Gail Simmons' Instant Potato Gnocchi

With Pomodoro
Make this pasta recipe using instant potato mix.

gnocchi

Photo by Elizabeth Griffin

Turn instant potato mix into a delicious Italian dish for the whole family to enjoy. Gnocchi
from scratch can take three hours to make, but using instant potatoes takes your time down
to 45 minutes. If you want to make an extravagant meal with what you already have in your
pantry, give this recipe a try.
Get more recipes from The Dish on Oz.

Ingredients

• 1 cup hot water

• 1 cup instant potato flakes
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cup flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp fennel seed
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
• 1 bunch basil leaves
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Whisk together the instant potatoes with the hot water and season with the salt and let the
mixture come to room temperature. Whisk in the egg and stir in the flour and nutmeg. Form
the dough into a ball and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

2. Dust a cutting board with flour and cut the ball of dough into quarters. Place one of the
quarters onto the dusted cutting board and roll out into a long coil or rope. Using a butter
knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into 1/2-inch pieces and place onto a flour dusted
sheet pan. Place the sheet pan in the freezer while you continue with the remaining dough.

3. To make the sauce, heat a large dutch oven over medium high heat and add the olive oil
and the onions and garlic and season with salt. Cook the onions and garlic until translucent,
about 6 minutes. Stir in the spices and add the tomato paste, cooking for another 3 minutes.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine and add in the tomatoes. Reduce the heat to low and
cook for about 30 minutes.

4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt. When boiling, add in
the gnocchi. When the gnocchi floats to the top of the water, cook for an additional 2
minutes. Add the gnocchi and a little bit of pasta water to the pot with the sauce and stir to
coat. Stir in the basil and Parmesan cheese. Plate and top with additional cheese and basil if
desired.