This creamy gnocchi with taleggio recipe is a fabulous easy-to-make dish from Northern Italy. All you need is just 5 main ingredients and very little prep to make this outstandingly delicious recipe in which Italian taleggio is paired with pears and speck and served over fresh potato gnocchi. Enjoy it baked or unbaked. Both ways are really tasty!
Taleggio with pears is a traditional pairing.
The combination of taleggio with pears is very traditional in Lombardy, where this cheese originally comes from. You can find taleggio with pears served as a risotto, in savoury tarts/pastries, on crostini or bruschetta, in salad, with pasta as a sauce or filling and with gnocchi as in this recipe. So many delicious ways to enjoy this cheese and fruit pairing. I’ve also seen white pizza with taleggio and pears!
What is Taleggio?
Taleggio is a semi-soft Italian cheese made from whole cow’s milk. It has a thin rind (usually pinkish in colour), a strong aroma but a mild taste. Italians make taleggio in the autumn and winter and use both pasteurized and raw milk. Taleggio is traditionally left to mature for 5 to 10 weeks on wood shelves in special chambers or sometimes in caves, as was done in the past!
History of taleggio.
Taleggio is one of the oldest cheeses made in Lombardy. It has been known as a specialty of the Taleggio Valley (Valtaleggio) and the Sassina Valley (Valsassina) since at least the 10th century. These valleys are located near each other to the east of Lake Como.
Over time, the production of taleggio spread to the Ticino and Lambro River valleys and throughout the Po Valley area. Today the zone of production includes the entire territory of the provinces in Lombardy, Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Lecco, Cremona, Milan, Lodi, Monza and Brianza and Pavia, as well as Novara and Verbano-Cusio-Ossola in Piemonte, and Treviso in Veneto.
Initially, taleggio was known as cacio Lombardo. It was officially named Taleggio in 1944 and was awarded DOP certification (Protected Designation of Origin) in 1996. You can read more about the history and production of Taleggio on the website for the Italian Taleggio Consortium. They also have some delicious recipes to try.
What is DOP certification?
DOP stands for Denominazione di Origine Protetta (literally ‘Protected Designation of Origin’). As the the name suggests, this European certification ensures that products that carry a DOP label are locally grown/produced and packaged. Plus, it’s a guarantee that the food was made by local farmers and artisans, using traditional methods.
What cheese can you use instead of taleggio?
If you can’t find taleggio for this gnocchi recipe, there are some other cheeses you can use instead. They may not have the exact same flavor. However, it’s important that they melt well.
Fontina is another popular Italian cheese used to make cheese sauces and is a good alternative, as is Robiola or Bel Paese. Good non-Italian cheese options are Danish Havarti, French Gruyere, Spanish Urgelia or Belgian Limburger. The latter is very similar in flavor to taleggio.
Main ingredients in this gnocchi with taleggio recipe.
Cheese: Taleggio is the cheese of choice for this recipe but as mentioned above there are a number of alternative cheeses you can use. If baking this gnocchi with taleggio, I recommend topping the dish with freshly grated Parmigiano or grana to get a nice browned crust with more cheesy flavor!
Potato gnocchi: I used store-bought fresh potato gnocchi. Of course, you can make your own potato gnocchi instead. Ready-made gnocchi is often produced using dehydrated potato flakes. Most brands I have tried don’t taste great when boiled. Look out for brands that use whole fresh potatoes to make their gnocchi.
Pears: I used Italian Abate pears which were still quite firm and crispy. You don’t want to use pears that are very ripe and juicy as they will get mushy. Other types of pears that will stay a little firm when cooked, as long as they aren’t really ripe, are Bosc, Anjou and Bartlett.
Speck: Speck is a type of cured lightly smoked ham/bacon from the South Tyrol in Northeast Italy. It’s a favourite ingredient in Northern Italian gnocchi and pasta recipes and goes so well with both the taleggio cheese and the pears. If you don’t have speck, you can use pancetta instead or just omit it.
Other ingredients: The only other ingredients in this gnocchi with taleggio recipe are a clove of garlic, a little milk to dilute the cheese sauce and grated cheese for baking and to serve. Plus, there’s a little olive oil for cooking the garlic, pears and speck, and salt and pepper.
Ingredients you can also add.
Italian recipes for pasta or gnocchi with taleggio and pears also often include chopped nuts such as hazelnuts, pistachios or walnuts. The latter are the most popular used in many cheesy gnocchi or pasta recipes such as gnocchi alla Bava or gnocchi with gorgonzola.
Other ingredients that work well in this recipe would be mushrooms, spinach or even winter squash or radicchio (Italian chicory).
How to make this taleggio gnocchi sauce.
This is a simple recipe with just a few main ingredients, and it takes very little time to make. Consequently, this taleggio recipe is perfect for weeknights and family meals.
Step be step instructions.
