Even when summer's here, we have days when it's cool enough to lean into good comfort food dishes or we're just craving them so much we simply crank up the air conditioning. This week, we're looking at three such oven baked, pressure cooked, or sauce supreme dishes that leave our mouths watering. We end the week with a sheet pan dinner that can be on the table in less than 45 minutes and tastes great while being that quick.
Baked Gnocchi, Veggies & Chicken takes advantage of store-bought gnocchi, a wide range of colorful veggies (eat the rainbow!), and leftover rotisserie chicken (or other leftover chicken you have on hand). The result is a meal that looks like it took hours, but actually took minutes and most of that was baking time. Save yourself even more time on a busy weeknight by prepping the squash, garlic, peppers, and onions in advance. I recommend waiting with the tomatoes until your oven is heating to keep them from losing too much of their moisture. You can also tear the chicken into chunks in advance if you'd like. You can also tweak the veggie mix. You'll need to determine how long they need roasting. Some good substitutes that don't change the cooking time include:
- swapping cubed sweet potatoes for the squash (or another type of winter squash)
- substituting different kinds of sweet or spicy peppers for those listed in the recipe
- using any kind of onion - red, sweet, white all work
- 1 small butterkin or butternut squash, seeded and cut into wedges or bite-sized pieces
- 1 pound store-bought potato gnocchi
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Greek Freak seasoning or similar blend
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and sliced
- 1-2 plum tomatoes, cut into 6-8 wedges each
- ½ small yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cups coarsely torn rotisserie chicken or other fully cooked chicken
- Yields: 4-6 servings
- Preparation Time: 40 minutes
I like serving this with a nice simple green salad and maybe a bit of bread to sop up the juices that gather in the individual serving bowls you nestle this bit of roasted glory into. I also have never complained about a generous dollop of hummus in the bowl for both the veggies and the aforementioned bread. However you opt to serve it, enjoy this bit of roasted comfort food that doesn't have to wait for summer to end to be made!
Baked Gnocchi, Veggies & Chicken
Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
In a large bowl, toss together the squash, gnocchi, garlic, oil, and Mediterranean seasoning. Spread evenly on the baking sheet. Do not wash the bowl and leave the excess oil and seasoning in it - you will need it for the next step. Roast the squash and gnocchi for 10 minutes.
While the squash and gnocchi roast, add the remaining prepared vegetables (pepper through onion) to the bowl with the oil and seasoning in it. Toss well to coat. When the squash and gnocchi have roasted for 10 minutes, stir, then scatter the other vegetables evenly on top. Roast for 15 more minutes, or until the gnocchi is tender and the vegetables browned at the edges.
Remove the baking sheet and add torn rotisserie chicken evenly over the top and return the baking sheet to the oven for 5-10 more minutes, turning the oven OFF and keeping the oven door closed. This step is to allow the chicken to heat through and give the vegetables a chance to steam a little. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and serve warm.