I detest grocery shopping. DETEST. It takes FOREVER. It costs SO MUCH. It has so many steps – making a list, driving to the store, finding everything, bringing it home, unloading it, rearranging the refrigerator, shoving it all in there. Ugh, I can’t stand it. I know I’m the whiniest whiner ever, but there it is. Point being, I often have long stretches between trips to the store and end up having to scavenge the pantry to pull dinner together. I recently asked on facebook what some of your go-to pantry meals are and there were so many creative suggestions. I was inspired to try to pull more dinners from the pantry and share some with you. My first one is ricotta gnocchi with red pepper sauce. This requires ricotta which is not so much a pantry staple, but the red pepper sauce is pulled together from a jar and my hubs AND EVEN MY CHILD are total fans. The key thing is that this sauce takes about 5 minutes to make. Maybe you’ll want to add it to your rotation.
Get the recipe for Ricotta Gnocchi with Red Pepper Sauce after the jump. And tell us in the comments, what are your last minute dinner staples? This week’s favorite comment wins that stunning Belle & Blue Chair.
Last Minute Dinner: Ricotta Gnocchi with Red Pepper Sauce
First we make the gnocchi. Much like marshmallows, this is one of those things that seems really difficult to do, but is actually very simple. Give it a try and you’ll see what I mean.
Ricotta Gnocchi
Combine all of these ingredients in a bowl:
3/4 cup flour
1 egg
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 container of ricotta cheese (16 ounces)
If it’s really sticky, add tablespoons of flour. It should be a little sticky, but not gooey. Refrigerate it for about 20 minutes, until it’s more workable. Break it into 4 pieces and roll each one out into a tube shape about 3/4″ thick. Use a sharp knife to cut it into one inch pieces. At this point you can freeze some if you want by laying it on a sheet and sticking it in the freezer until it’s frozen, then removing and placing in a ziploc. Boil salted water and cook the gnocchi until they bob to the surface, then for another few minutes. See, EASY!
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Finely dice one small onion. Saute in a few tablespoons of olive oil until the onions are translucent, then add three cloves of garlic (passed through a garlic press or diced) and saute for another 30 seconds until the garlic is fragrant. Take about 3 full roasted red peppers from a jar and place all of these ingredients into a food processor to blend, or pulse with an immersion blender. Stir in 1/2 cup of cream and salt to taste. Pour over pasta. If you have parsley in your garden, sprinkle some on top. EASY.
Eat. 
What do you think? Easy enough? Let us know if you try it.
