Tomato Basil Gnocchi
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This Tomato Basil Gnocchi is a summertime meal that uses fresh tomatoes, basil, and zucchini to make a perfectly seasoned vegetarian main course that’s delicious as lunch or dinner. Discover how to transform gnocchi and fresh, whole summer ingredients into a beautiful and flavorful entree.
I can tell summer has truly arrived when the farmer’s market smells of fresh basil and sun-ripened tomatoes. It’s definitely one of my favorite scents, and I could happily eat raw tomatoes and basil for months on end, but I also love how they cook together.
This simple tomato basil gnocchi is the epitome of a seasonal summer recipe. We’re cooking fresh tomatoes with garlic and white wine to create a luscious sauce, then adding fresh zucchini, gnocchi, and basil to make a flavorful, bright dish that you and your family or guests will love.
Recipe Highlights
- 5 of the 8 ingredients are fresh, seasonal produce! Add gnocchi, olive oil, and salt, and your dish is made!
- Using fresh tomatoes makes a silky, AMAZING sauce that’s brighter and naturally sweeter than canned sauces.
- It’s a filling vegetarian or vegan meal that everyone (even meat eaters) will love.
Ingredients & Substitutions
One of my absolute favorite things about this tomato basil gnocchi is that it’s a fresh tomato sauce. I often cook with canned tomatoes, and they’re great for one pot tomato spinach pasta and homemade spaghetti sauce. BUT, with amazing fresh tomatoes beckoning…how can you not use them?!
- 1 pound of potato gnocchi
- 1 medium zucchini
- 2 large tomatoes – I recommend an heirloom tomato, or other thin-skinned variety for easy peeling. You can also use a can of whole tomatoes. San Marzano is my preferred canned tomato for sauces like this one.
- fresh basil
- garlic
- white wine – Use a dry white wine like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio. The best substitutes are 2 tablespoons water plus 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar, or 3 tablespoons of chicken broth mixed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
- olive oil
- salt
- water
What is Gnocchi? Gnocchi is sold in the pasta section, but it’s actually a dumpling traditionally made from a combination of potato, flour, egg, and salt. There are many store-bought options out there that taste great, or you can make your own classic gnocchi or change it up with sweet potato gnocchi.
Step by Step Instructions
Making gnocchi with tomato sauce is easier when you take a few minutes to prep and get everything ready to go. I have a few tips to make it even smoother!
Step 1 – Boil Water and Prep your Ingredients
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil with a lid over high heat. Meanwhile, let’s get chopping.
Zucchini
For the zucchini first wash and trim the ends off. Next, slice in half lengthwise, and then cut each half lengthwise again, creating triangular wedges. Chop into small pieces about an inch wide. Place in a bowl and set aside.
Garlic
Go ahead and peel and chop 3 to 5 garlic cloves, you want about 1 tablespoon finely minced. Toss it right on top of the zucchini in the bowl.
Slice Basil
Go ahead and line up your fresh basil leaves in a nice stack. 6 to 7 leaves will do, then tightly roll them into a bundle like a little basil burrito. Then slice into thin ribbons.
Tomatoes
Slice them with a thin X across the bottom of the tomato. The cut should break the skin, but not cut down so far that your tomato loses any water.
Step 2 – Blanch and Peel Tomatoes
Get a bowl of ice water ready. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water to blanch them. Let them cook for just 25-30 seconds, then transfer them to the ice water to stop the cooking. This helps loosen the skin so you can easily peel it away. Do not drain the boiling water, you’ll need it for the gnocchi. I use my spider strainer to do this, and it’s also helpful later when we cook the gnocchi.
Once they’ve cooled, move them to a cutting board again and gently peel off the skin. It should be curled up around the slices slightly and will come off easily. Discard the skin, then chop the tomatoes into a large dice. Try to reserve as much of the juice as possible.
Step 3 – Start Cooking!
Place a large skillet on medium-high heat to preheat, and bring the pot of water back to a boil. I use an enameled cast iron skillet, and it’s perfect. It’s wide, deep enough, and retains heat well.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to your hot skillet. Add the zucchini and garlic to the pan and stir, cooking until the garlic becomes fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute.
Next, add the white wine to the pan and bring to a rapid simmer. Add the diced tomatoes and return the mixture to a simmer, but a gentler one. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. When it has thickened to the point that you can drag a spoon through the sauce and see the trail, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the gnocchi to the boiling, salted water.
