Recipe: Polenta Gnocchi in Tomato Sauce

Gnocchi was one of my favorite Italian meals to have…until I had to go gluten-free.  No restaurant and most pre-made varieties are not gluten-free.  And if anyone has attempted to make gnocchi on their own, you’ll testify that it can be a lot of hard work and sometimes the end result isn’t exactly what you were hoping for.

Then I came across a recipe for polenta gnocchi.  I was intrigued…so one evening I set out to make it for dinner.  The end results, aside from looking like I have attended culinary school, were as tasty as the picture looked.  You can, of course, make your own tomato sauce, but I opted for the jarred stuff this time.  Either way, it was fantastic.  Give this recipe a try!

Recipe: Polenta Gnocchi in Tomato Sauce

Servings: 4-6 servings
Time: Prep 2 hours; Cook 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 box of instant polenta
• 3/4 jar of tomato sauce (or make your own!) (For the record, I used Classico Fire Roasted Tomato and Garlic…which is gluten-free!)
• 1/2 cup mushrooms (optional)
• 1/4 cup freshly grated  Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Prepare a baking sheet by placing a layer of aluminum foil over the surface, then grease with half of the olive oil.

Spread the just-cooked polenta in a smooth layer on the baking sheet and refrigerate the polenta until cool and firm, 2 to 4 hours.  Use a biscuit or ravioli cutter to stamp out rounds of polenta.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Prepare a baking dish by coating it with the remaining olive oil.

Arrange the polenta gnocchi so the pieces are slightly overlapping one another in the bottom of the baking dish.

Sprinkle mushrooms over the polenta gnocchi if you are using them.

Generously spoon the sauce over the polenta gnocchi and bake until hot, about 30 minutes.

Remove the gnocchi from the oven and sprinkle with the Parmesan and parsley, then grind some fresh pepper over the top.

Serve immediately.

~*~*~

This was a fun meal to make.  I learned a lot…like that the polenta should be seasoned.  I tried, but was scalded by molten polenta bubbling up from my pan that it didn’t happen in enough time.  Ah well.  Live and learn.  And the longer this sat, the more flavor it absorbed.  It was a very unique spin on gnocchi and I loved it.  I can’t wait to make it again…but this time without the second-degree burn on my hand.

It’s simple and delicious…so if you have the time…go ahead.  Try it.  I promise…it’s yummy!