
Most of us have different goto dishes that we cook when we are either low on time, energy or just need the comfort of something familiar. It takes time for these dishes to become the comfort food that we know and love. That’s why I was so surprised when I first had this gnocchi dish. It immediately struck my comfort strings and it has ever since been one of my favourite dishes to cook and eat.

It is the overall simplicity that is the secret in this dish. With only six ingredients and most of them being household staples you are almost always able to cook it.

How to make gnocchi in rich tomatoe sauce

Gnocchi can be made in various different ways and you will find some with added herbs and spices, some with cornmeal and some that are sweetened with sugar or fruit. In this recipe, I will keep it simple and basic and only use potatoes and flour as the ingredients for the gnocchi.

The tomato sauce is going to simmer for about an hour, and the potatoes need to be boiled until they are soft so it is a good thing to make sure that you can do this at the same time.

So start by cleaning and peeling the potatoes and add them to a saucepan filled with water. Put the saucepan on the stove and boil until the potatoes are soft enough to be smashed by a stomp.

While the potatoes a boiling you can mince the onion and garlic nicely and fry in a large frying pan in some olive oil until they are soft and translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes and maple syrup, and taste with some salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat and let simmer for about an hour. If the sauce is getting too thick you can add some water.

When the potatoes are ready, drain them and put them in a large bowl and let them cool off a bit. Mash them gently with a potato-stomp and then add the flour. Knead in the flour until it is well combined with the potato mash and form the dough into a ball. Let it rest for about 5-10 minutes.

Now take a piece of the gnocchi dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface until you have a couple of strings that are about as thick as a finger. Cut each string into pieces that are about 2 cm (~1 inch) in length.

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan and add the gnocchi with a skimmer. Add about 10 at a time. When the gnocchi floats up to the surface they are done. Let the finished gnocchi rest on the side while you repeat the process with the rest. When you are finished, add the gnocchi to the tomato sauce and make sure that they all are coated with the sauce. Sprinkle with some herbs and a splash of vegan cream and serve immediately.

I hope this will become one of your go-to comfort dishes as well! Don’t forget to check out my other recipes.