Tomato Basil Gnocchi

a large white bowl of gnocchi in a tomato basil sauce.

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4.95 from 19 votes

A silky fresh tomato sauce with zucchini, potato gnocchi, and fresh basil. A perfect, simple summer dish.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: dinner, lunch, main dish, side dish

Servings:

Calories: 254kcal

Author: Mikayla M.

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

*Sauce should bubble rapidly but not splatter out of the pan. This is medium high on my stove but if yours is splattering adjust heat as needed.

*I recommend 1 tablespoon of minced garlic for the sauce, but you may prefer less, especially for particularly strong garlic. Make sure it has time to saute for up to a minute to help soothe the strong bite.

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