This recipe is so good that you can cheat with store bought marinara or spaghetti sauce. I like making my tomato sauce from scratch but hey, no judgement here. I also used store bought gnocchi because it is convenient. My easy gnocchi with tomato sauce is a hybrid of this gnocchi Bolognese without the ground beef and cheese. Serve it with cauliflower steak, homemade garlic bread or air fryer garlic bread.
What makes gnocchi with tomato sauce so good
It is affordable. Simple yet packed full of flavour. It comes together under 30 minutes which makes it great for a busy weeknight dinner. A restaurant quality dish served at home. It is vegetarian but can be made vegan with some smart swap, perfect meatless Monday meal. You can make it gluten free by using gluten free gnocchi. This is now readily available in most grocery stores. You can make this Italian dish one pot especially if you would rather bake it.
Ingredients
Here is the basic list of ingredients needed to make this delicious quick gnocchi dinner recipe. Potato gnocchi: I used store-bought refrigerated gnocchi. You can use homemade gnocchi or shelf stable gnocchi/dumplings Passata: substitute with chopped tomatoes Garlic Onion Celery Italian seasoning: substitute with herb de Provence or Mixed herbs if you are in the UK, I like the one from Asda Sugar: this is optional, I only used about 1 teaspoon to counter the acidity from the tomato used. Cayenne pepper: substitute with red pepper flakes Salt and pepper Olive oil Unsalted butter Fresh basil to serve Parmesan cheese
How to make the best gnocchi with tomato aka gnocchi al pomodoro
Heat up the olive oil and butter until hot, add chopped onions, celery and garlic and sauté until soft and fragrant. This shouldn’t be more than 3 minutes. Add tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, sugar, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper stir and cook until reduced but not too thick. Add shredded Basil leaves and stir to combine. Taste and adjust salt and seasoning to taste. While the red sauce is simmering, boil gnocchi in salted water for 2 minutes or according to the packet instructions. Drain and add immediately to the reduced sauce. Toss or stir in the tomato sauce to combine, add grated parmesan cheese and stir. If the sauce is becoming too thick at this point, add water or chicken broth to help thin it out. Cook for another minute or two. Serve immediately with more parmesan cheese and enjoy
Tips for success
For cheesy tomato sauce, add mozzarella cheese, cover for about 2 minutes or broil for 5 minutes.
You can also bake to make this one pot dish and there will be no need to boil the gnocchi when doing this. Add about 1 cup of chicken broth to the tomato sauce that way the gnocchi cooks through without sticking to the pan too.
Add water or chicken stock to the sauce if it is becoming too thick
Serve this gnocchi on it own as a main meal or with veggies of choice. You can add shredded chicken or shrimps to the gnocchi sauce. Ensure any protein you add is completely cooked before adding the gnocchi.
How to store cooked gnocchi
I prefer to serve this dish on the day it is made as gnocchi can easily become rubbery if not handled well. However, if you inevitably have some leftover then store in the fridge an airtight container for up to 3 days. To reheat: the best way to reheat gnocchi is on the stove top or leave out on the countertop for a few minutes to come to room temperature.
More gnocchi recipe
Pan fried gnocchi with sundried tomato Gnocchi Bolognese
Easy Pasta recipes
Baked tortellini Vegetable pasta bake Creamy beef pasta Creamy bacon pasta If you made this super store bought gnocchi recipe, don’t forget to leave me feedback. Tag me @thedinnerbite on Instagram and save away to your Pinterest. Please subscribe to the blog if you haven’t for free new recipes in your inbox
