Are you looking for an easy recipe for gnocchi in tomato cream sauce? Well then you are in the right place! This simple tomato cream sauce is made with common household ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. The best part is that it is made with fresh tomatoes, so it does not contain as many additives as sauces that are made with canned tomatoes or other tomato products.
We make our gnocchi in tomato cream sauce with gluten free gnocchi and gluten free flour so that the dish will be entirely gluten free. That being said, you can also use regular gnocchi and flour if you do not have a gluten intolerance. A simple one to one substitution will work just fine!
What is in tomato cream sauce?
What is in a tomato cream sauce? Here are all the ingredients you need to make the tomato cream sauce.
- Tomatoes. You can’t make a tomato cream sauce without tomatoes! We use fresh tomatoes in this recipe for tomato cream sauce. We prefer to use fresh tomatoes because canned tomatoes contain additives like salt and preservatives. Fresh tomatoes contain more water than canned tomatoes, so tomato sauce that is made with fresh tomatoes will have to cook for a longer period of time to boil off some of the water,
- Onion. Onions are also used in this recipe for tomato cream sauce. The onions should be cooked until they start to brown and the sugars in them start to caramelize. The onions contribute a subtle natural sweetness to the tomato cream sauce.
- Garlic. Garlic is also used to add flavor to this tomato cream sauce. We recommend sautéing the garlic for a short period of time to ensure that it maintains its strong flavor.
- Butter. Butter is used to cook all of the vegetables that are used in this tomato cream sauce and to help prevent them from sticking to the pan. The butter also helps to ensure that the flour does not burn when it is cooked.
- Gluten free all purpose flour. Some gluten free all purpose flour is added to the tomato cream sauce to thicken it. The starches in the flour also help to prevent the sauce from curdling once the cheese is added. We use gluten free all purpose flour so that our tomato cream sauce will be entirely gluten free. You can also use regular all purpose flour if you do not have a gluten intolerance.
- Heavy cream. Heavy cream is added to make this sauce nice and creamy. The high fat content in the heavy cream helps to mellow out the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Parmesan cheese. Parmesan cheese is added to give the sauce even more flavor. If you are a vegetarian, then you should make sure to use a vegetarian parmesan style cheese that is not made with animal rennet.
- Salt & pepper. Finally, some salt and pepper are added to finish this tomato cream sauce off.
How do you make tomato cream sauce?
How do you make a tomato cream sauce? Here are all the steps you need to follow to make a tomato cream sauce.
- Chop the onions and garlic. The first step in making this tomato cream sauce is chopping the onions into small pieces and mincing the garlic.
- Sauté the onions. After you chop the onions, it is time to sauté the onions. Heat a pan over medium low to medium heat then add 1 tbsp of butter. Wait for the butter to melt and start to sizzle a little then add the chopped onion, salt, and pepper. Cook the onion for 12 – 15 minutes until they lightly brown, stirring occasionally.
- Blend the tomatoes. As the onion cooks, you can blend the tomatoes. You can blend the tomatoes whole or chop them up depending on the size of your blender. When the tomatoes are done, they will have a thin, liquid consistency.
- Cook the flour, tomatoes and garlic. After the onions are done cooking, add the flour and garlic to the pan. Cook the flour and garlic for a minute or two before adding the blended tomatoes to the pan. Cook the tomato mixture until about half of the water from the tomatoes has boiled off. You will know the tomatoes are done when they are thick enough that you can push the tomato mixture to the side to expose part of the pan without liquid sliding over and filling in the exposed pan. This will take around 20 minutes.
- Add the heavy cream. After the tomato mixture has thickened, pour the heavy cream into the pan with the tomato mixture and mix the cream into the tomato sauce.
- Add the parmesan cheese. Remove the pan with the tomato cream sauce from the burner. Wait until the mixture is warm but not hot then add the parmesan cheese to the sauce. Mix the sauce continuously until the parmesan cheese melts.
