All I have to say is OMG yum. I think this just may be my best recipe yet. (Not to toot my own horn or anything!) This meal was inspired by a dish my husband and I had in Sorrento, Italy called Gnocchi alla Sorrentina. This may have been our favorite meal we had during our whole trip. It was so simple, yet so perfect. The gnocchi was pillowy and the tomato basil sauce was so creamy and decadent.
Our trip to Italy was 7 months ago, and I don't know what took me so long to try to recreate this dish at home! I bought the gnocchi from the Italian aisle in Whole Foods. It is vacuumed sealed and packaged with all of the other pasta. To be honest with you, I did try to buy fresh gnocchi, (which would be in the refrigerators by the cheese) however my particular Whole Foods was out of it. Boo :( I actually think this may have turned out better by using the dry gnocchi, as I was able to get it really crispy. I think if you use the fresh kind it would be too doughy to get that perfectly crispy outer layer.
I made my own tomato sauce in this recipe, as I prefer it to the pre-made kind. If you want this to be a quick and easy recipe, you can just purchase a jar of your favorite sauce. Totally up to you!
Basil is the superfood I used in this recipe. Basil is not only delicious, but it is also packed with amazing health benefits. Basil contains magnesium which leads to good cardiovascular health by improving blood flow in the body. Basil also provides Vitamin C which helps protect the immune system and ward off disease. Lastly, basil contains the oil, Eugenol, which helps reduce inflammation in the body.
Ingredients:
1/2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. packaged gnocchi
8 oz. buffalo mozzarella- chopped (invest in some good cheese here!)
4-5 cups tomato sauce (homemade or jarred)
2 cups chopped basil
salt/pepper to taste
Ingredients for tomato sauce:
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 carrots-peeled and diced
1 onion- diced
2 ribs celery diced
3 cloves garlic minced
28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
16 oz. can tomato sauce
2 dried bay leaves
1 tsp. italian seasoning
salt/pepper to taste
Directions for sauce:
1) Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add celery, onions and carrots. Cook until tender. (About 10 minutes)
2) Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes
3) Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, bay leaves, italian seasoning, salt/pepper. Bring to a boil.
4) Cover sauce and simmer on low for 45-60 minutes.
Directions for the gnocchi:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Cook gnocchi in salted water to package instructions. Drain when finished cooking.
3) Heat olive oil and butter in a medium skillet over high heat.
4) Add cooked gnocchi and cook in oil and butter mixture until golden and crispy stirring constantly. (Will take 8-10 minutes)
5) Add gnocchi to the tomato sauce (If you are not making homemade sauce, heat your jarred sauce in a dutch oven or big pot prior to making the gnocchi)
6) Remove the bay leaves and add 1.5 cups of the chopped basil to the pot. Taste for flavoring and add salt/pepper if necessary.
7) Turn off the heat and add the mozzarella.
8) Put in oven for 2 minutes.
9) Turn the broiler on the oven and cook another 2 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
10) Serve and enjoy!
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