A quick and easy dinner that’s romantic enough for date night or a special night in. Celebrate with this creamy spinach gnocchi and pan seared lemon pepper sole! Ready in under 30 minutes!
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Since we’re all still (mostly) eating in and cooking for ourselves these days, my guess is that you may need a few helpful ideas when it comes to jazzing up your at-home cooking routine!
Prior to the craziness of 2020, Etienne and I would regularly go out for dinner, maybe even once a month. We love eating out and ordering fancy meals that we’d normally never make at home – but – since that isn’t much of an option these days, I’ve been loving creating some fancier date night meals at home!
Fish is one thing that I only have a few well-loved recipes on hand for, but thanks to High Liner Canada, it’s never been easier to make and enjoy a fancy fish dish! Their lemon pepper sole is so easy and quick to make, but it only takes 25 minutes in the oven to prepare! Serve it up with this recipe for creamy spinach gnocchi, and you’ve got yourself one perfect date night dinner.
How do you make creamy spinach gnocchi?
Gnocchi in a cream sauce is a super easy recipe to whip up, since the gnocchi itself only takes a few minutes to cook up! In this recipe I use potato gnocchi but you can use your favorite type of gnocchi as long as its fairly neutral in flavor.
You’ll also need:
- fresh spinach
- butter
- garlic
- flour
- milk
- parmesan cheese
Start this meal by heating the oven, as per the box instructions, to cook the sole. It will take 25 minutes in total to cook!
While the fish is cooking, bring a pot of water to a boil on the stove for the gnocchi. Once the gnocchi is cooked, drain and set it aside. Meanwhile, melt the butter on the stove in a large pan. Once melted, add the minced garlic, followed by the flour, whisking to combine.
Add the milk slowly, continuously whisking the whole time, to create a thick and creamy sauce. Stir in the chopped spinach, then remove the pan from heat and add the parmesan cheese.
Add the drained gnocchi and stir to combine. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then serve the creamy spinach gnocchi alongside the pan-seared sole!
How many people does this recipe serve?
This recipe is perfect for 4 people! If you are making this recipe for a date night for just the two of you, you can either half the recipe or save the leftovers for later. The gnocchi reheats very well, either in a pan on the stove or in the microwave, and you already know how easy it is to cook another 2 High Liner fish fillets!
Whether you need a simple dish for a date night in, or you just want to make your weeknight feel a little fancier, this creamy spinach gnocchi is the perfect quick and easy meal for you!
Some of my other favorite quick and easy meals:
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Creamy Spinach Gnocchi
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
A quick and easy dinner that’s romantic enough for date night or a special night in. Celebrate with this creamy spinach gnocchi and pan seared lemon pepper sole! Ready in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients
Pan Sear Lemon Pepper Sole
- 1 box High Liner Pan Sear Lemon Pepper Sole
Creamy Spinach Gnocchi
- 1 lb potato gnocchi
- 1 tbsp butter, unsalted
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cup whole milk
- 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- ¼ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 F and set a large baking tray aside.
- Once preheated, place 4 frozen sole fillets on the baking tray, and cook for 18-20 minutes, flipping halfway. For added crispiness, broil on HIGH for 1-2 minutes.
- While the sole is cooking, bring a medium saucepan filled with water to a boil over medium-high heat. When boiling, add the gnocchi and cook for 3-5 minutes or until it begins floating to the top. Drain the gnocchi and set aside.
- In a large saucepan on the stove, melt the butter, then add the minced garlic, cooking for a minute or two. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously until the sauce has thickened. Add the chopped spinach and cook for another minute. Remove the pan from heat and add the parmesan cheese, allowing it to melt. Add the gnocchi and stir to combine.
- Add the gnocchi to a plate followed by a cooked piece of fish. Finish off the dish with a sprinkle of pepper. Serve immediately!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: oven bake
- Cuisine: american
Keywords: creamy spinach gnocchi // gnocchi cream sauce

We are definitely having plenty of date nights in these days, and I’m always looking for something new to try for dinner. We love gnocchi and pairing it with easy to cook sole is a great idea! Can’t wait to give this one a try.
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Thanks Leanne! We love gnocchi too, it’s always a win around here!
Perfect date night meal, Katherine! Definitely need to put this on our menu.
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You would love it Marissa!! Thank you my friend!
Gnocchi does not make our menu often enough. What a yummy sauce to make it extra special!
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Ours either, but we always love it when we do have it! Thanks Liz!
You should probably know my love for gnocchi, so there’s my loud YES to this recipe! Creamy dreamy gnocchi with some spinach and nicely cooked fish? Perfection!
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I definitely know about your love for gnocchi – this recipe is for you! Thanks Ben!
What a delicious and simple dinner! We love Highliner fish — it’s definitely a staple in our house!
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A staple here too! So great for those quick and easy meals!
Such a delicious date night meal! I adore gnocchi!! The soft and creamy texture of it with the crispy sole looks absolutely mouthwatering.
I love it so much too!! Sooo creamy and delicious, right!? Thanks girl!