Roasted Gnocchi Kale Salad with Garlic Parmesan Dressing
10/20/2025
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Gnocchi isn’t just for pasta night! This crispy gnocchi salad with kale and garlic parmesan dressing is so hearty and delicious. I love to serve this with a meat protein as a main dish, or as a fun side dish or dish to pass at holiday get togethers. You really can’t go wrong with this salad! Plus, you can make the crispy gnocchi in the air fryer or roast it in the oven — I’ve tested both, and both work absolutely flawlessly.
Recipe highlights ⤵️
- Crispy, golden gnocchi that are perfectly garlicky and coated in just the right amount of parmesan. Yum!
- Hearty kale is the base of this salad, which holds up really well when dressed aka no icky wilted greens when you meal prep this recipe 🙌🏻.
- Amazing homemade dressing: While this dressing only requires 3 ingredients (parmesan cheese, white wine vinegar and olive oil), it packs the perfect flavor punch.
Ingredients You’ll Need
How to Make Gnocchi Salad
- Roast the gnocchi (or check out my air fryer instructions below!)
- Massage the kale
- Prepare the dressing
- Assemble and enjoy!
Air Fry the Gnocchi Instead
I tested roasting the gnocchi in the oven as well as in the air fryer. Both work great! Simply follow the baking prep instructions, and instead air fry the gnocchi at 400°F for 8 minutes, making sure to toss halfway through. Air frying instead of roasting is a great option if you don’t want to heat up your oven, or if you’re in a time crunch and want to shorten the cook time for this recipe.
More Recipes with Gnocchi
- Homemade Cottage Cheese Gnocchi
- Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken and Gnocchi
- Creamy Gnocchi Skillet with Chicken Sausage
When to Serve
I love serving this salad as a hearty lunch or a side at dinner with protein main like my crispy baked chicken thighs or juicy spatchcock chicken if you’re feeling fancy. It’s also a great recipe to bring to get togethers or as a dish to pass during the holidays.
More Fresh Salad Recipes
- Easy Taco Pasta Salad
- Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Garlic Lemon Pasta Salad
- Creamy Vegan Pasta Salad
- Rainbow Sesame Noodle Salad
Roasted Gnocchi Kale Salad with a Garlic Parmesan Dressing
Ingredients
- 16 oz. potato gnocchi or regular gnocchi
- 2.5 tablespoons olive oil, separated
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- ½ teaspoon sea salt, separated
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, separated
- 1 bunch kale, deboned and roughly chopped (~6 cups)
- ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup unsweetened dried cranberries
- ½ cup pepitas, salted and roasted
- ¼ large red onion, thinly sliced
Dressing
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Add the gnocchi to a half baking sheet. Toss the gnocchi with 2 tablespoons olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, pepper, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, and 2 tablespoons water. Add the garlic cloves to the pan and drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake the gnocchi for 15-20 minutes or until the gnocchi is softened and begins to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside. Be sure to toss the gnocchi so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the kale to a large bowl and add ½ tablespoon of olive oil and lemon juice to the kale. Massage the oil and lemon juice into the kale until the kale begins to soften, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the remaining Parmesan cheese, cranberries, pepitas, red onion, remaining salt, and the gnocchi to the kale and toss.
- Prepare the dressing. Add the garlic cloves from the roasting pan, parmesan cheese, white wine vinegar, and olive oil to a small high-speed blender. Blend until smooth.
- Add the dressing to the salad and toss. Serve immediately.
Tips & Notes
- You can use any type of gnocchi for this salad.
- Feel free to add roasted chicken or rotisserie chicken to the salad for more protein.
- Air Fryer Instructions: Option to air fry the gnocchi at 400°F for 8 minutes, tossing halfway through.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Photography by: The Wooden Skillet
