A luxuriously rich twist on mac and cheese. It’s soo decadent delicious! Such a nice change from the usual pasta since this recipe uses potato gnocchi (potato dumplings). Each main course serving has 261 calories and 11 grams of fat. I’m sure it will be a hit with your entire family!
Ingredients
- 1 (16 oz) package potato gnocchi, see shopping tips
- 3 tablespoons reduced-fat butter or Smart Balance Light
- ½-1 teaspoon dry mustard powder (use 1 teaspoon if you like a little bite)
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon reduced fat milk
- 1½ cups part skim ricotta cheese
- 1 cup light mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Add gnocchi to a medium pan of lightly salted water and cook for 2 minutes. Drain. Set aside.
- To make cheese sauce: In a medium nonstick pan, melt butter. Using a whisk, mix in mustard powder and cayenne pepper. Whisk in milk, ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper.
- Stir in cooked cooked gnocchi. Mix well. Add to baking dish. Sprinkle evenly over top with Parmesan cheese. Bake in oven for around 15 minutes until Parmesan has melted and sauce is bubbling.
- Cool slightly and cut into 6 servings.
Notes
Makes 6 main course servings.
Food Facts
Potato Gnocchi are Italian potato dumplings. Gnocchi are commonly cooked on their own in salted boiling water and then dressed with various sauces depending on the type of gnocchi and recipe used. Gnocchi can be purchased ready-made from grocery stores.
Shopping Tips
You can find packages of potato gnocchi in the refrigerated, pasta section of the supermarket. Sometimes it’s in the shelf stable, dry pasta section. I used Trader Joe’s Gnocchi Italian. Although their pkg. is a 17.6 ounce package, just use 16 ounces.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 8-Blue
WW SmartPoints 8-Green
WW Points Plus 7
Food Facts
Potato Gnocchi are Italian potato dumplings. Gnocchi are commonly cooked on their own in salted boiling water and then dressed with various sauces depending on the type of gnocchi and recipe used. Gnocchi can be purchased ready-made from grocery stores.
Shopping Tips
You can find packages of potato gnocchi in the refrigerated, pasta section of the supermarket. Sometimes it’s in the shelf stable, dry pasta section. I used Trader Joe’s Gnocchi Italian. Although their pkg. is a 17.6 ounce package, just use 16 ounces.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 8-Blue
WW SmartPoints 8-Green
WW Points Plus 7
| SKINNY FACTS: for 1 main course serving 261 calories, 11g fat, 6g sat. fat, 37mg chol, 15g protein, 27g carbs, 1g fiber, 418mg sod, 1g sugar |
Skinny Facts
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 261kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 15gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 418mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gBlue Smart Points: 8Green Smart Points: 8Plus Points: 7
Hello,
If I wanted to add chicken or a protein what should I do?
Kelley, you could easily stir 1 cup of cooked, chopped chicken into the cheese sauce. Then, add the cooked tortellini.
Enjoy!
My best,
Nancy
Do you think I could make this with cauliflower gnocchi?
Lisa, I’ve never tried cauliflower gnocchi but I’m pretty sure it will work just fine. If you try it, I’d love your feedback!
My best,
Nancy