This easy and delicious Gnocchi Bake with Tomato, Mozzarella and Red Pepper makes a great indulgent vegetarian dinner any night of the week.
What is Gnocchi?
If you’ve never had Gnocchi before then you’re really missing out. Soft, pillowy, Italian potato dumplings which can be served like your favourite pasta shapes, they go great in a bake. Smothered in melty mozzarella and a rich tomato sauce, this is the perfect way to eat gnocchi.
How to Cook Gnocchi Bake with Tomato, Mozzarella and Red Pepper
First, melt some butter in a large oven-safe casserole dish or frying pan. Fry a diced red onion in the butter until it softens, then add some diced garlic and peppers. Cook for a further 2 minutes before adding some diced tomato and salt & pepper.
Pour over some white wine and let that simmer while you cook the gnocchi. When it is cooked add the gnocchi plus some creme fraiche to your pan and stir well. Scatter over some torn mozzarella and put the whole thing under the grill or broiler for 5-10 minutes.
Garnish with some fresh basil or parsley and enjoy!
Tips and Substitutions
- I used White wine for my sauce, but if you want to avoid alcohol or just don’t have any to hand then chicken or vegetable stock will also work well.
- I used half fat creme fraiche, but the full fat version or even heavy cream would be fine (though a lot richer.)
- If you want to add some extra protein then some cooked chopped chicken or ham would be delicious – add this in at the same time as the tomatoes.
- I used cherry tomatoes, but some juicy Roma tomatoes would also be delicious.
- If you don’t like peppers then feel free to leave them out! Add in some diced courgettes or extra red onion instead.
How to Serve this Gnocchi Bake
This dish is best served with a hearty green salad on the side, though some garlic bread to mop up the sauce wouldn’t go amiss! Try it with my Tomato & Mozzarella Salad or The Best Chopped Salad.
If you are looking for another easy weeknight meal when not try-
I hope you like this Gnocchi Bake with Tomato and Mozzarella. Please leave me a comment or rate the recipe if you try it!
Gnocchi Bake with Tomato, Mozzarella and Red Pepper
Equipment
- Oven safe casserole dish or pan
Ingredients
- 500 gram gnocchi
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, diced
- 250 gram cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tbsp butter
- 200 ml white wine can sub chicken or veg stock
- 125 gram ball of fresh mozzarella
- 3 tbsp creme fraiche either half fat or regular
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped basil, plus extra to garnish or sub 1 tsp dried
Instructions
- Preheat your grill on medium
- Melt the butter in a large frying pan or pot (which can be safely put under the grill) and fry the red onion for about 2 minutes till it starts to soften.
- Add the garlic and peppers and stir, then cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, season with a little salt and pepper, and allow to cook for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes begin to soften.
- Pour over the wine and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi according to the package instructions.
- Stir in the creme fraiche and basil and stir well, then mix in the cooked gnocchi.
- Tear up the ball of mozzarella with your fingers and scatter over the gnocchi.
- Place under the grill for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is starting to turn golden.
- Scatter over some extra fresh basil and serve with a big green salad.
Leave a Reply