The first step is to gather and prepare the ingredients. All you need to do is peel the garlic, peel the pears and cut them into cubes and remove the skin from the taleggio and cut it into pieces too. Finally, if you have a larger piece of speck, cut it into small pieces, cubes or juliennes.
Next, put a pot of water on to boil for the gnocchi. Add salt once it starts to boil.
While you wait for the water to boil, heat a little olive oil in a large skillet add the garlic and once it starts to soften, add the pieces of pear. Sauté the pear until it starts to soften and brown and then add the pieces of speck. Cook the speck until it starts to brown slightly.
The next step is to add the pieces of taleggio and stir until the cheese melts. Add a little milk or gnocchi cooking water to dilute the sauce, maybe ½ a cup. But add more if you need to. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper according to taste.
Finally, if using fresh gnocchi, cook them in the boiling salted water for just a couple of minutes. Frozen gnocchi will need longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to the cheese sauce. Mix everything together and serve immediately.
Bake before serving.
Alternatively, you can put the gnocchi with taleggio and pears into a baking dish and bake in a preheated oven at 180°c sprinkled with grated Parmigiano until the top begins to brown and crisp.
What to do with leftovers.
I served my gnocchi with taleggio and pears without baking and then baked the leftovers after leaving them in the fridge in a sealed container until the next day. So, I got 2 meals with the work of one!
You can also reheat leftovers in the microwave or fry them in butter in a pan. I don’t recommend freezing leftovers as cooked cheese doesn’t freeze well.
Let me know what you think.
Baked or unbaked this is such a tasty and quick taleggio recipe. The combination of the taleggio cheese sauce with still slightly firm pears and crispy speck is super delicious and goes so well with potato gnocchi. I’m sure if you try this dish, you’ll agree with me.
If you make this gnocchi with taleggio recipe, I’d love to hear how it turns out. Please write a comment here on the blog, email me or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.
Your feedback is really appreciated!
Buon Appetito!
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Gnocchi with taleggio, pears and speck.
This creamy gnocchi with taleggio recipe is a fabulous easy to make dish. All you need is just 5 main ingredients and very little prep to make this outstandingly delicious recipe in which Italian taleggio is paired with pears and speck and served over fresh potato gnocchi. Serve baked or unbaked.
Ingredients
- 14 ounces potato gnocchi
- 9 ounces taleggio rind removed and cut into pieces
- 1 clove garlic peeled and cut into quarters
- 5 ounces speck or pancetta cut into small cubes or juliennes
- 3 pears peeled and cut into cubes
- ½ cup fresh whole milk
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
- salt for gnocchi and to taste
- freshly ground black pepper. to taste
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients.
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Peel the garlic and cut into quarters, peel the pears and cut them into cubes and remove the skin from the taleggio and cut it into pieces too. Finally, if you have a larger piece of speck or pancetta, cut it into small pieces, cubes or juliennes.
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Put a pot of water on to boil for the gnocchi. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to a boil again.
Make the taleggio sauce.
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While you wait for the water to boil, heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet add the garlic and once it starts to soften, add the pieces of pear. Sauté the pear until it starts to soften and brown and then add the pieces of speck. Cook the speck until it starts to brown slightly.
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Add the pieces of taleggio (keep a few for serving) and stir over a low heat until the cheese melts. Add a little milk or gnocchi cooking water to dilute the sauce, maybe ½ a cup. But add more if you need to. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper according to taste.
Cook the gnocchi, finish and serve.
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If using fresh potato gnocchi, cook them in the boiling salted water for just a couple of minutes. Frozen gnocchi will need longer. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the gnocchi to the cheese sauce. Mix everything together carefully and serve immediately with a few more pieces of taleggio on top.
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If you prefer to bake before serving, transfer the gnocchi and taleggio to an oven dish. Sprinkle the top with grated parmigiano or grana and bake in a preheated oven at 180°c (356°F) until the gnocchi start to brown.
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Notes
You can use pancetta instead of speck or omit the meat altogether and use crushed nuts instead.
It’s better to use pears that are firm and crispy and not very ripe and soft fruit, which may get mushy when cooked.
For leftover suggestions see main content.
Nutrition
Calories: 650kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 21gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.05gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 1336mgPotassium: 280mgFiber: 7gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 1343IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 419mgIron: 4mg
Other cheesy gnocchi recipes worth trying.
- Gnocchi with Castelmagno cheese.
- Gnocchi with Gorgonzola.
- The best Italian potato and cheese gnocchi.
- Creamy mushroom gnocchi with stracchino.
- Gnocchi alla Sorrentina.
- Gnocchi, gorgonzola and radicchio.
If you are interested in learning how to make homemade pasta and different types of gnocchi, check out my shop page for some great video online courses from my friends in Rome! Nothing beats learning to make pasta from Italians! Plus while you’re there why not order a copy of one of my pasta recipe cookbooks or checkout some recommended pasta making tools? All great prezzies for pasta lovers!
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