Zucchini, Broccoli & Kale Gnocchi

Ingredients

Serves 2

Squeeze the zucchini — salt the grated zucchini lightly, rest 5 minutes, then squeeze out as much water as you can. This is the key step; skip it and the sauce will be watery.
Cook the broccoli — bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add broccoli florets and cook 3–4 minutes until just tender. Scoop out with a slotted spoon, keeping the water at a boil.
Cook the gnocchi — drop gnocchi into the same water and cook per packet. Reserve a mugful of pasta water before draining.
Build the sauce — heat garlic-infused olive oil in a wide pan over medium-high. Add sliced garlic and Calabrian chilli; cook 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Add squeezed zucchini and cook 5–6 minutes, stirring often, until soft and golden in patches.
Bring it together — add broccoli and roughly torn kale to the pan. Toss to coat and let the kale wilt 2–3 minutes. Add drained gnocchi, a good splash of pasta water, and the parmesan. Toss vigorously until glossy and saucy.
Finish — squeeze over the lemon, taste for salt, and finish with cracked black pepper and more parmesan.

Squeezing the zucchini dry is non-negotiable — the sauce goes from silky to watery if you skip it. Salt first, wait, then squeeze hard in a tea towel or your hands.
If the kale leaves feel particularly tough, massage them with a pinch of salt before adding — it breaks down the fibres and speeds up wilting.
Add more pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce coats everything glossily — gnocchi drinks it up fast.
For a richer version, tear in a few pieces of triple cream brie when you add the pasta water. It melts into something luxurious.
Spring onions sliced and scattered on top work well as a finisher.

Everything here is pantry-plus-fridge. The zucchini, broccoli, and kale are interchangeable — this works with whatever greens need using up.