Baked Feta Gnocchi with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes and a whole block of Greek feta roast together in olive oil until soft and jammy, then become the sauce for gnocchi that bakes straight in the dish with spinach, cream and Parmesan. The gnocchi goes in dry from the packet, so there is no pot of water and nothing to drain. A weeknight dinner that needs about ten minutes of hands-on time.

Tomatoes go into the dish whole and come out collapsed and jammy, skins split, juices pooling into the olive oil. In the middle of them the feta turns soft enough to crush with the back of a spoon, and everything sitting in the bottom of the dish becomes the sauce. No pan, no whisk, no roux.

Our version carries a teaspoon of Vegeta, a habit picked up from years of Australian pantry cooking. It rounds out the sweetness of the roasted tomatoes and gives the sauce a savoury base that salt alone never quite reaches.

The gnocchi is the part that makes this a keeper. Fresh gnocchi from the fridge section goes in dry, straight from the packet, and softens in the tomato and cream as it bakes, taking on the flavour of the sauce instead of arriving already cooked and simply coated in it. One dish, no pot of boiling water, nothing to drain. We serve it straight from the baking dish with torn basil over the top, and it comes back to the sink empty.

Prep: 10 min · Cook: 45 min · Serves: 4 · Cuisine: Mediterranean · Category: Dinner

Ingredients

Baked Feta Gnocchi

• 500g fresh potato gnocchi (refrigerated, not shelf-stable)
• 200g block Greek feta
• 500g cherry tomatoes (2 punnets)
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp Vegeta seasoning
• ½ tsp cracked black pepper
• 2 cups baby spinach
• ½ cup hot water
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve
• Fresh basil leaves, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
2. Tip the cherry tomatoes into a large baking dish and nestle the block of feta into the centre.
3. Scatter over the sliced garlic, oregano, dried basil, Vegeta and cracked black pepper. Drizzle generously with the olive oil, turning the tomatoes so everything is lightly coated.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, until the tomatoes have softened and burst and the feta is golden around the edges.
5. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Add the baby spinach and pour in the hot water. Stir everything together gently, breaking up the feta with the back of a spoon so it melts into the tomatoes and oil to form a creamy sauce.
6. Add the gnocchi straight from the packet and fold through until every piece is coated and sitting in the sauce rather than piled on top.
7. Scatter over the grated Parmesan and return to the oven for 10–15 minutes, until the gnocchi is tender and the top is bubbling and lightly golden.
8. Finish with fresh basil leaves, extra cracked black pepper and a little more Parmesan before serving.

Serving Suggestion

Warm bread is the natural partner here, and a slice of Simple Rosemary Focaccia does the job of catching every bit of the sauce left in the dish. For something fresh alongside, Greek Style Salad with Feta, Olives & Garlic keeps the Mediterranean thread running through the meal, or serve Garlic Green Beans with Olive Oil & Lemon when the table needs something green and simple. In spring, Charred Asparagus with Lemon & Feta sits beautifully next to it.

Storage Notes

Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat gently in a saucepan or a moderate oven with a splash of cream or milk stirred through, which loosens the sauce back to the way it was on the night. Gnocchi does not freeze well once sauced, so this one is best eaten fresh or within a few days.

Notes

Use fresh gnocchi from the refrigerated section. The texture is softer and lighter than the shelf-stable kind, and it takes on the tomato and cream properly as it bakes.

Use a block of feta in brine rather than pre-crumbled. A block softens into a smooth, creamy sauce, while crumbled feta stays grainy and never quite melts down.

Vegeta adds savoury depth and lifts the sweetness of the roasted tomatoes without pushing the dish salty. Hold off on adding any extra salt until after you have stirred the feta through and tasted.

Choose a baking dish large enough that the tomatoes sit in a single layer with a little room around the feta. Crowded tomatoes steam instead of roasting, and the sauce ends up too thin to soften the gnocchi properly.

If the sauce looks tight when the gnocchi goes in, stir through a few tablespoons of hot water. The gnocchi needs liquid around it to cook through in the second bake.

Shredded cooked chicken folded in with the gnocchi turns this into a heartier meal without changing anything else about the method.

The Grace Table Tip

Let the dish stand for five minutes after it comes out of the oven before serving. The sauce thickens as it settles and clings to the gnocchi properly instead of running to the bottom of the bowl.

If you do not have Vegeta in the pantry, a teaspoon of chicken or vegetable stock powder will do a similar job. Reduce it to half a teaspoon if the brand you use is heavily salted.