Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
This classic Gnocchi alla Sorrentina is made with pillowy gnocchi baked in a rich tomato sauce with bubbling mozzarella. The best part? It's so easy to make!
Servings: 4
Equipment
- Large Pan & Wooden Spoon
- Large Pot & Slotted Spoon or Colander
- Medium-sized Baking Dish (mine was 8"x8" / 20cmx20cm)
- Cheese Grater
- Serving Spoon
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 cloves of Garlic, peeled and pressed with the side of your knife
- 1x 1.5lb/700g jar of Passata (see notes)
- 1 small bunch of Fresh Basil (typically 30g/1oz)
- 1 Parmesan Rind (see notes)
- 1lb / 500g Gnocchi (see notes)
- 7oz / 200g Fresh Mozzarella, grated or sliced (see notes)
- 1/2 cup / 40g freshly grated Parmesan
- Salt & Black Pepper, as needed
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large pan with the heat OFF. Add the peeled and lightly crushed garlic, then turn the heat to medium. Gently fry the garlic to infuse the oil, stirring as you go, until the garlic is light golden.
- Pour in the passata, then swill out the jar with 1/4 cup of water and add that in too. Add 1/2 of the bunch of basil and the parmesan rind alongside a good pinch of salt. Give everything a stir and bring to a simmer.
- Gently simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens. Use tongs or a fork to pluck the basil, parmesan rind and garlic out of the sauce and discard, then check for seasoning and adjust (generously if needed) to bring the best out of the simple sauce.
- During this time, preheat the oven to 430F/220C.
- A couple of minutes before the sauce is done, add the gnocchi to salted boiling water and cook for 1 - 2 minutes (you'll notice them starting to float to the surface). Keep in mind it'll continue cooking in the oven.
- Drain the gnocchi and stir through the sauce, then pour everything into a baking dish. Cover with mozzarella, then sprinkle over the parmesan. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until deep golden and bubbly.
- Serve with plenty of fresh basil (small leaves or torn larger ones). I also like a few pinches of black pepper. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
a) Passata - This is a rich, thick tomato sauce made from pureed/strained tomatoes. You'll find it in every store - I love using Mutti because it's gorgeously sweet. If you find your passata a touch sour after simmering, consider a pinch of sugar to balance the acidity if needed.
b) Parmesan rind - I like to slice the rind off a block of Parmesan and let it infuse the sauce. If you don't have parmesan with a rind, I recommend stirring through a couple of tablespoons of grated parmesan with the gnocchi to replace the flavour.
c) Gnocchi - You'll find this in most stores in the refrigerated section. You only want to boil it for a minute or so because it'll carry on cooking in the sauce.
d) Mozzarella - If you can, use low-moisture fresh mozzarella (i.e. not stored in a brine). If not, you can use brined mozzarella, just make sure you use paper towels to thoroughly soak and dry the mozzarella to remove as much moisture as possible. Otherwise, the dish can end up a little watery. I find 7oz/200g is enough to perfectly coat the top, but add more as needed.
e) Calories - Whole recipe divided by 4.
Nutrition
Calories: 432kcal | Carbohydrates: 29.63g | Protein: 19.06g | Fat: 27.11g | Saturated Fat: 13.58g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.601g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9.713g | Trans Fat: 0.112g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 874mg | Potassium: 651mg | Fiber: 3.4g | Sugar: 6.24g | Vitamin A: 2492IU | Vitamin C: 27.7mg | Calcium: 412mg | Iron: 1.79mg