Gnocchi with Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

This gnocchi dish is surprisingly simple to make, yet tastes like a dish you would order at a restaurant. It is great as the main or as a side dish.

A bowl of gnocchi in a cream sauce.

We love pasta and enjoy mixing it up with different shapes. Gnocchi, while not technically a pasta, is delicious and a great option if you love pasta. My favourite way to serve pasta is with a creamy sauce with sun dried tomatoes, garlic and parmesan cheese. So good!

The sun dried tomato cream sauce is silky smooth and has a delicate flavour that matches the gnocchi perfectly. Simple to make, with few ingredients, this whole meal can be made in less than 30 minutes. It is a great weeknight meal.

A pasta bowl of gnocchi with parsley sprinkled on top.

How To Make The Cream Sauce

Cut the sun dried tomatoes into thin slices. Melt the butter a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the sliced tomatoes. Cook, stirring often for 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for one minute more.

Pour in the cream as well as the salt and pepper. Once the cream is close to coming to a boil, reduce heat to low and stir in the parmesan cream. Simmer for a for 4-7 minutes more.

Expert Tip! If the sun dried tomatoes are dried, it is important to rehydrate them prior to making the cream sauce. Soak them in warm water for 30 minutes, or until they are soft and pliable.

Close up picture of a plate of gnocchi.

How To Cook Gnocchi

Cooking gnocchi is very easy and if you have cooked pasta, then you know exactly how to cook gnocchi. Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Make sure that there is a lot more water than there is gnocchi, since they will absorb a lot of the water, during cooking.

Once the water is boiling, add the gnocchi and stir. Cook until they are soft and tender. The amount of time that it takes to cook gnocchi can vary depending on how fresh they are. Most packages will tell you how long to boil the gnocchi. I find that 3-5 minutes is how long it takes for the gnocchi to be cooked through. Very fresh gnocchi, or homemade gnocchi usually cooks faster.

Drain the gnocchi and stir in the sauce. Make sure not to rinse the gnocchi since the starch allows the sauce to cling to the gnocchi.

Gnocchi in a round pasta bowl.

Even though it doesn’t seem difficult to make, I have never tried to make gnocchi from scratch. That will be my next endeavor with gnocchi. The store bought gnocchi was still delicious, light and fluffy.

More Pasta Dishes

If you are looking for more pasta ideas for dinner, then check out these recipes!

Gnocchi with Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Gnocchi in a round pasta bowl.
4.58 out of 5
7 reviews
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A recipe simple cream sauce for potato gnocchi that can easily be made on a weeknight after work. The sun dried tomatoes give great flavour and the parmesan cheese and cream make the sauce silky smooth.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds gnocchi
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
  • 3 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1 1/2 cup 10% cream (half and half)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 3/4 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • If the sun dried tomatoes are dry and hard then they need to be rehydrated. Soak them in warm water for 30 minutes, or until soft and pliable. Drain.
  • Cut the sun dried tomatoes into thin slices.
  • Melt butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the sun dried tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes to bring out the flavour in the tomatoes.
  • Stir in the minced garlic and cook for just under a minute. Once you can smell the aroma from the garlic, stir in the cream, salt and pepper.
  • Heat up the sauce just to the boiling point. Once the cream is just about to boil, lower the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese. Simmer on very low heat for 4-7 minutes.
  • While the sauce is simmering, boil the gnocchi according to the directions on the package. Drain, but do NOT rinse the gnocchi. The starch helps the sauce cling to the gnocchi.
  • Stir the gnocchi with the sauce until evenly coated.
  • Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Per serving:

Calories: 573kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 14gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 978mgFiber: 5gSugar: 5g

Nutrition Disclaimer

Categories

A bowl of gnocchi in a cream sauce.

Did you try this recipe?

Leave a comment and let me know how it turned out. Or, take a picture to share on Instagram and tag me @theblackpeppercorn.

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Recipe Rating




13 comments

  • 5 stars
    This recipe was amazing I can’t believe how much flavour there is with only a few ingredients. Will definitely be making again 😁

    • Reply
  • 5 stars
    I am going to give this a try! I thought one 14 oz package would be enough for 3 people but maybe not.
    I love the Costco gnocchi, Comes in 2 pack but they don’t always have it. It is called Maffei Italian gnocchi 28 oz total for the two bags. Very inexpensive and very good. I have had some of the supermarket ones fall apart and be bland so I stick with the Maffei brand.
    A friend told me she made gnocchi and it was an awful mess and not easy. Then I was telling her story to a cooking class teacher who was Italian and she said it is not easy so I am certainly not going to try it. They are inexpensive enough to just buy them!

    • Reply
  • This looks so delicious and creamy! It’ll make a great weeknight meal, too, since it’s fairly simple and quick. This is a keeper!

    • Reply
  • This looks divine, so rich and flavorful! I love sun dried tomatoes as well. Pinned for later. I found you at What’s Cookin Wednesday!

    • Reply
  • I just found a pack of sun dried tomatoes in the pantry the other day. I know what I want to make for dinner.

    Thanks for sharing on #TastyTuesdays

    • Reply
  • This looks really delicious. My grandmother used to make her own gnocchi but I haven’t given it a try. Is there a frozen brand you would recommend?

    • Reply
    • Hmm – not sure about a particular brand. I usually just pick up a bag that looks good in my local grocery store. I really need to learn how to make fresh gnocchi sometime!

      • Reply
  • 4 stars
    made this for dinner and my 16 year old brother who gave it 4 stars. all the flavors go really well together and it was really quick and easy to make.

    • Reply
  • 5 stars
    I made this tonight for dinner. It was delicious!! I used fat free evaporated milk (thickened with flour) instead of cream. It was so good. I’m definitely making this again. 😀

    • Reply
  • 5 stars
    Really loved this recipe and it not being a tomato red sauce but much more subtle – made a real change from pesto, will definitely be cooking again.

    • Reply
  • 4 stars
    Steve,
    This Gnocchi looks amazing! I’d love for you to share this, and any other recipes, at my weekly Creative Thursday Link Party at: www.michellestastycreations.com. Have a great day 🙂
    Michelle

    I don’t know why but the “rate this recipe” wouldn’t let me fill in the 5th star, but I would definitely rate this a 5!

    • Reply
  • Mmm gnocchi are the best. I prefer them over flour pasta even.

    • Reply
  • Love this combination of flavors.

    • Reply

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