I saw a few pints of local cherry tomatoes at the Growing Roots Farmers Market in Malvern, PA on Saturday which means summer tomato season is coming.
This is the perfect recipe to showcase summer tomatoes. The sauce is made using whole cherry or grape tomatoes – that’s right, no need to cut them in half. These little tomatoes pack a lot of flavor and not as much water as their larger relatives. While this is a perfect summer time recipe, you can usually find flavorful smaller tomatoes all year round. The tomatoes are mixed with some butter, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes. As they cook they begin to burst and break down into a lovely sauce.
While you are cooking your tomato sauce it’s also time to roast the gnocchi in the oven. You start with frozen, refrigerated or shelf-stable gnocchi, toss them in olive oil and place them on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. I use either gluten-free gnocchi or cauliflower gnocchi – regular ‘full of gluten’ gnocchi works fine, too. You do not need to cook the gnocchi ahead of time in water – they go right from the container into the oven. Shake the pan every five or so minutes while they are roasting – they take about 20 minutes to cook. The end result is a crispy outside and chewy middle.
Once the tomato sauce is made and the gnocchi are crispy, combine them in the skillet with toasted pine nuts and top with shredded fresh mozzarella cheese. Place under the broiler so that the cheese melts. Once out of the broiler sprinkle with freshly torn basil. The end result is a baked pasta dish taken to the next level.
I first tried the technique of making crispy gnocchi with Pan Fried Gnocchi and Brussels Sprouts (Gluten-Free). Ed and I really liked this dish so when I saw this variation, I knew I had to try it. You can also prepare the gnocchi for this recipe using the one found in Pan Fried Gnocchi and Brussels Sprouts (Gluten-Free). I found it easier since there is a larger quantity of gnocchi to roast them in the oven while I was making the sauce.
| Roasted Gnocchi with Burst Tomatoes and Mozzarella | | Print |
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 2 packs shelf stable gnocchi (regular or gluten-free), 9 to 12 ounces/package
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced or torn basil leaves, divided
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Place a piece of parchment paper over a large cookie sheet. Set aside.
- In a bowl, toss gnocchi with about a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Transfer to a prepared cookie sheet and spread out into one layer. Place in a preheated oven. Cook for about 20 minutes, shaking the cookie sheet about every five minutes so that both sides of the gnocchi brown a bit. Gnocchi is done when they are crispy outside and chewy in the middle. When done, move the oven rack to within six inches of the broiler and preheat the broiler.
- Meanwhile, heat a large (12-inch or more) oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add pine nuts to the pan and toss them around with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes. Be careful not to let them burn – they will toast quickly. Transfer pine nuts to a small plate.
- Add remaining tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and butter to skillet and cook over medium-high, stirring often, until golden brown and toasty, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, red-pepper flakes, salt and freshly ground pepper, reducing the heat slightly if necessary to avoid scorching.
- Add tomatoes and white wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have softened and liquid has slightly thickened, 12 to 14 minutes. Smash the tomatoes as they burst to help them along.
- Tear mozzarella using a knife and your hands or shred it with a box grater. (I find it harder to shred fresh mozzarella with a box grater.)
- Stir in roasted gnocchi, ¼ cup of basil and pine nuts. Spread in an even layer. Top with mozzarella.
- Broil until the cheese is melted and browned in spots, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Top with remaining basil.
- Serve immediately.
* For gluten-free pasta, I’ve used Delallo Mini Gnocchi, Gluten-Free (12 ounces) and both Wegmans and Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi.
Source: Variation on recipe from New York Times Cooking
Delicious way to use up all those cherry tomatoes growing in my garden right now. Very flavorful sauce. The dish reminded me of a good Margherita pizza.
Susie – Yes, a perfect way to use up your abundance of cherry tomatoes! I’m glad you liked the sauce – it is different than what we usually make.