Baked Caprese Gnocchi

The end result was this pretty awesome gnocchi bake ...

Baked Caprese gnocchi

 

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

Ingredients

for the tomato and basil sauce

• 2 tablespoons olive oil ( I used a basil-flavoured one)
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 6 large, ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• ½ cup tomato passata
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• salt & pepper to taste
• small handful fresh basil leaves, roughly torn

For the gnocchi bake

• 1kg ready-made gnocchi , boiled in salted water until cooked then drained
• 100g mozzarella, cubed
• fresh basil leaves

Instructions

1. To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large pan then fry the onion until soft and translucent.
2. Add the garlic and fry for another 30 seconds before adding the tomatoes.
3. Allow the tomatoes to cook until they start to break down then add the passata, bay leaves, sugar, salt and pepper.
4. Turn the heat down and allow to gently simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Add a splash of water if you see the sauce cooking down too much.
5. When the sauce is cooked, adjust the seasoning and add the fresh basil.
6. Pre-heat the oven (with grill setting) to 220°c.
7. Combine the cooked gnocchi with the sauce then add cubes of mozzarella.
8. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted.
9. Remove and top with fresh basil before serving.