Sun-dried Tomato Gnocchi in Cream Sauce
This creamy Gnocchi with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Basil is great for daily meals as well as special occasions. Each bite will be full of flavors and textures.
Pillowy gnocchi are always so delightful to eat. Besides gnocchi with asparagus, this gnocchi and sun-dried tomatoes recipe is one of my most favorite ways to enjoy these fluffy dumplings.
In this dish, gnocchi are pan-fried, creating a caramelized crust that enhances the flavors. Then they are combined with sun-dried tomatoes, cream, parmesan cheese, and basil in the same pan to create a beautiful, quick and easy meal.
Main Ingredients
Below are the main ingredients for this recipe:
๐ฅ Potato gnocchi: I personally think gnocchi are best when made from scratch. It is a little time consuming but I find it quite therapeutic. If you can find quality store-bought gnocchi, that will work too.
When I have time, I like to make a large batch following Chef Thomas Keller’s recipe and store the extras in the freezer. His gnocchi recipe calls for baked russet potatoes. And then you need a small amount of flour just enough to hold the dough together.
๐ Sun-dried tomatoes and diced fresh tomatoes (seeds removed): the combination of these will add many dimensions to the dish while counterbalancing the richness of the cream sauce. They will bring sweetness, tartness, freshness, juiciness, and different textures. Here I use homemade oven-dried cherry tomatoes.
How to Make Gnocchi with Sun-dried Tomatoes
This sun-dried tomato gnocchi in cream sauce comes together very quickly, so it is best to have all ingredients measured and prepped before turning on your stove.
First, boil gnocchi in a large pot of salted water. Then pan-fry them until lightly caramelized. You can skip the pan-frying step, but it does make the dish more delicious. When I use frozen fresh gnocchi, I just pan-fry them directly without boiling.
Then sautรฉ the garlic and diced tomatoes. If you cook in batches, simply push the gnocchi to one side of the pan and cook the diced tomatoes.
Add the sun-dried tomatoes and heavy cream. Let everything simmer briefly before stirring in some parmesan cheese.
Finally, add julienned basil, and the dish is now ready to serve. You will find the list of ingredients and detailed instructions in the recipe card below.
โญ๏ธ Iโd love to hear what you think about the dish, so please feel free to leave a comment and a rating if you have tried it. New recipes are added every week so letโs connect onย Facebook,ย Youtube,ย Pinterestย andย Instagramย for the latest updates.
Sun-dried Tomato Gnocchi in Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 10 oz uncooked potato gnocchi
- cooking oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2-3 cloves)
- 6 oz fresh tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
- 2-3 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes (see Notes for more information)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- basil, julienned
- salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi and cook for about 2 minutes until they start to float to the surface. Remove from the pot and drain. Reserve some of the cooking water.
- While boiling the gnocchi, heat a pan over medium heat. Add oil to coat the bottom and once Step 1 is finished, add drained gnocchi to the pan. Pan fry until both sides are lightly caramelized, about 3-5 minutes in total.
- Push the gnocchi to one side of the pan (or if your pan is not large enough, transfer them to a plate). Add garlic and sautรฉ until fragrant. Then add diced tomatoes and cook for a minute.
- Add back the gnocchi to the pan if you set them aside on a plate. Also add sun-dried tomatoes, cream and 2-3 tablespoons of the cooking water. Reduce the heat if needed and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in parmesan cheese. After the cheese has melted, stir in basil. Taste and add some salt if needed. Transfer to serving plates and serve right away.
