Gnocchi and Red Sauce
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Quick and easy Gnocchi and Red Sauce is a tasty meatless meal with big, bold, creamy flavor and ready in just 30 minutes.
For more delicious Italian recipes like this creamy, dreamy dish, check out my posts for One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta, One Pot Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta, and Creamy Sausage Pasta.
Why This Recipe Works
Great substitute for pasta: Gnocchi makes a great option if you are sick of pasta or want to try something new. You can serve gnocchi with a tasty sauce, like in this recipe, or in my Chicken and Mushroom Gnocchi Skillet. In a soup like this copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup, or in just about any recipe where you would typically put pasta.
Quick cooking: Gnocchi only take about 2-4 minutes to cook, so this gnocchi and sauce is a great choice if you’re short on time.
Ingredients
Gnocchi: Any kind of plain gnocchi for this gnocchi and red sauce recipe will do.
Fire roasted crushed tomatoes: I love the taste of fire roasted crushed tomatoes but you can also use non-flavored crushed tomatoes or plain diced tomatoes too.
Heavy cream: Mixing together heavy cream with chicken broth makes for a wonderfully creamy, flavorful sauce.
Fresh herbs: Serving this dish with fresh herbs like thyme or basil makes the dish look high-end and fancy but you don’t have to use fresh herbs. You can also just sprinkle the dish with a dash of dried thyme or basil.
How to Make It
- Cook the gnocchi: Bring water to a boil and add the gnocchi to cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Drain and toss: When the gnocchi is done cooking, drain it in a strainer and then toss the gnocchi with a little olive oil so it doesn’t stick together.
- Sautee the gnocchi: Melt butter in a large skillet, then add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Then add the strained gnocchi and dried herbs and cook it all together, till the gnocchi starts to brown on the edges.
- Keep gnocchi warm: Put the gnocchi in a bowl and cover to keep warm.
- Make the sauce: To the same skillet you sauteed the gnocchi, add the tomatoes, sauce, and broth and bring it to a simmer over medium heat.
- Add the cream: Add the heavy cream, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper, and let this simmer for a few minutes till it’s reduced and creamy.
- Finish gnocchi with tomato sauce: Add the gnocchi to the sauce, then add more salt and pepper if desired. Garnish with fresh herbs and/or grated parmesan and serve.
Expert Tips + Tricks
- Add on the garlic. If you love garlic, feel free to add more to the sauce or sprinkle a little garlic powder over the top of the dish before eating.
- Make creamier sauce. If you’d like a creamier sauce, put another ¼ cup of heavy cream into the sauce before simmering.
FAQs
Gnocchi is a type of pasta, but instead of being made with flour, eggs, and water, it’s made with a dough from cooked, mashed potatoes, egg, and flour.
The term “Gnocchi” means “lumps” in Italian, and, well, they do look like lumps of pasta for sure. They only take a few minutes to cook, and when they do, they have a pillowy, light, fluffy texture. I can taste the potato in them just slightly, but I’m maybe only because I know what they are made of.
Although they are not your typical pasta, they are “lumped” together with the pastas both in the general cooking vernacular and in the grocery store. Though you can also find them in the refrigerated and frozen sections too, where you’ll find those types of premade pastas (like ravioli or tortellini).
No matter which gnocchi you choose (fresh, dried, chilled, or frozen), I think you’ll agree nothing beats a good gnocchi in butter sauce, or gnocchi in cream sauce, or gnocchi in tomato sauce…okay I think you get my point. (*Wipes drool.)
Although recipes vary, the general consensus is to peel and boil potatoes in salted water. You’ll cook them for about 15 minutes, until they are tender and firm, much like you would for mashed potatoes (for a great mashed potato recipe, check out this Garlic Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes.) But you don’t want to whip the potatoes, instead you’ll drain them, let them cool to room temperature and then mash them with a fork or potato masher so that they are mashed but not whipped. You still want some texture and small lumps.
From there, you’ll add the mashed potatoes to flour and egg in a bowl and knead it all together like you would any other pasta you’re making from scratch. Once you have it all kneaded together, form it into a ball and flatten it slightly. Cut thin slices into the dough lengthwise, about one-inch apart. Take each section and shape it into a long rope (careful to not make it too thin), and cut the ropes into individual pieces, about half an inch wide.
While this gnocchi and sauce recipe is my favorite, you can truly use any red sauce, pesto sauce, alfredo, or any sauce you like with gnocchi!
Recipes to Try Next
- Stuffed Shells – creamy and comforting.
- Baked Feta Tomato Pasta – this ultimate comfort meal practically makes itself.
- Creamy Sun‑Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta – warm up your weeknight dinner with this rich and cozy dish!
- One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta Recipe – all your favorite flavors, cooked in just one pan (less cleanup, more yum!)
When you make this recipe, snap a photo and tag me on social – I love connecting with you and seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Gnocchi and Red Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound gnocchi
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 15-ounce can fire roasted crushed , or diced tomatoes
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- ½ teaspoon dried Italian herb blend , or Herbs de Provence
- ½ cup chicken broth , or water
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ¼-½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- fresh thyme, basil, and grated parmesan for serving, optional
Instructions
Cook the Gnocchi
- Fill a pot with about 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil.
- Add gnocchi, boil for 2-3 minutes until gnocchi floats. Drain, then toss gnocchi with 2 teaspoons olive oil to keep it from sticking together.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add gnocchi and dried herbs, and saute 2-4 minutes until gnocchi begins browning on the edges.
- Transfer gnocchi to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
Make the Sauce
- Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and broth to the skillet over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
- Stir in heavy cream, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Simmer 4-5 minutes until sauce is reduced and creamy.
- Stir in gnocchi, taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with thyme or basil and freshly grated parmesan and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Trying to find more meatless meals that are still filling and yummy – this one is both!
Happy to help! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
This is definitely THE BEST recipe I’ve ever tried – the sauce is amazing, it has the umami and it’s soooo easy to make. I always add more heavy cream than the recipe calls for, but I also use 1.5lb gnocchi (otherwise in my opinion there is too much sauce vs gnocchi). Thank you for that recipe and for everybody else – don’t be afraid to try it!
This was an awsome sauce. Loved it. Thanks for sharing
Tastes great! Forgot the garlic so I had to add garlic powder after mixing but it worked out fine. Only thing I’m not a fan of I’d how liquidy it is but that’s an easy fix.
This is SO delicious and easy! I left out the heavy cream and it was still so amazing.
This was incredible!!! We devoured it!
I just made this sauce for the bag of gnocchi I got at the grocery store and it was absolutely amazing! Definitely will make again!
Omg! Best sauce ever! I’m gonna use this in everything!
I made this and it was tasty! I added 3/4 lbs cooked ground beef. I also used the tip & added some extra heavy cream. Was delish & simple! Great for a weeknight meal. Would make again!
Awesome!! Thanks for sharing, Kristy! Sounds delicious 🙂
Being snowed in today and wanting to make a sausage and pasta dish that has a cream sauce I have found that I DO not have any heavy cream on hand. I do, however, have a jar of devonshire cream, which I’ve never experienced cooking with or even using. Can I use this in place of heavy cream in my pasta dish with any success? I Don’t want to take a chance of ruining it so need some feedback as soon as possible. Many thanks!
Hey Meg! To be honest, I have not used Devonshire cream before. I wish I was able to provide more input on that! I’d love to hear what you end up doing/how it turns out though!