How to store gnocchi in tomato cream sauce
How should you store this gnocchi in tomato cream sauce? We recommend storing the gnocchi directly in the tomato cream sauce.There is no need to store the gnocchi separately from the sauce unless you know the type of gnocchi you are using is prone to disintegration. Gnocchi that is stored in the tomato cream sauce will generally be more flavorful than gnocchi that is stored separately.
The gnocchi in tomato cream sauce should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it will keep for up to 3 days. We do not recommend freezing this gnocchi in tomato cream sauce. The reason for this is that sauces that are made with cheese and cream tend to separate when they are frozen and thawed.
How to reheat gnocchi in tomato cream sauce
How do you reheat gnocchi in tomato cream sauce? We recommend heating this gnocchi in tomato cream sauce in the microwave. Gnocchi tends to microwave well and this is the fastest and easiest way to heat the gnocchi. We recommend cooking the gnocchi in tomato cream sauce for 1 – 2 minutes depending on how many servings you are reheating.
For best results, we recommend cooking the gnocchi in 15 – 20 second intervals then stirring the gnocchi between these intervals. This will help to ensure that no area gets too hot and curdles. This is generally a good practice to follow when you are cooking with a sauce that contains cheese.
Gnocchi with tomato cream sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz gluten free gnocchi (potato gnocchi, cauliflower gnocchi, or any other mildly flavored gnocchi)
- 3 medium tomatoes (2 cups pureed)
- 1/2 onion (1 cup diced)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp gluten free all purpose
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (or vegetarian parmesan style cheese)
- 1/4 tsp salt (plus up to 1/4 tsp more)
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Heat a pot of salted water over high heat until it boils. When the water starts to boil, add the gnocchi and let them cook until they float to the top of the water. This should only take 1 – 3 minutes. You can move on to the next step and start to chop the onions while the water starts to boil.
- Chop the onion into small pieces and mince the garlic.
- Heat a pan over medium low to medium heat and add the butter to the pan. After the butter melts, add the onions, pepper, and salt to the pan. Cook the onions for 10 – 15 minutes until they lightly brown, stirring occasionally. You should start out with about 1/4 tsp of salt. You can add more at the end if needed.
- While the onions cook, puree the tomatoes in a blender or food processor.
- After the onions have lightly browned, add the garlic and flour to the pan with the onions. Cook the garlic and flour for a minute or two then add the tomato puree to the pan.
- Simmer the tomato mixture until it reduces by about half. When the tomato mixture is done cooking, it should have a thick consistency that is almost like a paste. You should be able to push the tomato mixture to the side of the pan to clear an area on the pan without liquid sliding back into the area you cleared.
- Remove the pan from the stove and add the heavy cream then the parmesan cheese. Mix the tomato cream sauce until the cheese melts. Make sure to add the heavy cream to the sauce first. It will help to cool the sauce down so that the cheese does not curdle.
- Add more salt to the sauce if necessary then combine the gnocchi and the sauce. The amount of salt you will need to add will vary depending on the salt content in your ingredients, but you should not need to add any more than 1/4 tsp of extra salt. We recommend tasting your sauce and adding salt a little at a time if the sauce tastes dull or overly creamy.
Substitutions for gnocchi in tomato cream sauce
- Gluten free all purpose flour. If you do not have a gluten intolerance then you can use regular all purpose flour instead of gluten free all purpose flour.
- Gluten free gnocchi. If you do not have a gluten intolerance then you can use regular gnocchi rather than gluten free gnocchi. You can also use non-traditional gnocchi variation, such as cauliflower gnocchi, as long as it has a relatively mild flavor. Avoid gnocchi variations that have strong flavors such as sweet potato gnocchi.
Are you looking for an even easier way to prepare gnocchi? Check out this recipe for creamy pesto gnocchi. Spinach and sun dried tomatoes are added to this creamy recipe to give it even more flavor.
