Pillowy homemade gnocchi, tender broccoli and blue cheese, finished with toasted hazelnuts and crisp sage

There is something wonderfully comforting about a bowl of homemade gnocchi.

Soft, pillowy and made from little more than potato and flour, gnocchi have a way of turning a simple supper into something that feels quite special. Add tender broccoli, a deeply savoury blue cheese sauce and a handful of toasted hazelnuts, and you have a dish that is both rustic and refined.

This is Italian-inspired comfort food with a little sophistication.

The sauce is deliberately simple. Broccoli is cooked until tender and folded into cream and blue cheese, creating a silky coating for the gnocchi. A touch of nutmeg adds warmth, while caramelised onion and garlic provide a savoury foundation.

Then comes the finishing touch: toasted hazelnuts and crisp sage leaves, fried gently in olive oil until fragrant.

The combination of textures is what makes this dish so satisfying. Soft gnocchi, creamy sauce, tender broccoli, crunchy hazelnuts and delicate, crisp sage.

It is comfort food, but dressed for dinner.

The recipe

Serves: 2
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate

Ingredients

For the gnocchi

• 500 g floury potatoes
• 40 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• ¼ whole nutmeg, finely grated
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce

• 200 g broccoli
• 2 small onions, finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 50 g good-quality blue cheese
• 100 ml double cream
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the hazelnut & sage topping

• 40 g blanched hazelnuts
• 8–10 fresh sage leaves
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• A pinch of flaky sea salt

Method

1. Prepare the potatoes

Wash the potatoes and prick them several times with a fork.

For a quick method, cook them in the microwave until completely tender, turning them halfway through. Alternatively, bake them in their skins until soft.

The important thing is to keep the potato as dry and fluffy as possible. Excess moisture will make the gnocchi heavy.

Allow the potatoes to cool just enough to handle, then cut them in half and scoop out the fluffy centres.

Discard the skins or save them for another dish.

2. Make the gnocchi

Mash the potatoes until smooth, then grate in the nutmeg and season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Add the flour and gently bring everything together.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead very briefly, just until smooth and pliable.

Do not overwork it. The less you knead, the lighter your gnocchi will be.

Divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a long sausage approximately 2 cm thick.

Cut into pieces around 3 cm long.

For the classic ridged appearance, gently roll each piece over the back of a fork. The grooves will also help the creamy sauce cling to the gnocchi.

Place the finished gnocchi on a lightly floured tray.

3. Build the flavour

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.

Add the onions and cook gently for around 5–8 minutes until soft and lightly caramelised.

Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper, then reduce the heat to low.

4. Prepare the broccoli

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil.

Cut the broccoli into small florets and cook for approximately 3–4 minutes, until tender but still vibrant.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the broccoli to the frying pan with the onions.

Gently crush some of the broccoli with the back of a wooden spoon, leaving a few larger pieces intact for texture.

5. Make the blue cheese sauce

Add the double cream to the broccoli and onion mixture.

Crumble in the blue cheese and stir gently over low heat until the cheese has melted into the cream.

Add a little freshly grated nutmeg and season carefully.

The blue cheese provides plenty of salt and character, so taste before adding more.

Keep the sauce warm over very low heat.

6. Cook the gnocchi

Bring the broccoli cooking water back to a gentle boil.

Add the gnocchi in batches if necessary.

They are ready when they float to the surface, usually after around 2–3 minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer them directly into the creamy broccoli sauce.

Add a small splash of the cooking water and gently toss everything together.

The starch from the cooking water will help transform the sauce into something beautifully silky and glossy.

7. Make the hazelnut & sage topping

While the gnocchi are cooking, place the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat.

Toast for a few minutes until fragrant and lightly golden.

Add the olive oil and sage leaves.

Fry gently until the sage becomes crisp and the hazelnuts are deeply toasted.

Transfer to a board and roughly crush the hazelnuts.

Season with a little flaky sea salt.

8. Serve

Divide the gnocchi between two warm bowls.

Spoon over plenty of the creamy broccoli and blue cheese sauce.

Finish generously with the toasted hazelnuts and crisp sage.

Add a final drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a little freshly grated black pepper.

Serve immediately.

The secret to light gnocchi

The most important thing when making gnocchi is to avoid adding too much flour.

It can be tempting to keep adding flour when the dough feels soft, but this will give you dense, chewy gnocchi rather than the delicate, pillowy texture you are looking for.

Using floury potatoes and cooking them in their skins helps keep the mixture relatively dry. Once the flour is added, handle the dough as little as possible.

Think of it as gently bringing the ingredients together rather than kneading bread.

Choosing the blue cheese

Blue cheese gives this dish its character, but it does not have to dominate.

A creamy Gorgonzola Dolce would give the sauce a softer, more luxurious flavour, while Stilton or another mature blue cheese would create something more pronounced.

For a distinctly Italian touch, Gorgonzola is the natural choice.

If you prefer a gentler sauce, use slightly less cheese and let the broccoli, cream and toasted hazelnuts take more of the spotlight.

A little La Dolce Vita

This is the kind of dish that deserves to be served in warm bowls, preferably at a table with good linen, a bottle of Italian wine and nowhere else to be.

The gnocchi are soft and comforting, the blue cheese brings depth, while the hazelnuts and sage add just enough crunch and fragrance to keep every mouthful interesting.

Pair it with a glass of Barbera d’Asti for a beautifully Italian combination, or choose a dry white such as Soave if you want something fresher alongside the creamy sauce.

No elaborate side dishes are necessary.

Just the gnocchi, a little Parmesan or extra blue cheese at the table, and perhaps a simple bitter-leaf salad to cut through the richness.

Buon appetito.