With the comfort season in full swing, we’re all shelving those light lunches and salads in favour of comforting, hearty meals that are sure to warm our hearts. Who knew that an air fryer could be your best friend for whipping up a quick pasta dish during those bustling weekdays?
Air fryers have risen to kitchen royalty status recently, becoming the go-to for delivering speedy, wholesome meals without breaking the bank. While you might not instantly think of your air fryer when craving pasta, BBC Good Food’s very own food editor and test kitchen manager, Ailsa Burt, has shed light on the simplicity of such a process, reports the Express.
By pairing gnocchi with sausage and leeks, Ailsa proclaimed on an Instagram video: “We are well and truly in to cosy comfort season. When you get home after work and you just want to get cosy on the sofa pronto.”
Ailsa labelled the air fryer pasta creation as a wonderfully “hands-off” experience, noting that all it really requires is a bit of chopping.
This kitchen revelation caught the eyes of more than 95,800 viewers on Reels, compelling pasta enthusiasts to express their awe at this novel cooking method. User @justgimmefries said: “Need to try this! “.
Food lover @thebloodyfoody praised the technique, they said: “Funky, that’s easy, love it.” As Good Food’s own skills and shows editor Barney added: “This looks amazing.”
Another user, @likeswildthings, was surprised, they said: “I did not know you could cook gnocchi in an air fryer! Will give this a go! ” Should you find yourself in search of a fresh and interesting pasta recipe to test out, look no further than Ailsa’s innovative air fryer gnocchi.
A post shared by Good Food (@goodfoodeveryday).
Sausage and leek crispy gnocchi.
Ingredients
- 500g fresh gnocchi
- Four sausages, skin removed and broken into pieces
- Two tbsp olive oil
- One leek, finely sliced
- Three garlic cloves, sliced
- One red chilli, deseeded if you like, finely chopped
- 50g kale, roughly chopped
- Two tbsp crème fraiche
To serve
- Grated parmesan
Method
Line your air fryer basket with tin foil. If your air fryer doesn’t have a basket, then you don’t need the tin foil.
Tip the gnocchi and sausages into a bowl with the oil and carefully toss to combine. Spread out in an even layer in the air fryer and cook at 180C for 15 minutes, shuffling halfway through for an even cook.
In the same bowl, add the leek, garlic and chilli, toss well then stir in the kale. Once the gnocchi has had 15 minutes, stir in the leek mixture.
Cook for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through then transfer to a serving bowl. Stir through the creme fraiche and season to taste.
Serve with some grated parmesan over the top and a big, lemony, green salad.