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Gnocchi alla Sorrentina is an incredible Italian comfort food dish made with soft and light potato gnocchi baked in a rich and delicious tomato sauce with bubbling mozzarella cheese and fresh basil.
Gnocchi alla Sorrentina is one of my all-time favourite comfort food dishes. The soft gnocchi that are as light as air baked in an incredible tomato sauce with bubbling creamy mozzarella cheese and fresh basil is hard to beat.
This dish comes from Sorrento, Italy (hence the name alla Sorrentina) which is a beautiful coastal town close to both the Amalfi coast and Naples.
Traditionally and for the ultimate indulgence, it’s so worth making your own gnocchi from scratch, although it takes a lot more time and effort it’s fairly easy and makes this dish out of this world delicious.
But at a pinch you can certainly make Gnocchi alla Sorrentina with store-bought gnocchi which is much more realistic when making this on busy weeknights.
As always make sure to choose high-quality ingredients for best results, Buon Appetitio!
Ingredients you need
The ingredients are super simple, everyday staples but there are some key tips to bear in mind.
- Gnocchi – we have a step by step guide for making incredible potato gnocchi which I totally recommend following to make this dish. If you don’t have time then go for a good-quality brand, I like De Cecco gnocchi.
- Tomatoes – I used canned pomodorini (cherry tomatoes) because I love their sweetness and they look beautiful. You can also use crushed tomatoes or passata (crushed strained tomatoes) as long as they are high-quality. During the summer this dish is a great way to use up fresh ripe tomatoes.
- Garlic – you must use fresh garlic in this recipe it’s super important.
- Mozzarella – use balls of mozzarella and not pre-grated. Make sure to pat the mozzarella dry with kitchen paper to avoid excess moisture oozing out over the baked gnocchi.
- Basil – you don’t need a lot but fresh basil is a must, don’t use dried.
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Pin ItHow to make Gnocchi alla Sorrentina – step by step
If making your own potato gnocchi follow this step by step guide alternatively use store bought.
To make the sauce, saute the garlic in a little olive oil in a large pan or skillet.
Add the canned pomodorini tomatoes with a good pinch of salt and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes breaking up the tomatoes enough so they burst open. Once simmered add some mozzarella and basil and stir to combine.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the gnocchi until they float to the surface.
Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and add to the tomato sauce, toss to coat. If your pan or skillet is not oven-proof then transfer the gnocchi to an oven-proof baking dish.
Top the gnocchi with more mozzarella and bake for 20 minutes until the mozzarella cheese is melted, bubbling and golden.
Top tips and recipe FAQs
- Gnocchi – To make your own homemade gnocchi follow this guide.
- Tomatoes – High-quality tomatoes are important or you may end up with a very acidic sauce. If you can’t find pomodorini (cherry tomatoes) you can use crushed tomatoes or passata (crushed strained tomatoes).
- Baking – Make sure to pre-heat your oven and that it’s on a high heat so the mozzarella melts without overcooking the gnocchi.
You can prepare the sauce in advance, keep it in the fridge then reheat it and add the gnocchi when you are ready to bake it.
Yes, you can freeze leftover gnocchi alla sorrentina just make sure to thaw it completely before reheating.
More gnocchi recipes you might like
- Ricotta Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage
- Salsa di Noci – Walnut Sauce
- Pesto Gnocchi
- Easy Ricotta Gnocchi with Broccoli Cream Sauce
- Pan Fried Gnocchi with Rosemary
If you’ve tried this Gnocchi alla Sorrentina Recipe or any other recipe on the blog please let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
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Gnocchi alla Sorrentina
Ingredients
- 1 lb potato gnocchi, see note 1 (500g)
- 28 oz canned pomodorini tomatoes, can also use crushed tomatoes (800g)
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 large handful fresh basil
- 8.8 oz mozzarella, roughly chopped or torn (2 balls / 250g)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to season
Instructions
- If making your own potato gnocchi follow this step by step guide alternatively use store bought.
- Pre-heat the oven to 430F/220C.
- Heat the olive oil to a large skillet, add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes until fragrant but not browned.
