Kid night is coming up again, so before we get onto our next interesting choice, I wanted to share this shrimp gnocchi recipe in case you want to try it with your family… If you do, please let me know how it goes!

It turns out that shrimp gnocchi is fancy enough to serve to guests (double the recipe!) and simple enough to make for kids any night of the week (shown here without basil garnish). It is a surprisingly delicious and rich meal but really easy to make! I would never have thought it would be such a hit with my family, but thanks to Blue Apron, we gave it a try, and this is our slightly adapted recipe.

Ingredients

• bag (about 1lb) of raw frozen shrimp (tails and shells off)
• package gnocchi (about 16oz)
• basket (6 to 10oz) cherry tomatoes (I may use peeled and chopped tomatoes next time to get rid of the skins which kids object to)
• 3 cloves garlic (or as much as you like!)
• bunch fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons mascarpone (you can just use more butter but I love the creaminess of mascarpone)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 shallot
• optional saffron threads or powder
• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• water

Method

Prepare your ingredients ahead of time. This is new trick I have learned and it really does make it difference. You can do it while the little one is napping, or the kids are at school or watching a show or happily building and knocking over block towers. It needn’t take long and it will make cooking much easier and quicker when every one is cranky and in your space. I feel much less stressed around 4:30pm knowing I have a plan and some basic ingredients ready to use. (Not that I do this every day of course! Some days we are wailing and making peanut butter and banana sandwiches at 5:15pm…)

• So, whenever you have a moment, peel and finely chop the shallot, peel and mince the garlic, halve (or peel and chop) the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. (I am sure you could probably use a can of tomato, onion and garlic too and make this even easier). Pick the basil leaves off the stems. Make sure the shrimp have defrosted, and pat dry. Gather the other ingredients so you  have everything at hand.
• When you are ready to start, put a pot of salted water on to boil and get a large pan to start the sauce, preferably non stick.
• For the sauce, add olive oil to a pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and shallot. Allow to soften 1 to 2 minutes then add butter and tomato paste. Let is darken a bit, and add 1/4 cup water.
• Season shrimp with salt and pepper and add to the sauce. Add saffron if using.
• While shrimp cook in the sauce, add gnocchi to pot of boiling water. Cook 2 to 3 minutes until gnocchi float to the top.
• To the sauce, add drained gnocchi, seasoned tomatoes, mascarpone, 1 tablespoon olive oil and half the basil leaves, tearing as you go. Mix well and allow tomatoes to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Serve and garnish with remaining basil.

Buon appetito!