Creamy Tomato Gnocchi with Burrata and Jammy Cherry Tomatoes
By Isabella Quinn
Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Servings
6
Level
Easy
Choose cherry tomatoes with smooth skins to create a juicy, syrupy tomato cream sauce for potato gnocchi. Potato gnocchi provides a crunchy contrast to fresh basil, burrata, and other cheeses and mildly spicy tomato cream sauce.
Six to eight halved and lightly crushed garlic cloves and olive oil are cooked in the sauce before adding the tomatoes to give a garlicky taste. Heavy cream offsets the tartness of the tomato sauce and adds body. Red pepper flakes may also be added for additional flavor. Potato gnocchi is cooked in salted water separately and added to the sauce with some of the gnocchi cooking water to help the sauce stick to the dumplings. Fresh basil is added before serving.
The tomatoes are ready when they are cooked, thick, and almost jamlike, not just warm. Cook the garlic in the skillet, watching it closely, and adjust the heat to medium-low if it begins to brown too quickly. Cook the gnocchi in a small amount of reserved pasta cooking water, stirring often for 2 minutes, to reach the desired sauce consistency.
Serve the skillet dish with a side salad, such as Brussels sprouts salad. Tips for reheating leftovers include keeping burrata separate, if possible, and adding it after the gnocchi has been warmed with some liquid, such as water or broth, to help loosen the sauce.
Why we keep this one around
- Cherry tomatoes: Cooked cherry tomatoes are sweeter and more flavorful than other varieties for this recipe. They can be used as a base for a sauce with other fresh ingredients.
- Six to eight garlic cloves are added to tomato sauce for flavor. Cream is added to tomato sauce for richness without overpowering other flavors.
- Potato gnocchi is delicate and tender when cooked to an al dente consistency. It pairs well with and doesn't overpower other flavors, such as basil, burrata, and tomatoes.
- Fresh burrata is not cooked; it settles into the glossy gnocchi, not into the tomato sauce.
- Adding pasta cooking water to a simple cream sauce helps sauce the gnocchi and blend the flavors of olive oil and tomatoes in a one-skillet dish.
- Basil provides flavor contrast to the sauce. Just a few fresh basil leaves can liven up a meal.
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 16-oz. packages potato gnocchi
- •2 4-oz. balls fresh burrata cheese
- •½ cup fresh basil leaves (sliced or torn)
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, stirring occasionally, until most tomatoes 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, 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 reserved basil.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
466
Calories
12g
Protein
18g
Fat
64g
Carbs
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