Gnocchi alla Sorrentia with Melted Cheese. An easy and quick-to-make traditional dish from the Campania region, rich and tasty, ideal for lunch.
My recipe is faithful to the original: just prepare a delicious tomato and basil sauce to immerse the gnocchi in.
You can buy them ready-made or make them at home if you have some extra time, for example, on the weekend.
If you want to make truly special gnocchi alla sorrentina, well, then you must make the gnocchi at home. I assure you it’s easier than you might think; you just need to buy the right potatoes and have an hour to spend in the kitchen, but it’s worth it, guaranteed!
Then enrich them by mixing in cubes of mozzarella and grated cheese and proceed with the gratin, using the same ingredients.
Yes, because this exquisite first course is completed in the oven, where its soft and melted heart is covered by a crunchy and delicious crust, making it truly irresistible!
After cooking and seasoning them, you bake them in a typical earthenware pan, the “pignatiello,” but you can easily use an oven-safe skillet or a simple baking dish.
The gnocchi with melted cheese from Sorrento are a triumph of Mediterranean flavors. A rich first course that we can serve piping hot at our Sunday lunches with family or friends.
Are you already salivating? Come on, try making them and let me know if you liked them!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs potatoes (weight when cooked)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- salt
- 1 tomato passata (750 ml bottle)
- 7 oz fiordilatte (or provola or buffalo mozzarella)
- as needed parmigiano
- leaves basil
- 1 clove garlic
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Tools
- Pot
- Pastry Board
- Potato Masher
- Gnocchi Board
- Casserole
- Food Scales
Steps for Gnocchi alla Sorrentia with Melted Cheese
Place a pan on the stove with a drizzle of oil and brown the whole garlic clove until it starts to turn golden, then remove the garlic from the oil.
Add the tomato passata to the pan and break the basil leaves into it; let it cook for a few minutes over low heat.In the meantime, cut the mozzarella into small cubes and place it in a colander to drain.
Here’s the recipe for homemade gnocchi; another option is to buy them. You can find them fresh at the refrigerated counter.
Here’s the recipe:
First, cook the potatoes.
Wash and boil the potatoes with the skin on in salted water.
When the potatoes are cooked and still warm, remove the skin and mash them on a floured surface.
At this point, add the egg and adjust the salt.
Knead well until you get a homogeneous, compact dough without lumps.
“The amount of flour may vary depending on the quality and moisture of the potatoes.”
Divide the dough and form logs about 1 inch in diameter each.
With a knife or a scraper, cut the logs into small pieces.
Quickly roll them over a gnocchi board to give them the classic shape.
(You can score each gnocco with the help of a fork or the appropriate tool, or simply leave them smooth). Personal tastes.
Place the prepared gnocchi on a lightly floured surface, using semolina flour.
When the water comes to a boil, add the gnocchi.
When they float to the surface, you can drain them and season them with the tomato and basil sauce.
(To drain the gnocchi, use a slotted spoon).
Divide the gnocchi into 4 single-serving baking dishes; pour the seasoned tomato passata over them with basil and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with grated Parmesan, and add the mozzarella cubes.
Tip: (Make layers of gnocchi, mozzarella, and grated cheese).
Place the dishes with Sorrento-style gnocchi in the oven preheated to the maximum power of your oven for 5 minutes.(If you have an air fryer, you can use it; it’s faster, saves time, and you don’t need to preheat it as it’s already hot).
Once cooking is complete, serve the gnocchi hot at the table.
Enjoy your meal
Tips
The quality of the ingredients is crucial for the perfect success of Gnocchi alla Sorrentina; therefore, the advice is to use fresh tomato passata and high-quality Campanian mozzarella, along with fresh basil leaves, preferably picked directly from the plant.
If you can’t dedicate yourself to making gnocchi, you can easily use store-bought ones and follow the same recipe procedure.
To give your surface an even more golden crust, you can finish cooking the gnocchi by setting the oven to grill mode for a few minutes.
For an even stronger flavor, you can add some pecorino cheese along with the Parmesan.
To savor your plate of Gnocchi alla Sorrentina in the most authentic way, enjoy them in the “pignatiello,” the typical earthenware pan, which will guarantee a unique flavor and keep them at the right temperature!
Storage
Ideally, gnocchi alla sorrentina should be consumed immediately after preparation, but you can store them in the refrigerator for two days covered with plastic wrap.
You can freeze the freshly made raw gnocchi (first spread out on a tray and then transferred to a food bag) or the already prepared dish.
Notes
For the best Gnocchi alla Sorrentia with melted cheese, it’s better to use white-fleshed potatoes, rich in starch and a bit aged, as they contain less water. This way, you can also use less flour during kneading.
It’s not recommended to use new potatoes because they are watery and would release moisture into the flour. Once mashed, the potatoes should be mixed very quickly with the flour, just long enough to compact the dough.
Working the dough too much will cause the potatoes to release water. Remember that the correct ratio for gnocchi with the perfect consistency that melts in your mouth and not in the water is 1 kg of cooked potatoes to 250/300 g of flour.
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FAQ (Questions and Answers)
I don’t have a potato masher, what can I use?
You can use a food mill or alternatively a fork.
Could the mozzarella release water?
You can leave the mozzarella to drain before using it to prevent it from releasing too much water during cooking.
