Description
‘Marry me’ gnocchi is a luscious, creamy Italian-inspired dish featuring soft gnocchi bathed in a flavorful sundried tomato and herb cream sauce, topped with melted camembert cheese and crispy sage leaves. Perfectly suited for a comforting weeknight meal or a romantic dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Sauce and Toppings
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- Pinch of chilli flakes
- 3–4 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- 2 tbsp sundried tomato purée
- 150ml cream or 100g mascarpone
- 25g parmesan or vegetarian alternative, grated
- 1 camembert (about 250g; ensure vegetarian, if needed)
- 6 sage leaves
Main
- 500g gnocchi
Instructions
- Sauté shallots: Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof skillet or frying pan over low to medium heat. Add the finely chopped shallots and cook gently for 5-8 minutes until they become soft and translucent, developing a sweet flavor base for the sauce.
- Add aromatics and tomato purée: Stir in the crushed garlic, a pinch of chilli flakes, and the picked thyme leaves. Cook this mixture for about one minute until fragrant. Then add the sundried tomato purée and pour in the cream (or mascarpone). Stir well and sprinkle in half of the grated parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook gnocchi: Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook following package instructions, usually until they float to the surface, about 2-3 minutes. Drain the gnocchi, reserving a mugful of the cooking water to help loosen the sauce if needed.
- Combine gnocchi and sauce: Add the cooked gnocchi to the pan with the sauce. Stir gently to coat the gnocchi evenly. If the sauce seems thick, add a splash of the reserved gnocchi cooking water to achieve a creamy consistency. Keep the heat low to maintain warmth.
- Prepare for grilling: Preheat your grill (broiler) to high. Slice the camembert into even pieces and arrange the slices evenly over the gnocchi in the skillet. Take each sage leaf and rub lightly with olive oil to enhance crispness, then scatter the sage leaves on top of the camembert slices.
- Grill to finish: Place the skillet under the hot grill and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the camembert is golden, bubbly, and slightly melted. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Once done, remove from the grill, add freshly ground black pepper to taste, and drizzle with a little extra olive oil if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use vegetarian camembert and parmesan alternatives if you require the dish to be fully vegetarian.
- If you don’t have cream, mascarpone offers a creamy and slightly tangier substitute for the sauce.
- For a less rich version, use reduced-fat cream and omit mascarpone.
- Gnocchi cooking times can vary—cook until they float to the surface as a sign they’re done.
- Keep an eye on the grill step to prevent burning the cheese and sage.
- Serve with a fresh green salad or crusty bread to round out the meal.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: gnocchi, creamy pasta, camembert, Italian comfort food, sundried tomato sauce, sage, vegetarian gnocchi recipe
