One of my early posts, Ricotta and Spinach Gnocchi, documents my first attempt at making gnocchi.  I had so much fun making it and the whole family liked it, so several more gnocchi attempts followed, like Yam Gnocchi and Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi (thankfully my photos have improved a little since then!). Not long ago, I decided it was time to make Ricotta and Spinach gnocchi again, since it had received a great reaction from my family before. I served it with a creamy garlic sauce and sprinkled it with parmesan cheese. I thought it was pretty fantastic but the boys wouldn’t touch it. I had plenty of leftover gnocchi, so I covered it with tomato sauce, topped it with cheese and baked it. As you can see from the above photo, it looked pretty good and I thought for sure they would eat it this time, but no such luck. They still wouldn’t eat it, but thankfully Tony was with us for that meal and he ate quite a bit of it. Between us two adults we did eventually eat up all the gnocchi for lunches over the following few days. It’s always surprising to me how inconsistent the kids are with their tastes in food. They can love something one day and hate it the next. It baffles me! My children’s tastes may change, but at least I’m fairly certain that I will always love gnocchi.

Baked Gnocchi with Chunky Tomato Sauce
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 red pepper, chopped
1 can (16 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 can (16 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 lb gnocchi (homemade or packaged)
3/4 cup grated mozarella or cheddar cheese (or combination)

In a non-stick pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and red pepper; cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, basil, oregano, salt and cheese. Simmer covered for 10 minutes. Cook gnocchi in boiling water as directed. Drain and place gnocchi in a greased baking dish. Pour tomato sauce over top. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, until bubbly and cheese begins to brown.

Creamy Garlic Sauce
2 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp cream cheese

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and saute garlic for 1 minute. Sprinkle flour onto the butter and garlic and whisk until smooth. Slowly add milk while whisking. Turn heat to high and whisk continuously until milk begins to boil and thicken. Turn heat down to medium-low. Add salt and cream cheese. Whisk until cheese has melted and fully blended with the sauce. Serve over cooked gnocchi (or pasta) with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.