Quick Meal Series: crispy chorizo & mozzarella gnocchi

If you're bored of your normal student food and you’re trying to make dinner in under 15 minutes, impress your flatmates, or just eat something that isn't cooked in an air-fryer from frozen, this crispy chorizo gnocchi will absolutely deliver. It’s simple, cheap, and tastes far fancier than it has any right to. The secret? Rana Garlic & Mozzarella Gnocchi — soft in the middle, crispy on the outside, and weirdly addictive for something that comes in a packet.

Ingredients:

• 1 pack Rana Garlic & Mozzarella Gnocchi
• A small chunk of chorizo (ring style works best)
• A generous knob of butter
• A handful of spinach (or two — it shrinks!)
• A handful of cherry tomatoes
• Tomato purée
• A drizzle of olive oil
• Cheese of your choice (Parmesan, cheddar, or feta all work)
• Salt & pepper, to taste

(Veggie? Skip the chorizo and just use butter or olive oil — it’s still delicious.)

Method:

Start with the chorizo:
Slice the chorizo into small rounds and fry it in a pan with a little olive oil. Let it cook until it’s just on the edge of burnt — the crispier the better. This is where all the flavour comes from.

Add the gnocchi:
Once the chorizo’s perfect, throw in a chunk of butter and tip in your gnocchi straight from the packet. Let it fry for a few minutes, shaking the pan every so often, until the gnocchi turns golden and crispy on the outside.

Cook the greens:
In another pan, cook down your spinach (a lot of it — it’ll disappear fast) and cherry tomatoes in a splash of oil. Once everything softens, squeeze in the tomato purée and stir it through (add as much as you think is needed I always do it by eye) .

Bring it all together:
Add your spinach and tomatoes to the gnocchi pan. Mix everything together so the tomato purée coats the gnocchi and chorizo in a glossy, deep-red sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Final touches:
Finish with a generous sprinkle of cheese — Parmesan if you want something sharp, cheddar if you’re feeling lazy, or feta if you want a salty kick.

If you’re really hungry, double the gnocchi — it reheats surprisingly well. Or add extra veg (like mushrooms or peppers) if you’ve got any lying around. Want it a bit more creamy? Stir in a spoonful of cream cheese or a splash of double cream at the end. Whatever you think needs adding add!

This one’s become a flat favourite — ridiculously quick, genuinely delicious, and guaranteed to make your kitchen stink of chorizo (if you eat meat).

You can read more of the Quick Meal series by searching Quick Meals on The Courier Online.