This baked gnocchi with herby tomato sauce and mozzarella is a wonderfully easy, flavourful dish. Soft gnocchi are folded into a rich, well-seasoned tomato sauce, topped with plenty of mozzarella and baked in the oven until the cheese is melted and golden. It is a creamy, satisfying dish that works just as well on a busy weeknight as for a relaxed weekend dinner.
This recipe is similar to my gnocchi in creamy tomato sauce, but here the gnocchi are baked under a layer of mozzarella, which gives an irresistible melted, golden top.
Serve with a scattering of fresh basil and, if you like, a little extra Parmesan for added flavour.
If you make the dish in a frying pan, you can of course simply bake it in the pan until golden on top – provided the pan is ovenproof. In that case I would recommend folding half of the mozzarella into the dish and topping with the rest.
Baked gnocchi with herby tomato sauce
Ingredients
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 4 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tins chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 150 ml cream
- 100 g Parmesan, finely grated
- 7 sprigs fresh basil, leaves picked
- 600 g gnocchi
- 150 g grated mozzarella
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Olive oil
Method
- Heat a saucepan and sweat the onion in a splash of olive oil until translucent.
- Add the garlic and warm through for a moment, then stir in the tomato purée and let it cook for a minute or so.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, cream, Parmesan and dried herbs, and let the sauce simmer gently for about 5-8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Add the uncooked gnocchi and let them cook in the sauce for about 5 minutes.
- Finally, fold the fresh basil leaves into the sauce and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Layer the gnocchi and mozzarella in an ovenproof dish in 2 layers – gnocchi, mozzarella, gnocchi – and finish with the remaining mozzarella.
- Bake for about 15 minutes at 225°C.Leave to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.
Du skriver 225 grader er det almindelige ovn eller varmluft?