Gnocchi in a Chorizo Sauce

Gnocchi is an often overlooked staple of Italian food. Pasta and pizza take all the limelight from this fantastic ingredient to delicious meals. If you’ve never tried it, gnocchi is delicious and really easy to make. Of course, it’s even easier to buy it and that is what I do. Here’s a simple gnocchi recipe I whipped up recently.

Whilst I’ve posted much lately about my simple pasts dishes in the recipe category this is the first time I’ve published a gnocchi based recipe.

What is gnocchi?

Gnocchi are soft dough dumplings that may be made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, egg, cheese, potato, breadcrumbs, cornmeal, or similar ingredients, with or without flavourings of herbs, vegetables, cocoa, or prunes.

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Gnocchi in a Chorizo Sauce

Course Main

Cuisine Italian

Keyword chorizo, gnocchi

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 591 kcal

Author Dave

Ingredients

• 1 kg fresh gnocchi
• 200 g chorizo diced
• 170 g pancetta diced
• 1 large white onion finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 250 ml vegetable stock
• 1 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 250 g passata
• 25 g fresh basil stalks and leaves separated and chopped
• 125 g mozzarella ball diced
• grated parmesan cheese to server
• sea salt & ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large frying pan heat the chorizo over a medium heat for 5 minutes. This should render out the lovely red oil from the sausage.

2. Remove the chorizo and set aside in a bowl, leaving the oil in the frying pan.

   

3. With the frying pan back over a medium heat add the garlic and fry for a minute before adding in the onions. Stir the onions and garlic to coat with the chorizo oil and cook for a few minutes until the onions begin to soften.

4. Slowly add the vegetable stock, stirring as you do so. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes to reduce the liquid down.

5. Add in the chopped tomatoes and allow to heat through for a couple of minutes before adding back the chorizo. Stir thoroughly.

   

6. While the sauce is simmering cook your gnocchi according to the packet instructions.

7. Before draining the gnocchi, retain some of the cooking water.

8. Once your gnocchi has been drained, return it to the pan and pour over the sauce and stir well. If you're using the mozzarella cubes add them now and stir until melted (return to the heat to help this along if you like). If you prefer a thinner sauce you can now add back some of the cooking water from the gnocchi to loosen it.

9. Just before serving stir in the chopped basil leaves (retain some for garnish) and salt and pepper to taste.

10. Serve with freshly made garlic bread

Is it a healthy meal option?

Okay, I’ve crunched the numbers by putting all the ingredients into My Fitness Pal and come out with the following nutritional breakdown. It’s not the lowest calorie meal you’re ever going to eat and yes there are fats in there. But, I believe in all food in correct moderation as part of a healthy lifestyle. Plus, it’s blooming delicious to just eat it!

The following nutritional breakdown is based on a single portion. This recipe makes 6 portions.

Will kids eat it?

I believe in asking my children to try any new food at least once. The first time I served this I must have explained what gnocchi was at least 10 times before we’d finished our meal. But, the empty bowls at the end proved that it’s one meal they enjoy. Italian food is a firm favourite in our house.

As always please let me know what you think in the comments and if you’ve tried the recipe.

Thanks for reading.

Dave