A few Christmases ago, The Hubs gave me a set of ramekins. I've used them mainly to make individual
Chicken Pot Pies. They are perfect for individual portions of any meal. You can use them as serving bowls for food already prepared. And they can go in the oven to be used as baking dishes (just make sure they say "oven safe" on the bottom of the dish).
I wanted to try something different though. And I've never cooked with gnocchi. In fact, I had only heard bits here and there about gnocchi and how to serve it. I knew it was made with potato starch. So I had always pictured it with a beef cut. When I went to find it though, it was sold in the pasta section. Hm. Italian. I can work with that. Enter tomatoes. And bacon - bacon goes with everything, remember? And cheese. The result was a warm, filling, comfort food with a smokey and slightly sweet flavor.
Italian Style Baked Gnocchi
Ingredients:
2 lbs. gnocchi
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1 tsp. paprika
2 cans Italian style diced tomatoes
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 Tbs. sugar
8 oz. plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 lb. precooked bacon, chopped
1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese, sliced
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and paprika. Cook for a few seconds, only to warm the paste.
3. Add all of the tomatoes and sugar to the skillet. Bring to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the bacon and yogurt. Stir until well blended. Add parsley and salt/pepper to taste. Remove from heat and cover.
4. Add gnocchi to boiling water. Cook until gnocchi begins to float. While gnocchi is cooking, pour 1/2 cup sauce into the bottom of 4 ramekins. Remove gnocchi from water with slotted spoon and disperse evenly in the ramekins. Cover with remaining sauce. Top with slices of mozzarella cheese.
5. Place ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until mozzarella cheese has melted and browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving.
Serves 4-5
