A vegan creamy tomato sauce and homemade gnocchi come together in this rich and decadent dish, perfect for date night or any weeknight dinner!
I love the sensuous experience of biting into a single piece of gnocchi. It’s like biting into a perfectly puffy pillow. That paired with a creamy tomato sauce that’s the perfect terracotta color, makes each bite sufficient on its own. I don’t know about you, but I can devour a bowl of pasta in seconds, but there’s something about this Creamy Tomato Gnocchi that has me enjoying each piece, chewing slowly, and allowing all the flavors to come together in a total meltdown experience—like eyes roll back in your head, this is so good.
Why You’ll Love this Vegan Creamy Tomato Gnocchi Recipe
Some of the key ingredients that make this dish so indulgent are dry white wine, creamy coconut milk, and red pepper flakes for that perfect amount of spice. You can adjust the spice to your preference if you want more or less heat. You’ll be amazed how rich this dish is without even needing any addition of dairy.
You can make this Creamy Tomato Gnocchi with my homemade gnocchi recipe below, or you can use store-bought gnocchi for a quick dish that comes together in under 30 minutes!
Homemade Gnocchi Recipe
Eager to make gnocchi from scratch? Use the recipe below, but just make sure to account for the extra time it will take. It is incredibly rewarding to roll the dough, form little fluffy pillows, and create the traditional marks. This can be especially fun—and more efficient—when done with friends or family!
Plan ahead, as you’ll have to bake the russet potatoes, which can take up to one hour. Then the potatoes have to cool. It can be a bit time consuming to scoop out the potato into a bowl, so turn on your favorite podcast or show and get in the zone. You can use a fork to mash your potatoes, however I found it easiest to get my hands in there!
Once the flour, oil, and salt has been added to your bowl of potatoes, use your hands or a fork to mix everything together. Grab a handful at a time and begin rolling the ball into a cylinder, and then into a rope. The rope of dough should be about half an inch wide and the length of your cutting board.
Slice the gnocchi dough into 1-inch pieces. Repeat this process until you’ve used up all of the dough. There will be some extra flour left in your bowl.
Place a fork, round side up, on your cutting board. Roll each piece of gnocchi across the grooves of the fork. You can always skip this step!
When adding the gnocchi to the pot of boiling water, only add a large handful at a time. Again, this can be a bit of a process. I started cooking my sauce at this point to save some time.
For an easy and quick meal, simply use store-bought gnocchi. You can also swap out the gnocchi for your favorite type of pasta.
How to Make the Creamy Tomato Sauce
Start by sautéing onions and garlic in olive oil. These ingredients are essential to give the sauce a bit of punchy, fragrant flavor.
Then you’ll add the spices: salt, pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes. Don’t skip the salt. It really makes all of the sauce ingredients come to life. Pepper and oregano add a bit of zest, and the red pepper flakes bring the heat. Remember, you can scale the red pepper flakes back or add even more depending on your heat preference.
Add dry white wine to deglaze the pan. If you prefer, you can substitute the wine with vegetable broth. The wine helps release the flavors in the dish, while adding a touch of acidity.
Next you’ll stir in the tomato paste, which helps to thicken the sauce and of course bring in the tomato flavor.
The crushed tomatoes come next. This brings in the bulk of your sauce and combines perfectly with the flavor base you’ve already created. I use 14.5oz to prevent the sauce from becoming too tomato-forward.
Coconut milk adds the creaminess factor. And for those who are a little heat-sensitive, coconut milk also cools the dish a bit, making it a touch less spicy. If you like a lot of spice, you can also sprinkle in extra red pepper flakes at this time.
How to Serve Vegan Creamy Tomato Gnocchi
When ready to serve, I recommend garnishing with freshly chopped basil. I also include a quick lemon-olive oil mixture in my recipe which brightens the dish and really brings out each flavor.
