What's The Best Way To Cook Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi?

As you scour the aisles of your local grocery store, dinner inspiration can hit at any moment. This is especially true if you frequent Trader Joe's, which carries the best frozen foods that can act as a blank canvas for starting your dinnertime masterpiece. From its shakshuka starter to its meatless meatballs, you can take a simple frozen item from Trader Joe's and upgrade it with other kitchen staples and a little ingenuity.

A versatile favorite is Trader Joe's cauliflower gnocchi. The vegetable-based alternative to regular pasta joins the likes of zucchini spirals, spaghetti squash, and shirataki noodles that replace traditional noodles for dietary restrictions or preferred tastes (compared to regular potato gnocchi options, which have more than 200 calories and 50 grams of carbs per serving, Trader Joe's vegetable-based version has 140 calories and 22 grams of carbs). Similar to these varieties, Trader Joe's cauliflower gnocchi is incredibly versatile, and it's even easier to prepare. Here are some of Daily Meal's favorite ways to elevate the frozen gnocchi to restaurant status.

Sheet-pan dinner recipes make cooking (and cleanup) a lot easier. You can use TJ's cauliflower gnocchi to make a low-carb meal in no time; just toss your favorite vegetables (we prefer a simple combo of onions and bell peppers for this dish) along with mini tomatoes, 2-3 garlic cloves, and your gnocchi in a bit of olive oil, and bake it in the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 minutes. With five minutes left, remove your garlic, combine it with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, and mash it with a fork to create a sauce for your pasta. After 25 minutes, your veggies should be nice and roasted, and your tiny tomatoes will easily burst to add to your garlicky, lemony sauce drizzled over top.

The simple dish is totally customizable. Add sausage to your sheet pan, swap your garlic and olive oil sauce for pesto, shred any kind of hard, meltable cheese over top, or drop in bits of goat cheese to add a creamy tang to the final product.

Alternatively, air-frying your cauliflower gnocchi is a great way to add texture to your dinner. According to the back of the package, pan-frying is the preferred cooking method, but some reviews mention the chewy, gummy-like texture of the finished product. With air-frying, you end up with gnocchi that has a crunchy exterior and soft interior. From here, you can add whatever sauce you love, or you can dunk these tot-shaped bites into your favorite dip and pop 'em back in appetizer form.