I love making Gnocchi at home and experimenting with different flavors from time to time which led to making this! A tomato ricotta gnocchi which is fluffy, creamy, and tangy! I paired it with a cheesy pesto sauce which was perfection. The sauce is herby, savory, and cheesy which is so yum! The gnocchi is eggless and really easy to make. It is perfect for dinners at home, especially for date nights.

Happy Cooking!

Servings: 6-8 servings

Prep Time: 30-40 mins

Cooking Time: 30 hour

Chilling time: 1-2 hour

Total Time: 3 hours

Ingredients: 

Eggless Tomato Gnocchi:

• 4-5 boiled medium potatoes

• 1/4 cup full-fat ricotta cheese

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 2/3-3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus as needed to shape gnocchi

• 1-2 tsp salt as per taste

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Cheesy Pesto sauce:

• 1-1.25 cups basil pesto

• 1/4-1/3 cup heavy cream

• 1/2-2/3 cup pasta water

• Salt if needed

• 1/4-1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Topping:

• 2-3 tbsp chili oil

• 2-3 tbsp mozzarella cheese

• fresh basil leaves

Directions:

1. Gnocchi-

   1. Boil potatoes and peel and then add to a mixing bowl.

   2. Use a fork and mash it well. You don’t want any lumps.

   3. Add ricotta, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and flour.

   4. Start mixing it together and knead it into a dough The dough will still be tacky but not stick to your skin. it should be able to form a rope.

   5. Keep the dough in a bowl, covered with a wet towel for 30-60 mins.

   6. Divide the dough into 3 pieces and work with one piece at a time, covering the other 2.

   7. Roll the piece into a long rope, about 3/4 inch thick. Use flour to dust the surface if needed.

   8. Use a serrated knife to cut the rope into 1/2 inch pieces.

   9. Use a fork or gnocchi shaper to shape each piece. You can also just let it be, I like to shape them.

   10. Repeat for the other 2 previously covered pieces.

   11. Boil water with salt. I like to start making the sauce when the pasta is boiling so I can toss them in immediately.

   12. Once boiling, add the gnocchi in batches and let it boil till cooked through. You can check if they’re done once they float up to the surface of the water.

   13. Your gnocchi is ready!

2. Pesto sauce:

   1. In a pan on low-medium heat, add pesto.

   2. Once slightly warm, add heavy cream and pasta water and mix. Let it come to a low simmer.

   3. Add mozzarella cheese and let it melt into the sauce and mix well.

   4. Add salt if needed now.

   5. Add gnocchi and toss it all together. You want to cook the gnocchi in the sauce for 1-2 mins till everything coats it well. Add more pasta water if needed.

3. Plate the gnocchi on plates or a larger serve ware.

4. Top it with chili oil, mozzarella cheese, and basil leaves.

Notes/Tips:

• I highly recommend using fresh homemade basil pesto. The recipe is here. You can use storebought too.

• You can store the gnocchi dough in the freezer for 1 month. Wrap the dough well with plastic wrap and keep. Let it thaw and then repeat the shaping process. It does taste better freshly made but freezing works.

• Use tomato paste not sauce, the dough will become too liquid.

• Make sure you mash the potatoes well.

• Don’t overwork the dough. Knead till it forms a dough and isn’t sticky. Over kneading will make it chewy.

• For a homemade chili oil recipe, click here.