Cooking Light's Potato Gnocchi with Spinach and Yellow Squash

This will be another short post, since I need to get my grocery shopping and menu planning completed for the upcoming week. All my kids are napping right now, so I need to take advantage of the quiet time and get some things accomplished while I have the chance.

As noted in my weekly post, this is another recipe from The Best of Cooking Light's Everyday Favorites cookbook. I have resigned that I am going to just break down and buy it, since there is a ton of recipes in it that I would like to try.
Anyway, I am going to put together a simple side salad to go with our dinner and call it an evening. The husband cleaned off our patio table this afternoon, and I think it would be really nice eat outside tonight. The summer heat is not too far off, so I want to take advantage of the good weather while we can. I will let you know how this dish and our outdoor supper turns out.

Cooking Light's Potato Gnocchi with Spinach and Yellow Squash
From: The Best of Cooking Light's Everyday Favorites cookbook

Ingredients:
1 (1-pound) package vacuum-packed potato gnocchi (such as Ferrara)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow squash, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach, torn
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded smoked Gouda cheese or grated sharp provolone cheese

Directions:
Cook gnocchi in boiling water according to package directions.

While gnocchi cooks, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add squash; sauté 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add spinach; cover and cook 2 minutes or just until spinach wilts. Reduce heat to low; stir in milk, pepper, and salt. Add gnocchi and cheese; stir gently. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information:
Calories:234 (29% from fat)
Fat:7.7g (sat 3g,mono 3.6g,poly 0.5g)
Protein:10.8g
Carbohydrate:44.5g
Fiber:5.7g
Cholesterol:16mg
Iron:3.7mg
Sodium:655mg
Calcium:203mg

Jen's Notes:
I think I might make this recipe a little more filling by adding some other veggies.



The Result:
The husband and I decided to put the boy to bed early and have dinner together out on our patio. It was pretty relaxing and this recipe turned out really good! We both loved the flavor and texture of this dish...I am so glad I tried it.
I ended up following the recipe, with a couple of minor exceptions. First, I added roasted broccoli and a zucchini to the mix. I had some fresh veggies that needed to be used, so I just threw them into the dish. Then, I used two kind of cheeses. I probably ended up using 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the smoked Gouda and then I put 1/4 cup of regular provolone in it, as well. I would highly recommend using both cheeses...it made this dish totally interesting and gave it good depth. If you only decide on one cheese, I would use the smoked Gouda. If you can't find it, I would try a smoked mozzarella or smoked provolone. The cheese is the key to this dish...so don't skimp, otherwise it would be a little bland. Overall, this dish came together super-fast, was very satisfying, and delicious. I would rate it as another great Cooking Light vegetarian dish to add to my bag of tricks!