The Cheesiest Gnocchi Sorrentina

a plate of gnocchi sorrentina, a traditional Italian dish made with marinara sauce

The cheese pull went for miles on this baby! Talk about comfort food. This will be the tastiest Gnocchi Sorrentina you’ve ever had, and it’s so incredibly easy to make.

It Doesn’t Get Better Than This!

We all know how brutally cold Boston can get. After a long day of work and commuting in the cold, you’d rather light yourself on fire than go home and spend hours cooking. Lucky for you, this delicious Gnocchi Sorrentina is the perfect solution—and comfort food—for this issue.

You really can’t get any better than melted cheese on top of a delicious bed of potato gnocchi, coated in marinara sauce. I mean talk about the most mouthwatering thing you’ve ever heard of.

Gnocchi has been around for ages, since the 15th century. In fact, the earliest versions of potato gnocchi are pasta’s predecessors. People have been enjoying this dish for a really long time.

Our recipe for Gnocchi Sorrentina only uses five ingredients and is ready in under ten minutes, the same time it takes to make a grilled cheese sandwich. It’s really that quick.

Let the pros show you how it’s done!

Ingredients:

Gnocchi: This is entirely up to you and how much you want to make. In our video, we used about ¾ of a pound.

Jarred Marinara Sauce: Part of what makes this dish so simple is the use of regular jarred marinara sauce. Use your favorite, or click here to try some of ours!

Fresh Mozzarella: This is the perfect cheese for this dish.  You’ll love the way it melts into the gnocchi and marinara.

Grated Romano Cheese: What’s an Italian dish without grated cheese?

Fresh Basil: Make sure to use fresh basil and slice into thin ribbons.

*Don’t feel like reading? It’s okay! The YouTube video on this recipe is linked below!

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the water is boiled, put your gnocchi in and cook until gnocchi floats to the surface. That’s how you know it’s cooked all the way through!

When the gnocchi are put into the boiling water, heat up your marinara sauce in a large pan. We recommend using a lot of sauce, about 1 ½ -2 cups depending on how saucy you want your gnocchi.

When the gnocchi are finished cooking, put them into a bowl with a bit of the sauce and toss to coat. Add some grated cheese and toss around.

Gnocchi Sorrentina-gnocchi prep

Put ½ gnocchi and sauce into a bowl. Tear up some of that mozzarella cheese with your hands, and cover the surface with it. Add some more sauce. Repeat with another layer of gnocchi, cheese, and sauce. You can throw some basil on top of it too.

Gnocchi Sorrentina-on a plate

Toss this into a 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. The melted cheese is an absolute game changer, and the key to this dish is to make sure it’s all melted before taking it out of the oven.

Once this is out of the oven and ready to serve, top with some more sauce, grated cheese, and basil. Mangia mangia!

FAQS:

Q: Can I use grated parmesan instead of romano?

A: Absolutely, it will achieve the same effect. We actually have written an article on how to find which one works best for you, check it out here.

Q: Are there other types of gnocchi that I could use with this dish?

A: Of course! There are many different types of gnocchi. This dish would work really nicely with Semolina gnocchi or Canederli (bread) gnocchi, to name a few.

Q: Remind me again, how do I know when the gnocchis are done cooking?

A: Very simply—they will float right to the top!

Q: Can I use a different type of pasta if I don’t have gnocchi?

A: Absolutely.  This dish is called Gnocchi Sorrentina, but the Sorrentina method of baking with sauce and mozzarella can be done with any pasta. Try it with fusilli!

What To Serve With Gnocchi Sorrentina:

Wine: A nice Montepulciano would be to die for with this.

Side Dish: Saute some broccoli rabe with garlic and olive oil and you’ll have a perfect side dish.

Meat: Meatballs and sausages go great with Gnocchi Sorrentina.

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a plate of gnocchi sorrentina, a traditional Italian dish made with marinara sauce

The Cheesiest Gnocchi Sorrentina


  • Author: Chuck Sillari
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1-2 servings 1x

Description

The cheese pull went for miles on this baby! Talk about comfort food. This will be the tastiest Gnocchi Sorrentina you’ve ever had, and it’s so incredibly easy to make.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 lb gnocchi
  • Your favorite Jarred marinara sauce

  • ¼ pound fresh Mozzarella

  • ½ cup grated romano cheese

  • 2 tbsp fresh basil


Instructions

  1. Heat up marinara sauce in a large saute pan.

  2. Once the gnocchi are cooked, put them in a bowl with half of the marinara sauce. Toss to coat. Add some grated cheese, toss around some more.

  3. Put half of the gnocchi in a dish. Break up the mozzarella with your hands and cover the top. Top with sauce, then repeat with another layer of gnocchi. Sprinkle grated cheese and fresh basil on top.

  4. Put into a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

  5. Add more marinara sauce, grated cheese, and basil.

  6. Enjoy!

  • Cook Time: 10 minutes

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