This dish is the perfect balance between 'from scratch' and 'from the packet'... You're using ready made Gnocchi, but you can feel all virtuous by making a fresh (but fast) home-made tomato sauce, because let's be honest, nobody's got time for home-made Gnocchi at 6pm on a random Wednesday. Try this hearty, inexpensive and surprisingly light weeknight supper.
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SERVES_2 to 3
TIME_20 Mins
INGREDIENTS
- 500g Gnocchi (boiled)
- 30g Grated Parmesan
- 150g Bacon (diced)
- 3 Large Tomatoes (rinsed, finely diced)
- 5g Italian Seasoning
- 5g Fresh Parsley - optional (rinsed, finely chopped)
- 2 Garlic Cloves (rinsed, finely chopped)
- 20g Fresh Rocket (rinsed)
- 30g Sundried Tomato Pesto
INSTRUCTIONS
- Dice and fry bacon
- While bacon fries, rinse & finely dice tomatoes.
- Peel & finely chop / mince garlic.
- Rinse & finely chop parsley. Set all aside.\
- Remove bacon from pan but keep pan aside unwiped.
- Add a generous amount of olive oil to the unwiped pan, add garlic, cook for 30 seconds, then add chopped tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper.
- Add 1/2 cup of water & cook on medium heat for +- 8 to 10 mins until tomatoes begin to break down.
- There should always be a good amount of liquid in the bottom of the pan. If the tomato mixture looks a little dry at any stage, just add more water.
- While tomatoes cook, add boiling water to a pot with the gnocchi & a pinch of salt. Boil for +- 3 - 4 mins. You'll know its ready when the Gnocchi float to the top... don't overdo! Once done, drain Gnocchi and set aside.
- Stir pesto & parsley into the tomato mixture, then add bacon & gnocchi.
- Mix gently until well combined, then turn off the heat.
- Stir through the parmesan.
- Top with fresh rocket.
TIPS
- If you have sundried tomatoes in oil on hand, just blend up 3 or 4 with a little olive oil - this makes a decent substitute for the pesto and saves you about R289 ;-)
- Italian seasoning usually includes rosemary, basil, organum etc ... We use Nomu's Italian seasoning for our recipes, but Robertsons makes a pretty good Veggie Seasoning which is more readily available and contains sundried tomatoes which makes so much difference, and it's non irradiated!
- Gnocchi can get pricey - try the Lancewood Factory Shop on Ironside Road, it's always under R40 a bag:)
- Try and get the proper wood-smoked bacon. It is not much more expensive and makes all the difference.
- Don't use long life tomatoes... Buy the ripest tomatoes you can find, give the ugly tomatoes in the back of your fridge a chance to shine...or buy the ones that no one else will... these are the ones you're looking for, soft, juicy and ready for the pot!
- Use fresh garlic cloves, and you cannot use too much so go big if you're a garlic fan.
- Parsley is optional, but it's also loaded with vitamin A and antioxidants so we'd recommend adding it in if you have it on hand.