- Next, add the canned pomodorini tomatoes with a good pinch of salt and pepper and simmer the sauce for 10 minutes breaking up the tomatoes enough so they burst open. Once simmered add half of the mozzarella (roughly chopped) and basil then stir to combine.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the gnocchi until they float to the surface.
- Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and add to the tomato sauce, toss to coat. If your pan or skillet is not oven-proof then transfer the gnocchi to an oven-proof baking dish.
- Top the gnocchi with the rest of the mozzarella and bake for 20 minutes until the mozzarella cheese is melted, bubbling and golden.
Video
Notes
- Gnocchi – To make your own homemade gnocchi follow this guide.
- Tomatoes – High-quality tomatoes are important or you may end up with a very acidic sauce. If you can’t find pomodorini (cherry tomatoes) you can use crushed tomatoes or passata (crushed strained tomatoes).
- Baking – Make sure to pre-heat your oven and that it’s on a high heat so the mozzarella melts without overcooking the gnocchi.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Lucky enough to eat this in Sorrento this month instead of the usual North London, and thought it was about time the kids tried it on our return home. As there are 2 very tall and hungry males to feed I used 1kg gnocchi and didn’t reduce the tomatoes (2 tins Mutti cherry) too much so there would be enough sauce. It was quite soupy but delicious – 4 clean plates!
Would it be possible to make the main dish up to the point that it’s all assembled and the gnocchi coated in sauce, and then refrigerate it for a few hours before adding the remaining cheese and baking in the oven? I have guests coming over for a 4:00 meeting, and we won’t eat until 6 or 6:30. I would prefer to not have to be cooking/assembling the dish while they are there, if I could instead just pop the assembled dish into the oven 20 or 30 minutes before we want to eat.
Hi Marny, Sorry for the late reply. I would just make the sauce in advance then cook the gnocchi last minute just because I think the gnocchi will go really soft if left in the sauce for too long.
This is a great recipe. Minimal effort. It’s in my rotation when I don’t want to cook on a weekday night. Delicious and comforting. Add a salad or a vege. Done!
Where do you buy these cherry tomatoes? I looked on amazon and they were 20 dollars for one 400g can. |:
Also Thank you so much, I recently got into cooking and I would get all of my meal ideas from youtube, and your recipes made me love Italian food. So far I have made about ten of these recipes.
Hi Nolan, wow, that is a ridiculous amount of money for one can of tomatoes! I can buy canned cherry tomatoes in my local supermarkets but if they’re not available to you you can use crushed tomatoes or even passata (tomato puree). Make sure to buy a good quality brand as it makes all of the difference. I use Mutti or Cirio but I’ve also heard good things about Cento tomatoes although I don’t have access to them to try them out. So happy you are following along and enjoying our recipes!
it is actually astonishing that this can be a ‘leftovers’ recipe. Yesterday I made minestrone for lunch, and had a steak & ale pie for supper with mashed potatoes, carrots and calabrese.
So today, I had some leftover mashed potatoes, leftover tinned tomatoes . . . . and about a third of a ball of mozzarella in the freezer.
I live alone, so for 1 meal I worked 50g of plain flour (no egg) into 150g mashed potato, formed into gnocchi and boiled. Had previously thickened the tomatoes over a very low flame with a lump of butter and a shallot. Put gnocchi in a buttered oven dish, added a little freshly-grated parmesan, spooned over the tomato sauce, tucked in the cubed mozzarella here and there, and put in a hot oven.
A jolly good weeknight ‘leftovers’ meal!
Wow, I love this Gavin, what a creative way to use up leftovers. Sounds delicious!
Thanks for sharing this mouthwatering recipe! Can I use fresh roma tomatoes from my garden? Or must it be cherry tomatoes?
Yes, of course, use your fresh roma tomatoes to make a sauce that’ll be delicious!
Surprised how this can be so delicious with such minimal ingredients and effort. Will be making this again and again!
Had a hunger to create this ourselves after having this dish whilst travelling in Sorrento. The recipe is akin to eating this is one of the charming restaurants there, very impressed and will try to incorporate this as a new staple. Thank you for this!
great recipe!! Easy to follow and it gave me the chance to use my newly collected basil from my new herb garden!!
Thank you, I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Oooh! How tasty does this look! Takes me back to the gnocchi I had in Sorrento! Can’t wait to make this…and soon!