Creamy Tomato Gnocchi with Burrata: A 30-Minute Make-Ahead Dinner
By Mason Brooks
Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Servings
6
Level
Easy
Prep the tomato sauce and gnocchi. Save some leftovers without burrata to use at another meal. Add burrata and other toppings when you serve. This 30-minute creamy tomato gnocchi recipe has flavorful sauce made with cherry tomatoes, garlic, cream, and basil.
Olive oil is mixed with six to eight cloves of crushed garlic. Freshly harvested tomatoes are added and blended until smooth. Heavy cream is added to counter the acidity of the tomatoes. Other seasonings, including red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and black pepper, are added to taste. Potato gnocchi are boiled in salted water. Water from boiling the gnocchi is added to the tomato sauce to make it glossy. Side dishes include burrata cheese and fresh basil.
Expect the tomato sauce to thicken into a jamlike consistency and the cooked gnocchi to be well coated with shiny sauce. Avoid browning the garlic. Adjust the heat to medium-low as needed when cooking the garlic to keep it from browning. Drain the gnocchi only after reserving the cooking water; cooking liquid is added to the sauce.
Serve with a cold side salad, as suggested, to balance the creaminess of the tomato sauce. To use leftovers, keep the gnocchi and sauce separate from the burrata, rewarm them in broth or water if needed, and then add the burrata before serving. Add basil just before serving.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Leftovers can be served without burrata because the recipe includes a step that adds burrata to leftovers before serving, rather than including burrata with leftovers when reheated.
- Tomato sauce and gnocchi can be reheated on the stovetop or in the microwave and moistened with broth or water.
- Freezing plans are easy because you can freeze the finished gnocchi without burrata and serve it with burrata after warming.
- Six people's worth of pasta will provide enough servings for the number of people you want to feed.
- Cooking in a frying pan will help the pasta sauce stick to the gnocchi for easier serving and transportation.
- Make the sauce while waiting for the gnocchi water to boil. Thirty minutes should be enough time to make and consume a meal with leftovers.
- Fresh basil and burrata are the final additions to ensure that preprepared portions served at a later time taste as fresh as the original dish.
Ingredients
- •¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- •6 cloves garlic (6 to 8, peeled and lightly crushed)
- •2 pints cherry tomatoes
- •½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- •1 tsp kosher salt
- •½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- •½ cup heavy cream
- •2 packages potato gnocchi (16-oz. packages)
- •2 balls fresh burrata cheese (4-oz. balls)
- •½ cup fresh basil leaves (sliced or torn)
- •water (salted, for cooking gnocchi)
Instructions
- 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- 2
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
- 3
Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- 4
Increase heat to medium and add tomatoes.
- 5
Cook tomatoes, stirring occasionally, until most break down and become jammy, about 10 to 12 minutes; reduce heat to medium-low if the garlic starts to burn.
- 6
Season with red pepper flakes, if using, kosher salt, and black pepper.
- 7
Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in heavy cream.
- 8
Add gnocchi to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions until al dente.
- 9
Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water and drain the remaining water.
- 10
Transfer cooked gnocchi and reserved pasta water to the skillet with tomato sauce and toss continuously until thickened and glossy, about 2 minutes.
- 11
Stir in fresh basil, reserving some for garnish.
- 12
Break burrata balls into pieces and disperse evenly over the pasta.
- 13
Remove the skillet from heat and garnish with the reserved basil.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
466
Protein
12g
Fat
18g
Carbs
64g
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