How to make Sorrentinas Gnocchi

Gnocchi alla sorrentina, a traditional Italian dish that originated in the Sorrento region of Italy. It is made with potatoes, flour, and eggs, and topped with a tomato and mozzarella cheese sauce.

Gnocchi: a pasta formula

The origins of gnocchi can be traced back to ancient Rome, where it was made with semolina flour and water. Essentially just a mix of flour and water cooked in boiling water. It’s still possible to find tracks of this kind of gnocchi still in some pasta shape. The most similar testimony of this passage for sure the Mallureddus in Sardinia called for that reason Gnocchetti Sardi in Italy nowadays. Or just thinking the Knodel popular in all of central Europe to understand how old is this formula to make pasta.

Yes, definitely this popular recipe is known from ancient times in many places in the world.

Potatoes Gnocchi and Napoli

If you like us love old recipes, and the history of that, you will find Napoli like one of the most active and creative cities for recipes and food combinations…are you thinking about Pizza? Yes, only in a crazy city like Naples…

The potato-based gnocchi that we know today was introduced in the 16th century in the region of Campania, Italy where we find the first reported recipe in Vincenzo Corrado book: Il Cuoco Galante.

Moving some steps more we arrive here, at the specific recipe for gnocchi alla sorrentina, it is believed to have originated in the early 20th century in the Sorrento region.

In to the Southern Italy combination of Tomato sauce and Cheese, we found this dish made by cooking the gnocchi in boiling salted water until they float to the surface, and then tossing them in the sauce made from crushed peeled tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil before bake for 10 minutes. Simple and delicious.

Gnocchi alla Sorrentina Recipe:

To make gnocchi alla sorrentina at home, you will need the following ingredients 2 persons:

  • 1 pound of potatoes
  • 1 cup of flour
  • 1 egg
  • Salt
  • 1 can of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup of mozzarella cheese
  • Fresh basil leaves
  • a spring onion
  • some grated pecorino or parmigiano

To begin, peel and boil the potatoes until they are tender. Once they are cool enough to handle, mash them, better with a potato riser masher and after mix in the flour and egg to form a dough. Roll the dough into small balls and then roll them over the tines of a fork to create the traditional gnocchi shape.

Next, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the gnocchi. Cook until they float to the surface, about 3-4 minutes. In the meantime, heat the crushed tomatoes in a separate pan and add salt and basil to taste.

Once the gnocchi are cooked, drain them and add them to the pan with the tomato sauce. Top with mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with fresh basil. Put in the oven just time to melt the mozzarella. Serve hot.

Gnocchi alla sorrentina is a delicious and classic Italian dish that is sure to be a hit with the whole family. Whether you are an experienced cook or new to the kitchen, this recipe is easy to follow and yields delicious results. Do you want to cook online with us? Just subscribe to our newsletter, often we do Sorrentinas Gnocchi!