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Tomato & Aubergine Gnocchi Bake

A simple tomato and aubergine gnocchi bake made using ready-made gnocchi.

Tomato & Aubergine Gnocchi Bake


Tomato & Aubergine Gnocchi Bake


This Autumnal dish can be baked in the oven or made on the cooker top.

I made it on the cooker top, but it is just as easy to pop it in the oven.

It's comfort food at it's best. I know you are going to love it.


Fried Gnocchi


I forgot to say in the recipe that I fried the gnocchi in a little butter Nigella-style before adding them to the bake. If you are vegan you could use vegan butter.

It turns them into little roast potatoes.

Of course you don't have to fry them first, you can just add them straight from the packet, but this little step is well worth taking the time over.

Aubergine or Eggplant


If you are scratching your head and wondering what an aubergine is, you are probably not from these fair isles and call them eggplants.  

Just in case!






print recipe
Tomato & Aubergine Gnocchi Bake

Tomato & Aubergine Gnocchi Bake

This rich and satisfying dish can be baked in the oven or cooked on the cooker top.
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 fat cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 aubergine, chopped into small chunks
  • 8 closed cup mushrooms, chopped
  • 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 good glug of red wine
  • 1 ball of mozzarella (or vegan mozzarella)
  • 1 x 500g packet of gnocchi (or homemade)
  • a handful of fresh basil
Instructions
1. Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until tender. 2. Stir in the aubergine and mushrooms and cook until soft.3. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree and wine. Simmer gently for 15 minutes. Then season with a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper.4. Stir the gnocchi into the sauce, then tear the mozzarella and mix it into the dish.5. Add the basil just before you serve the dish.To bake: Pre-heat the oven to 200c/180 c fan/gas mark 6. Saute the onion and garlic until soft. Stir in the chilli, then pour in the tomatoes, wine and tomato puree. Season and mix well. Mix in the gnocchi and basil. Top with the mozzarella and bake for 20-30 minutes until the mozzarella is melted and golden.
Details
Total time: Yield: Serves 4-6



38 comments

  1. I love gnocchi, it has to be one of my stand by in the freezer items I rely on the most. Lovely autumn dish Jac.

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  2. I had never been one for buying fresh pasta until recently - D. off to work at his new post with nothing but the sandwich truck around found me buying them up at Tesco so he'd have something wholesome/filling... turns out their gnocchi is quite good; it's so time-consuming to make it yourself (and if you get the wrong kind of potato, woe to you) that I'm really glad I tried it!

    I don't have an eggplant/aubergine, but I do have two lovely zucchini/courgettes...

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  3. I don't make or use gnocchi often Chele and I cannot think why not.

    You could make a similar dish with the courgettes Tanita :)

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  4. Any dish with aubergine is alright with me - love the stuff!

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  5. Me too CC, although not everyone I cook for is as keen. This went down well.

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  6. I do like gnocchi, though the first time I had it, it did nothing for me. But I am glad to say, this has changed.

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  7. I am a bit like that Shaheen, sometimes I like it and sometimes I don't. Wasn't particularly impressed last time I made it myself.

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  8. This sauce would go beautifully with the butternit squash gnocchi I have planned.

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  9. Oh yes Val, that would be wonderful :)

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  10. now I want gnocchi bake - sounds delicious - though we have an eggplant hater in our midst in our house (the adult kind not kiddie!)

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  11. JUST in time! I have some little aubergines that I want to use and this sounds divine!
    I love anything that is baked too....
    Karen

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  12. Yum, looks delicious (except I 'm not to keen on aubergine. It's given me an idea for supper tonight though as we've loads of our late fruiting tomatoes that need using up (not quite good enough for eating raw, but fine for cooking) and some mushrooms we foraged. So mushroom and tomato pasta for us. Thank you.

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  13. You will just have to bake it for you and Sylvia then Johanna :)

    Perfect for you then Karen :)

    That sounds good too Choclette :)

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  14. Straight into my to-try folder! Yummy.

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  15. Lovely comfort food Jac. We don't eat enough gnocchi in our house

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  16. Great recipe. This has been bookmarked for dinner one night soon

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  17. Well remember it for Bookmarked Recipes is you do try it Sylvie, plug, plug :)

    It was definitely a comfort dish Beth :)

    Hope you enjoy it Miss Cake Baker :)

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  18. I've been eating a lot of gnocchi lately. This looks great!

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  19. This recipe sounds perfect. I love aubergine recipes and gnocchi too. I hope to make it very soon!

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  20. Lots of good things in this dish, Jacqueline: eggplant, which I love, wine (!), gnocchi and cheese! Great fall dinner, warm and comforting as well.

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  21. I love gnocchi and these look amazing! Love this! Im followinf you! gloria

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  22. Hellooooo! Love the look of this, frying the gnocchi sounds like a great idea, as it can be a bit stodgy. lovely to have you back :)

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  23. Hope you enjoy it Claire :)

    When you put it like that Barbara, it does sound rather good.

    Thanks Gloria :)

    Thanks Jan :)

    You too Janice, hope you had a good weekend :)

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  24. Lovely! I am always looking for gnocchi recipes and this has some lovely Mediterranean flavours in it. (I'm pretty sure I'd bake it also)

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  25. This looks excellent, Jacqueline. Do you fry the gnocchi in butter (before adding to the sauce) straight from the packet?

    I really should start eating more gnocchi - it's so cheap and lovely!

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  26. Great comfort food, really seasonal. I love gnocchi and aubergines.

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  27. Baking is always good when you have cheese on top. Lots of lovely crispy bits around the edges Emma :)

    Thank you Rochelle :)

    Hi Catherine, I fried it in a little butter to crisp it up and brown it a little before adding it to the sauce :)

    It is definitely an Autumn kind of dish Anne :)

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  28. I love the combo of aubergine and tomato, so combining it with gnocchi and cheese and baking it sounds like heaven!

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  29. just wanted to let you know that I cooked this for tea tonight and it was very yummy (even mr nursey was impressed!). I didn't bake it in the end, but flash grilled it with a little parmesan-type cheese to make it bubble and crisp, and then served it with a few extra crispy veggie parmesan coated baked courgettes (always like to have something green on the plate, even if it is smothered in cheese!). Anyway, enough rambling - just wanted to say thanks for an inspired idea!

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  30. I would love to have this for dinner Jacqueline. It is getting up to 30C today but I fully expect cooler weather on the horizon.

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    1. Oh boy, I do forget about your high temperatures. It's hard to think what that's like.

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  31. Wooow! This dish looks awesome! And I speak as an Italian :) Definitely very whole some and filling. I might try it as a Sunday lunch meal :) Thanks for sharing! Elena

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  32. Gnocchi is popular here and it' so quick, I'm always looking for new twists,and this was so full of flavour. We substituted the wine for red wine vinegar to make it child friendly and added some cannelini beans.

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    1. The alcohol is cooked out so this recipe is fine for kids, but great idea to add the cannelini beans. Good for texture and nutrition.

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I love reading comments, so thank you for taking the time to leave one. Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with spam, so I've turned on comment moderation. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can and respond to them. Don't panic, they will disappear when you hit publish. Jac x