Easy Baked Gnocchi
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4
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500g/1.1lbs potato gnocchi
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200/7ozs. exotic mixed mushrooms (or your favourite mushrooms), sliced
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400ml/14ozs your favourite tomato pasta sauce
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2 tablespoons tomato paste
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2 cloves garlic, finely grated
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125g/4.4oz cream cheese, softened
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1/2 cup/125ml/4flozs. milk
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1/2 cup/45g/1.6ozs grated parmesan
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1 tablespoon chilli flakes (or to taste, mine are mild)
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2 cups/240g/8ozs. mozzarella or tasty cheese, grated
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1/2 cup/45g/1.6ozs. parmesan cheese, grated
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Fresh basil and parsley to sprinkle on afterwards
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 220C/440F and have a medium sized baking dish with high sides ready. Mix the tomato pasta sauce, tomato paste and grated garlic together and spread most of it on the base of the baking dish (reserving around half a cup).
Step 2 - Boil the gnocchi for 1 minute less than the packet says (usually gnocchi takes 3 minutes to cook so cook it for 2 minutes) and scoop the gnocchi out into the baking dish. Add mushrooms to the pot for around 15 seconds and then drain and add on top of the gnocchi.
Step 3 -Then blend the cream cheese, milk and first lot of parmesan together in a food processor (you can also do this with a whisk and bowl but just heat cream cheese in the microwave until soft and whiskable) to form a quick bechamel sauce and spread over the gnocchi. Add the remaining pasta sauce and chilli flakes. Then top with extra mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake for 10 minutes then brown under the grill for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and parsley.