Leftover Creamed Corn Gnocchi
Turn leftover creamed corn from Thanksgiving into another meal by using it to make a pasta sauce to serve with gnocchi! There’s crispy bacon & parmesan in the mix as well.
If you’ve got leftover creamed corn from Thanksgiving this year, you can make it into another meal by using it as a pasta sauce! I served mine with gnocchi but it’s good with other styles of pasta like pappardelle, rigatoni & penne.
So to make creamed corn into a sauce, all we need to do is thin it out with some of the pasta cooking water. Easy stuff right?! We’re also going to be adding some crispy bacon lardons into the sauce for some added crunch & some chives & grated parmesan on top for colour & flavour! This one’s an easy dinner to make with Thanksgiving leftovers.
For more Thanksgiving inspiration, take a look at our main course & side dish recipe collections! Here you’ll find classic roasted meats & side dishes like roast potatoes, mashed potato casserole & homemade gravy…
What You’ll Need
- Leftover Creamed Corn – You’ll need half a batch of my garlic & parmesan creamed corn for this gnocchi. Feel free to use a different recipe if you’d prefer though!
- Gnocchi – You can use shop bought or homemade gnocchi for this recipe. I aim for 125 grams of gnocchi per portion.
- Streaky Bacon – We’re making crispy bacon lardons with streaky bacon, to fold through the sauce. I used smoked streaky bacon but unsmoked will work as well.
- Butter – Used to fry the gnocchi in (along with bacon fat), to give it some colour & extra flavour!
- Parmesan – We’re grating parmesan on top of the gnocchi, to serve. I like to use a microplane grater to grate the cheese nice & fine but a regular grater will work as well. Either way, make sure to grate the cheese yourself!
- Chives – Finely chopped chives are sprinkled on top of the gnocchi, to serve. This adds extra colour & some oniony flavour.
How To Make Leftover Creamed Corn Gnocchi
For this Thanksgiving inspired pasta dish, we’re serving potato gnocchi in a creamed corn sauce with crispy bacon, parmesan & chives. It’s super easy to make & is a great way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers.
- Crispy Bacon Lardons
First, we’re going to cut streaky bacon into lardons then fry in a large pan, over a medium heat until crispy. Once cooked, we’re going to take the bacon out of the pan & set it to one side. The fat gets left in the pan (we’re going to fry the gnocchi in this). - Cook Gnocchi
Whilst our bacon cooks, we’re going to cook the gnocchi in a pan of boiling salted water, following the instructions on the packaging (if using shop bought). This will take around 5 minutes. We’re going to be draining the gnocchi through a colander once it’s cooked but we need to keep the pasta water! - Warm Creamed Corn
It’s a good idea to warm the creamed corn up slightly before we use it to make a sauce, as it will emulsify easier with the pasta water. I like to do this in the microwave but you could warm the corn up in a separate pan instead. - Fry Gnocchi
Once the bacon’s cooked, we add butter to the pan then add in the drained gnocchi. Now we’re going to fry the gnocchi in the hot fat, to lightly brown it & so that it can take on all the bacon flavour! - Making The Sauce
Next, we’re going to add the warm creamed corn into the pan of gnocchi, along with enough pasta water to thin it out into a sauce. The creamed corn needs to be thin enough to coat the gnocchi. Make sure to add the pasta water in gradually so that it can emulsify with the sauce. - To Serve
Once the sauce is ready, we stir the crispy bacon in then season to taste with salt & pepper (you won’t need a lot!). Then to serve, we spoon the gnocchi into bowls & top with grated parmesan (use a microplane!) & a sprinkle of finely chopped chives.
Frequently Asked Question
It comes down to personal preference but you can get some really good shop bought gnocchi which is just as good as homemade! There is something quite satisfying about making your own pasta though, so if you’d like to make your own, I’d recommend taking a look at our homemade potato gnocchi recipe.
As this creamed corn gnocchi is already made with leftovers, I wouldn’t recommend reheating it. This one’s best served straight away whilst it’s hot & the sauce is at the right consistency.
Leftover creamed corn needs to be kept in the fridge & is best eaten within 3 days of making.
More Thanksgiving Recipes To Try!
- Slow Roasted Prime Rib (Reverse Seared)
- Black Garlic Roasted Picanha (Beef Rump Cap)
- Leftover Prime Rib Ragù
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Potato Casserole
- Garlic & Parmesan Creamed Corn
- Guinness & Bone Marrow Gravy
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Leftover Creamed Corn Gnocchi
Equipment
- Large Saucepan
- Colander
Ingredients
- 8 Streaky Bacon Rashers (Cut Into 1cm Lardons)
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 500 g Gnocchi (See Notes)
- 400 g Leftover Creamed Corn (See Notes)
- 30 g Unsalted Butter
To Serve
- 2 tsp Finely Chopped Chives
- Grated Parmesan
Instructions
Creamed Corn Gnocchi
- Set a large frying pan over a medium heat, add in the vegetable oil then leave to heat up for a minute or two.
- When the oil's hot, add in the bacon lardons then fry, stirring frequently until they're crisp & golden. This will take around 5 minutes.
- Whilst your bacon is cooking, set a large pan of salted water over a high heat & bring to the boil. When your bacon is almost cooked, add the gnocchi into the boiling water & cook following the packet instructions. Once cooked, drain the gnocchi through a colander but keep the pasta water.
- At the same time, warm the creamed corn up in a microwave (or in a pan over a low heat).The creamed corn should just be warm. This just helps us make it into a sauce when we add it to the gnocchi.
- Once the bacon is cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a bowl, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
- Add the butter to the pan of bacon fat, leave to melt then add in the drained gnocchi. Fry the gnocchi for 2-3 minutes, until lightly browned & it has taken on all of the bacon flavour in the pan!Make sure to get the fat nice & hot before adding in the gnocchi otherwise it will stick to the pan!
- Next, add the warm creamed corn into the pan of gnocchi then stir in enough of the reserved pasta water to thin the corn out into a glossy sauce.
- Let the creamed corn sauce warm through for a minute or two, adding in more pasta water as needed then stir in the crispy bacon and season to taste with salt & pepper.
To Serve
- To serve, spoon the gnocchi into bowls then top with grated parmesan & a sprinkle of finely chopped chives.It's best to serve the gnocchi straight away as the sauce will start to thicken as it cools.
