Creamy Mascarpone Tomato Gnocchi - Vanguard of Hollywood (2024)

5 from 4 votes

For the sauce:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 16 oz cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed (literally, just give them each a good smash with your knife!)
• 1 pinch of pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 Tbsp pine nuts
• 2 Tbsp Parmesan, freshly ground (omit to keep vegan)
• 3 Tbsp mascarpone, substitute with cream cheese if needed, or with vegan cream cheese to keep this dish vegan
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• ½ cup water

Everything else:

• 28 oz gnocchi
• Basil, torn or chiffonade (see note below)
• Additional Parmesan, for serving

Make the sauce

• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil for just under a minute over medium heat. Now add the tomatoes, garlic, ½tsp sea salt, and pepper to the skillet.

• Cook over medium heat for 7-8 minutes, until the tomatoes release their juices and begin to break down.

Start the gnocchi

• If you are up for multi-tasking, now is a great time to start the gnocchi, and make this an under 30 minute meal. Simply put the gnocchi in a big pot of water. Make sure that the water covers the gnocchi by at least two inches.

• Turn the heat up to high, and just keep checking back on the gnocchi as you finish preparing the sauce. The gnocchi is done cooking when all the gnocchi rise to the top of the pot. (See photo in article above.)

• Gnocchi is (usually) done about three minutes after the water has come to a boil. But it can vary, so just keep checking back on the pot.

Finish cooking the tomatoes

• Back to the tomatoes. Turn the heat down to low and cook for another 5 minutes.

• Turn the heat off, and very carefully transfer the tomato mixture to your food processor.

Process the sauce

• Now add the pine nuts, Parmesan, and remaining ½ tsp sea salt to the tomato mixture in the food processor.

• Pulse everything a few times, then process for a few minutes until the mixture is pretty smooth. There will still be a little texture.

• Transfer the sauce back to the skillet, and set aside until the gnocchi finishes cooking.

Finish cooking the gnocchi

• If you multitasked with the gnocchi, it’s probably just about finished cooking at this point. If you haven’t started cooking the gnocchi, now is the time to start. Just follow the directions for gnocchi above.

• When the gnocchi has finished cooking, strain it.

Bring it all together

• Back to the skillet with the sauce. Turn the heat on to medium and add the ½ cup water and 2 tsp tomato paste. Stir until the water and tomato paste are fully incorporated into the sauce.

• Once the water and tomato paste are completely mixed in, add the strained gnocchi to the pan, along with the 3 Tbsp of mascarpone.

• Keep the heat on medium, and stir everything together. Continue stirring gently until the mascarpone has completely melted into the sauce, and the sauce evenly coats the gnocchi.

Serve and enjoy!

• Taste, then stir a little basil into the dish, if desired.

• Serve this Creamy Mascarpone Tomato Gnocchi alone or with some greens, and top each serving with more basil and Parmesan. This gnocchi pairs well with my Champagne Vinaigrette Salad.

This dish is vegetarian.

This dish is vegan if you omit the Parmesan, and use vegan cream cheese in place of the mascarpone.

This dish is gluten-free if you use gluten-free gnocchi.

If using cheese in the gnocchi, be sure to use freshly ground Parmesan. You can easily grind it up in your food processor. Read all about the benefits of freshly ground or grated cheese here.

Pair this Creamy Mascarpone Tomato Gnocchi with my Champagne Vinaigrette Salad.

If you would like to chiffonade your basil, check out my easy photo tutorial here.