Gnocchi Alla Sorrentina

Gnocchi alla Sorrentina is a delicious Italian recipe that will give you a restaurant quality meal in your own home! This simple dish combines pillowy gnocchi with a simple homemade tomato sauce and creamy mozzarella before getting baked to melty perfection.

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Italian food like this gnocchi alla sorrentina is such an indulgent pleasure.

Potato pasta dumplings, rich homemade sauce, creamy mozzarella cheese, and fragrant fresh basil.

Heaven on a plate.

An explosion for the sense.

Shall I keep waxing poetic?

Nah, I’ll spare you.

But part of the beauty of this dish is just how simple it is.

You only need a handful of ingredients and under 30 minutes.

And then you are in food heaven enjoying a dish that’s better than any restaurant would make right at home.

What is Gnocchi alla Sorrentina?

Gnocchi alla Sorrentina roughly translates to gnocchi from Sorrentino, Italy.

Gnocchi alla Sorrentina means gnocchi in the style of Sorrento.

Sorrento is a small city on the Bay of Naples between Naples and the Amalfi coast.

The city is a popular tourist destination known for its stunning Meditteranean views, lemon groves, and gnocchi.

Gnocchi itself is a potato pasta dumpling from Sorrento.

It’s pillowy and perfect comfort food.

And in Sorrento and surrounding areas of the Campagnia region, gnocchi is served with fresh tomato sauce and creamy mozzarella cheese.

Ingredients and Kitchen Supplies

To make gnocchi alla Sorrentina, you will need:

• Gnocchi – You can make your own gnocchi if you like, but a simple box of gnocchi works just fine.
• Crushed Tomatoes – Crushed tomatoes are the traditional way to make the sauce, but we tend to use tomato puree. When using canned tomatoes, there is also most no difference in taste, but puree tends to have a smoother texture.
• Basil – You want to use fresh basil that you can typically find in the produce section of your grocery store.
• Garlic – Fresh garlic crushed or diced.
• Fresh Mozzarella Cheese – You can use pre-shredded or other types of mozzarella, but fresh mozzarella has a much creamy taste and texture.
• Spices – We add a pinch of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. You can completely omit the salt if you need or want.
• Olive Oil – You will need to saute the garlic in the olive oil for a minute or two before making the sauce.

You will need the following kitchen supplies:

• Large Pot
• Oven-Safe Skillet
• Slotted Spoon

How to Make Gnocchi alla Sorrentina

1. Prepare the gnocchi.

Before starting, turn your oven on to 400.

In a large pot, bring water to a boil.

Add the gnocchi and continue boiling until the gnocchi start to float to the top.

Once about 6 or more are floating, it should be about ready to stop cooking.

2. Prepare the sauce in an oven safe pan.

As you get the gnocchi ready, make your sauce in an oven safe pan.

While you wait for the water to boil for the gnocchi, you can make the sauce.

To make the sauce, heat the olive oil over medium heat in an oven safe pan.

Once the oil is nice and warm, add the crushed or pressed fresh garlic.

Saute it just until the garlic becomes fragrant.

Pour in the crushed tomatoes or tomato puree into the pan and mix it around.

You can add as much or little salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to sauce as you like now.

This sauce is very similar to our classic tomato sauce recipe, but you will not add the basil until after it bakes to prevent it becoming bitter.

3. Combine the sauce and gnocchi.

Continue to lightly sautee the sauce until the gnocchi is ready.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the gnocchi directly from the pot to the sauce.

You could also drain the water and then spoon or pour the gnocchi directly into the sauce.

Once added, stir the gnocchi carefully to fully coat.

Stir the gnocchi into the sauce along with cubes of the fresh mozzarella.

3. Bake the gnocchi.

Turn the heat off or remove the pan from the heat.

Either slice the mozzarella cheese or grate it over top of the pan.

You can add as much or little cheese on top as you like.

Place the pan into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the cheese becomes melty and slightly brown on top.

As an optional step, you can brown the cheese at the end under the broiler for a very bubbly finish.

Before serving, take a handful of fresh basil leaves and roll them up.

Slice the basil into ribbons (a chiffonade) and sprinkle it on top of the baked gnocchi along with some Parmesan cheese.

Serve with parmesan cheese, garlic bread, or your favorite sides.

Serving

Gnocchi alla Sorrentina is a warm, inviting meal.

You can serve it on its own, but it goes well with garlic bread, fresh bread, and more cheese.

You might also like serving it with roasted brussel sprouts for a bit of greenery.

You’ll probably want to serve the gnocchi with sauce in a bowl to help keep it neat and clean.

Storing

Gnocchi alla Sorrentina tastes best when served fresh from the oven.

If you have left vers, they will store well in an air tight container for about 2 to 3 days in the fridge.

The gnocchi may get a bit softer if you store it too long.

To reheat, you can either plop the whole pan back into the oven at 350 until warmed through or microwave individual servings.

FAQs

Tips and Tricks

• Make sure to only boil the gnocchi for as long is it takes for a few to start floating to the top. Too much longer and the gnocchi may start to get gymmy, especially since you will bake it in the sauce for several minutes.
• We often bake gnocchi instead of boiling it. This gives the gnocchi a soft and tender inside and slightly cripsy outside. You can bake gnocchi for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees on a greased cookie sheet. For added crunch and flavor, toss with parmesan cheese before baking. Once you bake the gnocchi, you can mix with the sauce and follow the rest of the gnocchi alla Sorrentina recipe.
• Feel free to add more mozzarella cheese to the recipe. If I was making this just for me and not to be the most authentic version, I would definitely stir Parmesan cheese directly into the sauce prior to tossing the gnocchi in it and baking it.
• Though tempting, do not add the fresh basil to the sauce before placing in the oven. It will often become bitter and not tasty. Instead, top or mix the basil in after it comes out of the oven. If you mix it in then and let it sit for a few minutes, the basil flavor will go throughout the sauce.

Other Gnocchi Recipes to Try

• Sheet Pan Gnocchi
• Gnocchi with Pesto
• Brown Butter Gnocchi with Roasted Squash and Kale
• Air Fryer Gnocchi Caprese

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