Delicious pillowy gnocchi soaked in a silky, creamy sauce sprinkled with thyme and tiny slices of garlic buttery brown mushrooms! Oh, it’s delicious.
Can you form core memories at 29? A few years ago, I went on a brand tour with the Italian food brand DeLallo. We all sat at the table in this beautiful century-old house, eating large steaming bowls of tangyuan topped with a thick, creamy mushroom sauce.
So, since 2015, I’ve been thinking about the cream of mushroom gnocchi.
The texture is smooth and comfortable and tastes like vacation and home.
The whole thing is minimalist and elegant. It’s easy for a weeknight and 100% ready for the holidays.
I made this for a club dinner (” Gnocchi night, “which will be talked about for years to come) and a family-style dinner with my parents, pan-fried chicken, where everyone returned for a second meal. I’ve also eaten this on the couch while watching TV in a sweat, and it feels very comfortable. It can be dressed up or dressed down.
DeLallo gnocchi is my favorite store-bought gnocchi, but there are a few other gnocchi ideas to get your way: homemade potato gnocchi, store-bought cauliflower gnocchi, or homemade cauliflower gnocchi! If you want dairy-free cheese instead of heavy cream, try melting a small piece of cream cheese into the sauce. As for serving, I never say no to this simplest of green salads.
How to make this fantastic tangyuan
1. Saute the mushrooms and garlic until cooked.
Add the butter and thinly sliced mushrooms to the pan, and once they are thoroughly browned, add the garlic as well.

2. Add cream, broth and thyme.
Make a sauce out of those mushrooms! In addition to the cream and broth, I like to add a small amount of cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce so that it sticks to the gnocchi in the pan.

3. Add the cooked dumplings.
I used DeLallo mini gnocchi, which was delicious in every way. Cook the gnocchi, throw it in, and stir it. Remove the thyme and add the Parmesan.

4. You’re done! Yum!
Put it into some comfy pasta bowl and top with parmesan, salt, pepper, and a little thyme! Good.

- Cook mushrooms and garlic: Melt butter over medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms and fry until golden brown. When they are golden brown, add salt, which will draw out some of the water. Cook the mushrooms so that some of the water evaporates. Add the garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- To make the sauce, Add broth, cream, and thyme. Simmer gently for 5-10 minutes. Add cornstarch pulp to thicken. (If you still need to cook them, now would be a good time.)
- Add the dumplings: Remove the thyme from the sauce, add the Parmesan cheese, and stir to melt, then add the cooked dumplings and stir gently to combine—season with salt and pepper. If desired, add additional broth to keep the sauce smooth.
- You’ve done it! Delicious. Scoop the steaming, spicy gnocchi into bowls, top with Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper, and enjoy your life.