Whole Wheat Gnocchi with "Meaty" Vegetable Sauce

Thus far in the Dairyland, it’s been a pretty gloomy spring. And when it’s gloomy, I crave nice, hearty meals (take the bean soup from my last post, for example). Last night, I wanted something hearty as well, and what better than my favorite Italian staple, gnocchi?! I swear, I could live on this stuff. I did make the sauce really thick and full of veggies, so it was quite delicious. Hopefully these gloomy days won’t last too much longer, but for anyone who has the gloomy day munchies, here’s a great recipe!

Whole Wheat Gnocchi with “Meaty” Vegetable Sauce

1 package Whole Wheat Gnocchi (I used the Whole Foods Brand)
1 jar of Organic Tomato Puree
½ Summer Squash, sliced into rounds, then quartered
8 stalks of Asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
½ cup shredded carrots
¼ onion, diced
Oregano to taste
1 Bay leaf
Onion Powder to taste
4 cloves minced garlic (or 4 tsp)
½ package Lightlife Veggie Crumbles
Chili Powder to taste
Olive oil to coat skillet


(Gotta love fresh veggies straight from the Farm!)
Coat a large skillet with olive oil, and combine onion, carrots, one clove of minced garlic, chili powder and veggie crumbles over medium-low heat. Cook until crumbles brown and onion is translucent and fragrant. Remove from heat.

In a saucepan, combine tomato, squash, asparagus, oregano, bay leaf, onion powder, remaining garlic and the “meat” mixture. Combine well, and let thoroughly heat through.

(Sauces are a grea way to hide those veggies from kids, too!)
In a large pot of water, cook gnocchi according to directions (all gnocchi is slightly different, and if cooked incorrectly it will turn to potato mush). Drain, and toss with sauce. Enjoy the richness and warmth of this hearty meal with some Daiya “cheese” sprinkles, or a nice glass of wine!