Low spoon gnocchi, spinach and feta tray bake

This is my go-to for days when I can manage a bit of standing but not a proper cook. Shop gnocchi doesn’t need boiling first: it goes straight onto the tray and comes out crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. The feta goes in as a whole block and turns into a salty, creamy sauce when you squash it into the burst tomatoes. A whole bag of spinach looks like far too much, but it collapses to almost nothing on the hot tray.

At a glance

Spoons	3 out of 5
Standing time	about 10 minutes, in two short bursts
Hands-off time	about 25 to 30 minutes in the oven
Washing up	one baking tray (barely, if you line it), a spoon, plates
Makes	3 portions, or 2 big ones
Cost per portion	roughly £2.50 (or about £3.75 if you make 2)
Protein per portion	roughly 18 to 21g
Freezes	not well; keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days
Vegetarian	check the feta label, as some is made with animal rennet

If the gnocchi is on Nectar price (£1.75 rather than £2.25), it drops to about £2.35 a portion.

Why it’s low spoon

• No boiling. The gnocchi roasts straight from the packet.
• Almost no chopping. Frozen sliced peppers, whole cherry tomatoes, garlic from a tube, feta as a block and spinach straight from the bag.
• One tray. Line it with foil or baking paper and there’s next to nothing to wash.
• The effort comes in two short bursts with a long sit down in between.

Ingredients

Prices are Sainsbury’s online prices at the time of posting.

The tray

• 500g pack of fresh gnocchi (Sainsbury’s fresh gnocchi, £2.25)
• about 250g frozen sliced mixed peppers, which is half a bag (Sainsbury’s sliced mixed peppers, 99p for 500g)
• 300g cherry tomatoes (Sainsbury’s, £1)
• 200g block of feta (Sainsbury’s Greek feta, £2.25)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic purée from a tube
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• salt and black pepper
• a pinch of chilli flakes, if you like

The greens

• 260g bag of young spinach (Sainsbury’s young spinach, £1.35). Any size bag works; the bigger the better.

Method

1. Put the oven on to 200°C fan (220°C, gas 7) and line your biggest baking tray with foil or baking paper.
2. Tip the gnocchi, frozen peppers and tomatoes onto the tray and break up any gnocchi that are stuck together. Add the oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper, mix with your hands or a spoon, and spread it out in one layer as best you can.
3. Sit the block of feta in the middle. Roast for 25 minutes, until the gnocchi are golden in places and the tomatoes have burst. Go and sit down.
4. Take the tray out, pile the spinach on top and leave it for a minute to start collapsing, then stir it through. If some is still raw, put the tray back in for 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Squash the feta and some of the tomatoes with the back of a spoon and stir everything together into a sauce. Serve.

If bending down to the oven is hard work, pull up a chair or a low stool for steps 3 and 4. A full tray is heavier than it looks, so use a proper oven glove.

Storing and reheating

Cooked gnocchi doesn’t freeze well; it goes gummy. Leftovers keep in a covered tub in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave with a splash of water until piping hot all the way through, or in the oven for 10 minutes if you want some crispness back.

A note on salt

Feta is a salty cheese, so most of the salt here comes from it and you won’t need much on top. If you’ve been advised to increase your salt intake for POTS, add a bit more at the end. If you need to limit salt, use half the block of feta and go easy on the seasoning.

Things to know

• Gluten: most gnocchi contains wheat flour. Gluten-free gnocchi is widely available and works the same way.
• Dairy: a vegan feta-style block works in place of the feta, though it won’t go quite as creamy.
• Crisper gnocchi: crowding makes it steam rather than crisp. If you want more crunch, split it across two trays or give it an extra 5 minutes before adding the spinach. It tastes good either way.