Roasted gnocchi at high heat goes crispy outside, fluffy inside.
Why you should cook this
The lazy pasta bake that is not a pasta bake. Vacuum-pack potato gnocchi (the shelf-stable kind, not the fresh refrigerated kind that falls apart), cherry tomatoes that will burst in the oven into something that tastes like a sauce, a head of smashed garlic, chilli flakes, olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh mozzarella torn over the top in the last five minutes. Twenty-five minutes from packet to plate.
Crank the oven to 230 fan, properly hot. Gnocchi at high heat goes crispy on the outside while staying fluffy inside, exactly the texture you want. The cherry tomatoes burst and release their juice and the garlic mellows. Mozzarella goes on at the end so it melts but does not turn to leather. Tear a basil bunch over before serving (basil that has been chopped goes black, basil that has been torn stays green). Parmesan from the deli, not the green-tube kind that tastes like school cardboard. Eat from the tray on a Tuesday night when nobody has the energy for the kitchen.
What to drink with it
A glass of Italian Nebbiolo, a Negroni (our recipe), or a Strega Spritz.
Notes from the kitchen
Use vacuum-pack gnocchi, not fresh. Fresh gnocchi falls apart in the oven; the dried-style holds.
The recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 230°C fan.
- Toss gnocchi (separating them) with cherry tomatoes, garlic, oil, chili flakes, salt, pepper. Spread on a large sheet pan.
- Roast 20 minutes until gnocchi is crispy and tomatoes have burst.
- Tear over the mozzarella. Roast 5 more minutes until cheese melts.
- Top with torn basil and parmesan. Serve from the tray.
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Two things that go wrong
Gluey gnocchi
You used fresh gnocchi instead of vacuum-pack. Fresh gnocchi falls apart at high heat.
Tough mozzarella
Cooked too long. Add it in the last 5 minutes, not the start.
Variations worth knowing
With sausage
Add 4 sliced Italian sausages to the tray with the gnocchi. Roast 10 minutes longer.
Pesto and roasted veg
Toss the cooked gnocchi with 4 tablespoons of fresh basil pesto at the end.
Spinach and ricotta
Stir in 200g of wilted spinach and 250g of ricotta in the last 5 minutes alongside the mozzarella.
Leftovers and make ahead
One day fridge. Reheat covered at 180 degrees for 15 minutes. The crisp gnocchi softens but the flavour holds.