When the gnocchi floats to the top, transfer the gnocchi to the tomato and zucchini pan with a quarter cup of pasta water. Simmer and stir gently, and taste it. Add salt as needed and continue to cook until the sauce is coating the gnocchi. Remove it from heat and stir in the basil, then serve.
FAQs
Technically no. The sauce will form all the same if you do not peel the tomatoes. But, when tomatoes cook down the skins separate anyway, and leave stringy, tough pieces floating around in an otherwise creamy sauce. It’s more pleasant without skins.
Yes, any summer squash or bell pepper works. Or, once it’s done cooking, you can fold in 3 cups of fresh spinach leaves into it.
Yes you can swap any noodle in, but it will affect the cooking time. Traditional dried pasta cooks much slower, so start them in the boiling water when you begin to cook the zucchini and garlic. If you’re using homemade, like my semolina pasta dough, it cooks quickly like gnocchi does.
I would not freeze cooked gnocchi because it gets mushy when thawed. However, the fresh tomato sauce is very freezer-friendly. You can cook it in a double or triple batch, then cool and freeze it. Once ready to cook, thaw a portion of the sauce, heat it in a pan, and add freshly cooked gnocchi.
And that’s it! We serve it with asiago bread or garlic bread rolls, and often a quick fresh tomato and spinach salad. It’s one of our favorite summertime meals and a delicious way to enjoy that tomato and basil flavor combination. I hope you enjoy!
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Love this recipe? Please consider leaving a 5 star rating in the recipe card below, or a comment to share your experience with fellow home cooks. I hope you enjoy and as always, Happy Eating!
Tomato Basil Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 1 pound potato gnocchi
- 2 cups zucchini, diced 1 medium
- 2 cups red tomatoes, chopped and peeled with juices 2 large
- 1 tbs minced garlic 3-5 cloves
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1/4 cup dry white wine pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay
- 1/2 tsp salt plus more for the boiling water
- 7 leaves basil
- 1/4 cup pasta water reserved from cooking gnocchi
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water with a lid to a boil over high heat. Prep a large bowl with water and ice and set beside stove.
- Slice zucchini into half lengthwise and then in half again. Chop the four strips into 1 inch wide triangles. Place in a bowl and set aside.
- Mince 3 to 5 garlic cloves until you have 1 tablespoon of garlic and add to zucchini bowl.
- Slice a shallow X into the bottom of each tomato and drop into the boiling water for 25 seconds. Remove quickly and submerge into the ice water. Salt the water and replace lid to return to a boil.
- Remove the tomatoes from the ice water and peel off the skins by pulling gently from where the skin has curled around the X cut.
- Dice tomatoes and place in a bowl, saving all the juices possible. Set aside.
- Layer your basil leaves in a stack and roll tightly into long cylinder, then slice across to form thin ribbons of basil. Set aside.
- Place a large, wide rimmed skillet at over medium high heat to get hot. Add the tablespoon of oil followed by the zucchini and garlic, stir and saute until garlic is fragrant, between 30 seconds and 1 minute.
- Add in wine and cook until it comes to a rapid simmer.
- Add tomatoes and stir. Bring to a rapid simmer* and cook until tomatoes have broken down and thickened into a sauce. Continue to stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- When tomato sauce has thickened to the point that you can draw your spoon across the bottom of the pan and see the trail, drop gnocchi into the boiling water. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes or until gnocchi float to the top.
- Transfer the gnocchi to the sauce with a ladle of pasta water, about 1/4 cup. Stir and simmer until sauce has thickened and coats the gnocchi. Taste and add salt if needed.
- Remove from heat, stir in basil and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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Nutrition information and cooking times are provided as a best estimate. Values may vary based upon ingredients and equipment.
Loved this recipe! Super easy to put together and absolutely delicious.
Thanks Megan, glad you enjoyed it!
This dinner was delicious! We made it for a dinner party and it didn’t disappoint. Will make again.
I’m so glad it was well received, it’s one of my favorites to make for company too, so easy and so good! Thanks!
Shared! This is AWESOME stuff! Thank you!
Thank you Brian! I’m so glad to hear you’ve enjoyed it, it’s one of my favorite recipes!