Tomato basil gnocchi is little pillows of potato pasta cooked in a light tomato basil sauce. This dinner comes together quickly and tastes like it could be served at a restaurant.
My Italian grandfather would always tell me the same story every time our dinner consisted of gnocchi. The story was that he had a Golden retriever and one day a dinner of homemade gnocchi was on the table. Someone took their eye off of the table and the dog.
You can imagine what happened. The dog ate all the gnocchi. My grandparents lived on a lake during the summer months and later that evening the dog tried to swim. The gnocchi really weighed him down so my grandfather had to jump in and save the dog.
His moral of the story was never to go swimming right after eating gnocchi. So there will be no swimming when this dinner is made. Instead we’ll relax and enjoy some ice cream for dessert.
My daughter is home from college for the summer and has become a vegetarian in recent months. This is the perfect dinner to make for her several times a month. It’s easy and we never get bored eating it.
If I’m pressed for time I buy premade gnocchi that cook in five minutes. But if I have the time, homemade gnocchi are so wonderful to make.
In the summer, my garden is bursting with fresh basil. This is the perfect dish to use up this fresh herb. In the winter, I usually have a little basil plant on my counter and with the canned tomatoes, this is a dinner to make any time of year.
A simple salad is all that’s needed to complete this dinner. I love any dinner that can be on the table in under 30 minutes.
So while my family and I are eating dinner, I’m smiling that there was very little work involved. I’m also smiling about my grandfather who saved his beloved pet after eating too much gnocchi.
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Tomato Basil Gnocchi Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 16 ounce package Potato Gnocchi
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 14.5 ounce can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons Finely Chopped Basil plus extra for garnish
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Shredded Parmesan Cheese for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot of water, cook gnocchi for 2 to 4 minutes or until al dente and they float on top of pot. Drain in a colander.
- In a large frying pan, heat olive oil and garlic on medium heat until pan starts to sizzle. Add tomatoes. Bring pan to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add gnocchi and basil to the pan and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with Parmesan cheese and extra basil.