Home is Where the Carbs Are

A big loaf of crusty bread in the oven and a side order of orange gnocchi (this time sweet potato)... I guess I really am back.

Tonight for dinner was sweet potato gnocchi with portobello mushrooms, beet greens, and cannellini beans in a brown butter sage sauce. This recipe is fast, simple, and infinitely customisable, so here you go:

Gnocchi with Portobello, Greens, and Cannelini in Brown-Butter Sage

I'm going to give you the proportions I used to serve one. Pretty much anything in this recipe can be swapped with anything else, and you can use more or less of whatever you like. I'm pretty sure it's impossible to mess it up!

2 T butter

1 T e.v.o.o.

7 leaves (or so) of fresh sage

1 big clove garlic

3 large baby portobellos

a handful canned cannellini beans

a handful (or two) of beet greens

as many gnocchi as you can eat (sweet potato or otherwise)

Parmesan cheese

Get water boiling in a pot for the gnocchi and toss them in as soon as you can. Meanwhile, prepare two pans for the remaining ingredients. 

In a larger frying pan, melt the butter with the oil on medium-low. Keep an eye on it, as you're looking for it to toast a little and become a nice golden brown without it burning. Meanwhile, slice the portobello thickly and put them (dry) in a smaller pan on medium heat. Stir them around occasionally to keep them from sticking, but you can really just leave them alone to brown in peace as you pluck your sage and smash your garlic.

As soon as the butter is a good dark honey color, add in the smashed garlic and sage. Check on the portobellos, and if they're looking pretty heated through, toss in the cannellini (making sure they were rinsed well and as dry as possible). Stir your mushrooms and beans around, heating them both thoroughly. If your beans start to brown a little, that's fine.

Your gnocchi should be done around now, so as soon as they are, drain them well and add them to the brown butter sage sauce. Then toss in the mushrooms and beans from the other pan, finally adding your hand-shredded greens for a last couple minutes of gentle tossing. 

When the greens are cooked to your preference, pile everything onto a shallow bowl or plate and grate some Parmesan on top if you like. Pour yourself something nice and enjoy!