Gnocchi Al Forno

This gnocchi al forno is a comfort food recipe of dreams. Soft pillowy gnocchi, roasted cherry tomato sauce, gooey melted mozzarella and nutty parmesan baked together until the cheese oozes and the sauce sizzles.

Now. I did not make my own gnocchi for this gnocchi al forno recipe. Freshly made gnocchi is delicious and always worth making, but if you are short on time and in need of an imminent dinner it probably won't be an option! So using a good quality store-bought gnocchi will work fine. However, it is worth making the sauce from scratch and using buffalo mozzarella as fresh as you can get it. I like to make a batch of the roasted tomato sauce and freeze it to use whenever I have a craving for Italian food.

This cosy gnocchi al forno is the perfect dish to eat in cold weather to warm you up.

I prefer a tomato-based sauce with gnocchi over a cream-based sauce, as it stops the dish from being too heavy. The parmesan helps to cut through as well, and this dish pairs well with a medium-bodied cabernet sauvignon.

De Cecco do really good gnocchi (I love all their pasta) and I like eating this gnocchi al forno with a piece of focaccia bread on the side to mop up any leftover sauce.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Equipment
• Storage
• Gnocchi al forno

Ingredients

• Gnocchi
• Cherry tomatoes
• Garlic
• Olive oil
• Mozarella
• Parmesan
• Salt and pepper

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

First, roast the tomatoes.

Preheat the oven to 175 C / 340 F.

Place your tomatoes on an oven tray with the whole garlic cloves, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Roast for 30-45 minutes and drain off any excess water that comes out of the tomatoes. We want them almost caramelised, and too much juice will saturate the dish.

Now blend the tomatoes and garlic together to make a smooth sauce, and season to taste.

Now cook your gnocchi for two minutes.

Spoon half the gnocchi into an ovenproof dish and top with half of the sauce. Gently mix them together, before topping with half the mozzarella and half the parmesan. Repeat the process until the dish is filled and parmesan covers the entire top.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, and for the final two minutes turn on the grill to crisp up the top and leave the cheese browned and bubbling.

Hint: The cheese and general gooiness might bubble over, and to save yourself having to clean burnt cheese off the bottom of your oven I'd recommend placing the dish onto a tray.

Equipment

You will need an oven tray, a food processor or immersion blender, a saucepan and an ovenproof dish for this gnocchi al forno recipe,

Storage

Store any leftovers in the fridge and reheat in the oven before serving. Good for 2-3 days.

You can also freeze this dish before cooking to whip out and bake later.