Gnocchi al Telefono

I saw a recipe on The Chew website yesterday that looked like a perfect side dish for dinner. I prefer making homemade gnocchi, but after a super busy day, I didn’t have it in me, so I used store-bought. The tomato sauce was a snap to make, and I adapted the recipe a little bit by using store-bought gnocchi and adding a bit of shallot and crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce. We all thought this was a delicious side dish, and it paired nicely with the chicken Milanese and crusty bread.

Gnocchi al Telefono

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small shallot, diced
• Pinch of red pepper flakes, to taste
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 (28-oz) can of San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 1 (12-oz) package of Gnocchi, cooked in salted water per package instructions (or homemade gnocchi)
• ½ cup fresh basil, chopped (divided)
• Ciliegine mozzarella balls halved, to taste
• Fresh Parmesan, grated

How to Make Gnocchi al Telefono

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and crushed red pepper flakes and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add the crushed tomatoes and lower the heat to low; simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Cook the gnocchi in a large pot of well-salted boiling water according to the package instructions, for about 3 minutes; drain, reserving ¼ cup of the cooking water.

Add the drained gnocchi to the tomato sauce and a bit of the cooking water if needed. Add most of the fresh basil and toss to coat evenly.

Place into a serving bowl and add small pieces of mozzarella, remaining basil, and freshly grated Parmesan. Serve and enjoy.