large pan ready for the sauce.

2. When the water is boiling, add the chicche. When they float to the surface, they are done (photo 10).

3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large pan on a medium-low heat. When the chicche are ready, transfer them to the melted butter. Stir them until the butter has thickened slightly (photo 11).

4. Turn the heat off and add half of the Parmigiano, stirring it in until melted. Add 1/4 cup (60ml) of reserved pasta water, then add the remaining cheese. Stir until completely melted. You may need to add some more pasta water to loosen the sauce (photo 12).

5. Sprinkle over some black pepper and serve.

Kitchen notes

• Using semola for dusting Semola Rimacinata is suited to for dusting on trays to stop pasta, gnocchi and dough from sticking because it's less absorbent than flour and doesn't effect the flavour or texture as much. We always have it in our pantry for this reason. If you don't have it then you can use a light dusting of all-purpose or Italian 00 flour instead.
• Reheating leftovers the Chiche are best served immediately but can be gently reheated on the stove. You may need to add more butter to help loosen the sauce.