Gnocchi & Tomato Bake

When I make my home-made potato gnocchi, I usually use a couple for dinner with a simple sauce such as pesto, and then save the rest to make Gnocchi & Tomato bake. Even if I don't intend eating the baked gnocchi the following day, I can still make this dish and pop it into the freezer for a later date if desired. 

I like to use this when entertaining and hosting dinner parties. It is an easy dish to make, and you can prepare this earlier during the day and then let heat up in the oven when your guests are over. This way, you can socialise with your guests while dinner is warming up, as opposed to having to stand in the kitchen watching over pots. 

You do not necessarily need to make the potato gnocchi from scratch! If you want a quicker method, you can buy shop bought gnocchi straight from a packet. You would need to blanch these slightly before putting in your oven-proof dish! 

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Ingredients: 
 
- 1 tbsp olive oil 
- 1 onion, chopped 
- 1 coloured pepper, finely chopped
- 1 marrow, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 400 g can chopped tomatoes
- half a cup of cream
- 500 g gnocchi (home made or shop bought)
- handful chopped basil
- 100 g grated mozzarella 
- salt & pepper 

Method: 

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the onion, chopped pepper and marrows. Cook for 5 minutes until the onion has softened. Stir in the garlic, fry for 1 minute then tip in the can of tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Bubble for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent from sticking. Add half a cup of cream and the chopped basil and season according to your taste. 

If using shop bought gnocchi, toss these in with the canned tomatoes and let cook until the gnocchi are soft and then sauce has thickened. Stir occasionally to prevent from sticking, then stir in the cream and basil and remove from heat. 

Transfer the mixture to an oven proof dish and top with grated mozzarella. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees, for 8-10 minutes, or until the mozzarella is bubbling and the top is brown. 

Note: If you prefer to use home-made potato gnocchi (recipe: http://www.my-glutenfree-kitchen.blogspot.com/2014/01/home-made-potato-gnocchi.html ), then you do not need to boil these before baking. Prepare as per the instructions in the link above without boiling. Spoon a layer of the tomato mixture into an oven proof dish then top with a layer of gnocchi and sprinkle of cheese. Repeat the layers until you have used all the gnocchi and filled the dish completely. Finish by topping with cheese and baking for 8-10 minutes or until the top is golden brown.