In the spirit of Sam Sifton of The New York Times Cooking, here’s a non-recipe recipe to inspire a quick dinner this week. Think crispy, chewy gnocchi paired with sun dried tomatoes and perfectly wilted spinach although, truth be told, I’ll probably skip the sun dried tomatoes in the remake. The dish pairs well with simple roasted broccoli making for a complete vegetarian meal that comes together in about 30 minutes.

Main Dish: Crispy Gnocchi
– Package of shelf-stable gnocchi
– Spinach
– Sun dried tomatoes
– Garlic, chopped
– Salt, pepper, olive oil, butter
– Grated parmesan

1. If you have sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, great. Chop them up and reserve some of the oil. If you have dry packed sun dried tomatoes that need to be reconstituted, soak them in warm water for a couple hours and then chop them up and toss with olive oil.
2. Boil water and cook the gnocchi for a minute or two.
3. While the gnocchi are cooking, heat oil and butter in a saute pan.
4. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to the saute pan and cook undisturbed for 3-5 minutes until crispy on one side.
5. Add the garlic and sun dried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for several minutes until fragrant and garlic starts to lightly brown.
6. Add in a whole mess of spinach and a little of the pasta water to help it wilt.
7. Top with grated parmesan. Bon appetit!

Side Dish: Roasted Broccoli
– Head of broccoli
– Salt, pepper, garlic powder, olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Cut the broccoli into bite size pieces.
3. Place on a baking sheet and toss with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes until sufficiently toasty, tossing midway through the baking process. Personally, I think the crispier, the better.