TODAY Food Club

My Italian grandmother's zucchini and tomatoes were a Sunday dinner staple when I was a kid, and she always made extra, just for me. As I'm bringing up my own family now, I've combined her classic side dish with tender potato gnocchi and fresh mozzarella cheese, and created a baked gnocchi main dish that my family loves, and I'm pretty sure my grandmother would be proud of.

Baked Gnocchi with Zucchini and Tomatoes

• Yield: 6
• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cooking Time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 3 cups zucchini, sliced
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with Italian spices (basil, garlic, oregano)
• 1 (17 oz.) package storebought gnocchi
• 1 (8 oz.) ball fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed

Preparation

1. Preheat your oven to 350*.
2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic. Saute until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes, and add sliced zucchini. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes more. Add the can of tomatoes and stir to combine. Cover the pan, reduce the heat, and let the mixture simmer while you prepare the gnocchi.
3. Prepare the gnocchi according to the package and drain.
4. Before adding the gnocchi, add salt and pepper to the zucchini mixture to taste. Carefully stir the gnocchi into the zucchini mixture and let simmer together for one minute. Remove from the heat.
5. Place half of the gnocchi mixture into a 2 quart baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Take half of the cubes of cheese and arrange them on top of the gnocchi mixture. Layer the remaining gnocchi on top of the cheese and then arrange the remaining cheese over that layer of gnocchi.
6. Bake, uncovered, at 350* for 25 minutes. Turn the broiler of your oven on and broil, watching carefully, for 2-3 minutes until the top begins to brown.
7. ENJOY!

Recipe Tags

• Comfort Food
• Italian
• Entree