Cheesy Baked Gnocchi in a Roasted Tomato Sauce
This cheesy baked gnocchi in a roasted tomato sauce is so easy and packs an absolute flavour punch. The tomato sauce is roasted for extra depth of flavour and then mixed with any homemade or store-bought gnocchi. Topped with mozzarella and parmesan cheese and baked until golden and bubbling.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 900 g tomatoes
- 1 yellow/brown onion peeled and cut into wedges
- 6 anchovies optional (leave out to keep it vegetarian)
- 6 - 8 garlic cloves peeled
- 2 teaspoons runny honey optional
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ cup cream
For baking the dish
- 750 grams gnocchi
- 200 grams mozzarella grated
- 50 grams parmesan finely grated
- Fresh basil leaves to serve
Instructions
Make the sauce
- Preheat your oven to 350f (180c).
- Layer the tomatoes (cut any big ones in half) in a baking dish (I've used a 30cm shallow casserole pan for roasting the ingredients and baking final dish).
- Add the onion wedges, garlic cloves, anchovies and drizzle the honey over.
- Add the red pepper flakes, a good few pinches of salt and pepper and lastly, drizzle the olive oil on top.
- Roast in the oven for 45 mins - 1 hour until the onion edges are starting to char. Look at the photos above in post for reference.
- Blitz the sauce with a stick blender or in a food processor until smooth.
- Add the ¼ cup of cream and mix.
- Reserve 1 cup of the sauce.
Finishing the dish
- Preheat your oven to 400f (200c).
- Boil your gnocchi for 1 - 2 minutes (depending what sort you use, just go a touch under what package says if store bought).
- Add the cooked gnocchi into the sauce and mix well. It will seem really saucy, that is good!
- In your baking dish spread ½ cup of the reserved sauce on the bottom.
- Top with half of the gnocchi mixture in an even layer.
- Sprinkle half of the mozzarella (100 grams) and parmesan (25 grams) on top.
- Layer the rest of the gnocchi mixture and follow with the remaining ½ cup sauce.
- Finish with the rest of the cheeses (again, the photos above will be your friend here).
- Bake for 15 minutes then broil for another 2 - 3 mins to brown the top slightly.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving and garnish with some fresh basil leaves. It will be super saucy, some bread on the side will be key.
Video
Notes
- Tomatoes, use whatever you like, I used a mix of vine and cherry tomatoes
- Gnocchi, use store-bought or homemade.
- Read through the notes and step by step photos above the recipe, it is all useful helpful info I promise!
- If you find it too saucy (is that a thing though?!) add some more gnocchi into it next time.
- Don't buy pre-grated cheese, it is full of additives and preservatives usually.
- For an extra fresh zing add the zest of a lemon in an even layer on top of the first layer of gnocchi.