Tofu Gnocchi with ASAP Tomato Sauce
Want a refresher on how to make this?
Makes 18-20 | Prep: 20 min | Bake: 20 min | Oven: 400°
INGREDIENTS
Gnocchi Dough
1, 12 oz block extra firm tofu
about 1/2 cup 00 flour, plus more for dusting
1 teaspoon kosher salt
ASAP Tomato Sauce
3 tablespoons good olive oil
3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch rings
1 large pinch chili flake
small handful torn basil leaves
salt to taste
parm to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare your tofu
Drain the tofu and place it in between some paper towels on a plate or baking dish. Place another plate or baking dish on top then weigh the tofu down for about 20-30 minutes to draw out as much water as possible (you can use a heavy pot or some books for this!)
Make your dough
Crumble the pressed tofu into the bowl of a food processor and blend it for about 10-20 seconds. It won’t be totally smooth, but you want it to be broken down fairly well.
Add the 1/2 cup of 00 flour as well as the salt and pulse the tofu until it comes together into a dough that is slightly sticky but manageable to work with. If it looks super sticky, ad in another 1-2 tablespoons of flour and pulse that in.
Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it just to bring it together, then wrap it tightly and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.
While the dough rests, place a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil.
After the dough has rested, divide it into 4 portions. Keep 3 o the portions covered, then, working with the 1 portion, roll it into a snack that’s about 1 inch in diameter and 12-16 inches long. Use as much flour as you need to here, but try not to work with the dough too much as that will create excessive gluten and lead to a chewy pasta.
Use a knife or bench scraper to cut the snake into small gnocchi that are about 3/4-1 inch. You can leave them this shape, or roll them on a gnocchi board or fork for a classic look.
Place the finished gnocchi on a floured baking dish and repeat the process with the remaining 3 pieces of dough.
Start the sauce
Once all the gnocchi are shaped, cover them and set them aside.
In a medium saute pan, heat the oil and garlic over medium heat, swirling frequently. Once the garlic is fragrant and barely beginning to brown, add the chili flake, swirl for another `15 seconds, then quickly and carefully add the sliced tomatoes.
Cook the tomatoes for 3-4 minutes. You want them to just barely cook down but not become mushy.
Cook the gnocchi
Right when you add the tomatoes to the pan to make the sauce, add the gnocchi to the pasta water. Gently stir them and let them cook for 2-3 minutes. They should float to the top when they’re done cooking.
Finish the dish
Use a slotted spoon or spider to add the cooked gnocchi to the sauce. Adding a bit of pasta cooking water to the sauce is great as it will help bind and emulsify the tomato and olive oil mixture to the gnocchi.
Cook the gnocchi for 1-2 minutes in the sauce, then add the torn basil.
Check for salt and add any more chili flake as needed, then serve with a generous amount of parm cheese!
Pro tip: These can be made up to a day ahead and stored covered in the fridge.
