Cooking for Comfort: Basil Gnocchi with Rustic Tomato Basil Sauce

The soft texture and mild taste of gnocchi make them the perfect base for rich and hearty sauces. While they are great served as an antipasti, they make a great main course as well, especially when looking for a comforting meal the whole family can enjoy using ingredients you likely already have. In this recipe, we pair our basil gnocchi with our Rustic Tomato Basil Sauce, but whichever sauce you have on hand will work wonderfully.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium-sized russet potatoes
• 1 egg
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup torn basil leaves
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 jar Lucini Rustic Tomato Basil Sauce

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and puncture the potatoes with a fork. Bake them until they are soft to the touch, about 40 -50 minutes.
2. Once the potatoes are baked, immediately cut them in half and scoop the insides into a potato ricer. Place the riced potatoes onto a work surface and spread them into a 1-inch thick layer and let them cool to room temperature.
3. Once cooled, push the potatoes into a mound and make a well at the center. Place the egg, salt, and pepper in the well and knead, adding in the flour, cheese, and basil as you go. Knead until the mixture comes together and is smooth and tacky. Use more flour if your mixture isn't coming together, but you want to use as little flour as possible.
4. Roll the dough into a log and cut into 5-6 sections. Lightly flour your work surface and roll one of the sections out until its 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces, repeat with the remaining sections.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. While waiting for the water to boil, heat the Lucini Rustic Tomato Basil Sauce in a large skillet.
6. When the water is boiling, place the gnocchi in the pot and boil until the pieces float to the top, about one minute. Scoop the floating gnocchi out and place into the skillet with the Lucini rustic tomato basil sauce. Continue to cook for a few minutes more. Serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese.

If you make this recipe, share it with us by tagging us @LuciniItalia and using #luciniinspired