Picture soft pillowy bundles of potato gnocchi, smothered in cheese and grilled until deliciously golden and oozy. Now, if that hasn’t got your mouth watering, just wait until you pull the real thing from the oven.
2 clove
garlic
1 unit
brown onion
1 unit
courgette
1 stalk
celery
1 unit
carrot
1 bunch
sage
1 sachet
dried oregano
¾ packet
gnocchi
(ContainsGluten)¾ tin
tomato paste
1 tin
chopped tomatoes
1 packet
vegetable stock
1 packet
shredded Cheddar cheese
(ContainsMilk)1 pinch
chilli flakes
1 unit
cucumber
1 bag
rocket leaves
olive oil
¼ tsp
salt
30 g
butter
(ContainsMilk)2 tsp
brown sugar
1 tsp
balsamic vinegar
Finely chop the brown onion and courgette. Finely chop the garlic (or use a garlic press). Grate the celery (or finely chop if you prefer!). Grate the carrot (unpeeled). Pick the sage leaves and thinly slice. Place the sage on a small plate and drizzle with a little olive oil. TIP: This will prevent them from burning later!
In a large frying pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, courgette, garlic, celery, carrot, dried oregano, a pinch of chilli flakes (if using) and the salt. Season with pepper and cook until softened, 5-6 minutes.
While the veggies are cooking, heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the gnocchi (see ingredients list) in a single layer and fry until golden, 6-8 minutes. TIP: Allow the undersides to become golden before tossing! If the gnocchi doesn't fit in a single layer, fry in batches until golden. Add extra olive oil if the gnocchi sticks to the pan. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Add the tomato paste (see ingredient list) to the pan with the veggies and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chopped tomatoes, butter, brown sugar, crumbled vegetable stock and a pinch of pepper. Stir to combine and simmer until slightly thickened and fragrant, 5-7 minutes.
Preheat the grill to medium-high. Spread the gnocchi over a medium baking dish and top with the sugo sauce. Sprinkle with the shredded Cheddar cheese and sage leaves. Grill until the cheese is melted and golden, 5-10 minutes. While the gnocchi is grilling, thinly slice the cucumber into half-moons. In a medium bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar and olive oil (2 tsp for 2 people / 4 tsp for 4 people). Add the cucumber and rocket leaves and toss to coat. TIP: Toss the salad just before serving to keep the leaves crisp!
Divide the cheesy veggie-loaded grilled gnocchi with sugo sauce between bowls. Serve the rocket salad on the side.