Every dinner I ate in Italy was pasta. I couldn't not order pasta. Each pasta dish I had was so good that the next time around I wanted to order pasta again, hopeful that this time it would be even better and confident that even if it didn't outperform the last, it would still be fantastic. And much of the pasta I ate was gnocchi. Because it does not get any better than those doughy pillows of delight. Am I right? LOVE gnocchi.

But I'd never served gnocchi at home. I'd ordered it in restaurants here in the States (not the same!) but for some reason I'd never made it myself. So when we came home, one of the first things I did was look for an easy gnocchi recipe. And unlike the dishes I'd had in Venice (in which the gnocchi nearly floated in decadent cream sauces), I wanted one that was relatively healthy. I've made this one twice now, and been quite pleased both times.

1 small carton of mushrooms, chopped (any kind - I like baby bella)
16 oz. box vacuum-packed gnocchi
1-2 shallots, chopped
olive oil
thyme
Parmesan cheese

Prepare gnocchi by directions. (Or you can make your own. Next time I'm going to attempt this, since it seems fairly easy and would surely add an extra level of divine.)

Meanwhile, sauté mushrooms and shallots in small amount of olive oil. Season with thyme and allow to cook for several minutes.

Add generous amount of Parmesan cheese to mushroom mixture, and stir in several spoonfuls of water from boiling gnocchi.

Drain gnocchi and mix with mushroom sauce.

Serves 3-4