Gorgonzola gnocchi.

Living in a house full of vegetarians definitely has its pros and cons. The cons are pretty obvious - namely that I can't eat meat - thus ruling out some of my most favourite foods, like sausages, meaty pizzas, and all varieties of roast dinners. Which sucks. Hence my need to concentrate on the pros in order to cheer up both myself and my stomach. There are the obvious pros - better for animals, vegetarian alternatives to meat being cheaper and lower in calories, and, my personal favourite, allowing you to stumble upon ridiculously tasty, filling, and wholesome vegetarian-friendly dishes, like this blue cheese and spinach gnocchi, guaranteed to simultaneously satisfy and impress both vegetarians and non vegetarians alike.

This is a beautiful pasta dish if you get it right - and trust me, its pretty difficult to mess up - plus it is ridiculously quick to make, so is perfect for a quick dinner when you're in a hurry. The gnocchi is light and fluffy, yet crazily filling, and coupled with the rich, creamy blue cheese sauce, topped off with some crunchy toasted walnuts, it will ensure that even the largest of appetites are sufficiently suppressed - I know this because it even leaves me full. For a while at least. 

Feather-light gnocchi in a creamy blue cheese sauce

(serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 packet gnocchi

1 wedge gorgonzola

1 packet spinach

250ml double cream

a few handfuls of walnuts

parmesan cheese (to finish)

Method:

1. Chop the walnuts and toast for a few minutes in a hot dry pan, then set aside.

2. Get a pot of water boiling for the gnocchi.

3. Heat a knob of butter in a pan and fry the spinach until wilted.

4. Tip the gnocchi into the boiling water and let it simmer for about 3 minutes.

5. At the same time, add the double cream to the wilted spinach and crumble in the 

    gorgonzola.

6. Drain the gnocchi and add to the sauce, along with the walnuts and some freshly ground 

    black pepper.

7. Make sure the gnocchi are coated with the sauce, then serve with a sprinkling of the walnuts 

    and some parmesan cheese.

The whole process from start to finish takes a maximum of ten minutes, so its easy peasy for anyone to make, and perfect for the workaholics/novice cooks/hungover hungry students among us. Oh, and vegetarians. Obviously...