Weight Watchers cheese and bacon gnocchi bake recipe

A lovely, warm and cozy dish that's full of flavour but won't make you feel guilty.

This Weight Watchers cheese and bacon gnocchi bake is comfort food perfection - especially if you're trying to watch your weight. It comes in at only 392 calories per portion but all the family will love it. It doesn't taste like diet food at all. This amount serves 2 generously, or more if it's a light lunch. Double the portions if you're making it for four for dinner. Gnocchi is a bit like pasta, except it's made of potatoes instead of flour. You form them into little soft pillows which are amazing with all kinds of sauces. You can serve them with simple pesto or tomato sauced stirred through, but for this bake we've gone all out with bacon, cheese and spinach.

This recipe is part of our cheap family meals collection – under £1 a head

Ingredients

• 175g floury potatoes such as Desiree, peeled and chopped
• 40g self-raising flour, plus 1 tablespoon for dusting
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 garlic clove, crushed

For the sauce

• 15g low-fat spread
• 15g flour
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 300ml skimmed milk
• A handful of young spinach leaves, washed
• 50g reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 x 25g unsmoked back bacon rashers, chopped into pieces

Method

1. Bring a large lidded saucepan of water to the boil, add the potatoes, cover and simmer for 10–15 minutes until tender. Drain and mash. Mix in the flour, thyme and garlic and set aside.
2. Bring another saucepan of water to the boil. Dust a work surface with the 1 tablespoon of flour and shape the mashed potatoes into long, thin sausages, about 2.5 cm (1 inch) in diameter. Cut off 2.5 cm (1 inch) lengths. Resting the gnocchi on your finger, press the prongs of a fork down on one side. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook in batches for 2–3 minutes until they rise to the surface. Use a slotted spoon to remove to an ovenproof dish.
3. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5. Melt the low-fat spread in a small saucepan and then stir in the flour and mustard powder. Cook gently for a minute and then remove from the heat. Add the milk a bit at a time, beating the mixture to a smooth sauce each time. Add the spinach and half the cheese.
4. Spoon the sauce over the gnocchi, sprinkle over the remaining cheese and scatter over the bacon. Place on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes.

Top tip for making cheese and bacon gnocchi

If you're short on time you can buy ready made gnocchi in most supermarkets.