A Gnocchi-Inspired Christmas Menu

The Menu

I scored two bags of Aldi's Christmas Gnocchi earlier this month and decided to base our Christmas dinner menu around it. 

We went with a brown butter & sage sauce for the gnocchi accompanied by a kale/cranberry salad, air fryer broccoli, and oven-roasted mushrooms. Dessert was apple pie à la mode.

Recipe-by-Recipe Breakdown

Gnocchi

The gnocchi were awesome! Would definitely do that again (and fortunately, we have a second bag to experiment with). The shapes are super cute and hold up well even after boiling and sautéing. The gnocchi themselves are also very tasty and have a great texture.

Brown Butter & Sage Gnocchi

The brown butter & sage recipe called for a LOT of red pepper flakes. We used about half. Ultimately, my husband thought the spice level was just right, my 15yo son thought it could have been spicier, and I could have taken it down a notch. For the next batch, I'll probably try a different type of sauce, maybe something tomato-based to kick up the red on the plate.

Cranberry Kale Salad with Roasted Pecans and Feta

This is a lovely salad. We took a couple of shortcuts by buying pre-chopped kale and pecans. The cinnamon gives the dressing a very interesting flavor that contrasts well with the tangy feta, and the combination of crunchy and soft bits is perfect. The 15yo is not a huge fan of kale but still liked the dressing and feta.

Air Fryer Broccoli

The air fryer makes this recipe super easy, quick, and delicious! We took a shortcut with this one, too, by buying a bag of pre-chopped broccoli florets. Still, some of the larger stem pieces were still quite crunchy after air frying, so if I make this again, I will take time to be sure that everything is small florets. The flavors and textures were just right!

Garlicky Roasted Mushrooms

This recipe was definitely the hit of the meal! Even though the 15yo is not a big fan of mushrooms, he loved these. The flavors are amazing, and it was very easy to prepare. 

Apple Pie à la Mode

Aldi came through for us on the apple pie, too, with their Baker's Corner Apple Pie Filling. We also got a frozen pie crust, though we dressed it up a little and made a lattice top. Be sure to read the ingredients to verify that they are vegetarian; the first crust we got had lard in it. 

Although the can for the filling seemed to indicate that one can would work for a 9-inch pie, we found that we needed two. Adding a little vanilla ice cream on the side made for a perfect conclusion to the meal!

The Verdict 

It was a great meal! It was tasty, a nice change of pace from the traditional holiday fare, and it looked very festive with lots of green, white, and touches of red.