This is a fairly hearty dish all on its own. You can enjoy as-is, or serve with a loaf of crusty bread. I like having bread with this creamy tomato gnocchi to dip in the extra sauce. Or, serve this gnocchi dish with garlic bread.
How to Store & Reheat
You can save your gnocchi in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days. Keep in mind, the sauce will thicken, resulting in a slightly different texture when enjoyed in the following days. Add a bit of wine or coconut milk to revive the sauce a bit when reheating!
Reheat over low heat until warmed all the way through. Alternatively, you can bring the heat up a bit higher and crisp the gnocchi a touch.
I don’t recommend freezing this recipe once it’s been combined with the gnocchi. But you could make the sauce in bulk and freeze it for later.
Did you make this recipe? Snap a pic and tag me on Instagram! I’d love to see your creation. 🙂
Creamy Tomato Gnocchi
Equipment
- High speed blender
Ingredients
Homemade Gnocchi
- 1.5 lbs russet potatoes baked, halved and cooled
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour gluten-free
- 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
Creamy Tomato Sauce
- 3 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 1/2 yellow onion minced
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes*
- 1/2 cup dry white wine*
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 14.5 ounces crushed tomatoes canned
- 1/2 cup unsweetened light coconut milk canned
- Gnocchi* homemade or store-bought
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- Fresh basil to garnish
Instructions
Homemade Gnocchi
- Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh of each potato into a large bowl. To mash the potatoes I find it easiest to use my hands, or you can use a fork.
- Add 1 teaspoon of salt, the olive oil, and flour. Use your hands to mash and mix everything together well.
- Grab a handful of the dough and begin shaping it into a cylinder-like shape. Transfer it to a cutting board and gently roll the dough into a longer, thinner, rope-like shape. Be careful not to let it get too thin. The "rope" should be about a half inch wide at least. Continue this process until there is no more space on your cutting board. Then cut one inch into each rope to create pieces of gnocchi. Do so until all of the dough on your cutting board is sliced and set aside.
- Repeat step 3 until you use up all of the dough in your bowl. There will be extra flour left in the bowl. You can take a break and move to step 5, and then finish forming the gnocchi.
- Boil a large pot of water with a 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
- Once all of the gnocchi is sliced, place a fork, rounded side face up, on your cutting board. Taking one piece of gnocchi at a time, roll the gnocchi down the fork three-quarters of the way to create the traditional look of gnocchi with grooved lines. (You can skip this process if you prefer.) Do this until the water is boiling, and then add just a handful of gnocchi to the pot of water. Be gentle, as gnocchi is fragile! Boil for 5 minutes as you continue adding grooves to each piece of remaining gnocchi.
- After 5 minutes, use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked gnocchi to a plate. Boil the next handful of gnocchi, cooking for 5 minutes. Repeat this process until all of the gnocchi is cooked. While waiting for the gnocchi to boil, and once you're done creating the grooves, you can begin the sauce following the instructions below.
Creamy Tomato Sauce
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Once warm, add the onion and cook for two minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute or two until the onions are translucent and the garlic is just beginning to brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
- Add the salt, pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Stir to evenly coat the onions and garlic. Add the white wine and stir. When the wine starts to simmer, add the tomato paste and stir. Once combined, add the crushed tomatoes. As soon as it starts to bubble, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and use a large spoon or ladle to scoop the majority (or all) of the sauce into a high-speed blender. Blend on high until the sauce is evenly puréed. Transfer back to the frying pan and return the heat to low.
- Stir in the coconut milk and the gnocchi.
- Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil with the lemon juice in a small bowl and stir.
- Serve the gnocchi with the lemon-oil mixture and fresh basil, if desired.
Notes
- Feel free to scale the red pepper flakes up if you like more heat, or use less if you prefer your dish to be more mild.
- If you prefer not to use wine, you can always substitute with vegetable broth, or just skip it.
- You can also use your favorite type of pasta with this sauce recipe.
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