Velvety bell pepper sauce gnocchi with pine nuts and raisins
Today, we're diving fork-first into vegan Bell Pepper Gnocchi. Get ready to unleash a symphony of tastes that'll transport you straight to a bustling Italian kitchen, all while keeping it vegan and oh-so-delicious.
Picture this: velvety red pepper sauce, kissed by the essence of white onion, embracing pillowy gnocchi. It's the kind of combination that'll have you licking your lips before you even take that first bite. But wait, there's more to this party. We're throwing in roasted tricolor bell peppers, each bite bursting with an orchestra of flavors, thanks to those delectably toasted pine nuts and juicy pops of raisins.
We're sprinkling a generous handful of chili-infused vegan parmesan over the top, adding just the right kick to the mix. And don't forget the fresh basil – a fragrant, herbaceous note that's like a mini Mediterranean vacation in every mouthful.
The sauce is super simple to make and only requires 5 ingredients; red bell peppers, white onions, garlic, olive oil and vegetable stock. Throw each ingredients into pot and leave it to simmer for half an hour, then you blend it until smooth and creamy and voila! A super flavorful and bright red/orange sauce.
You could also double batch this and eat this sauce as a soup, so good with crusty garlic bread. My mom used to make this all the time when I was little, one tim my granddad came over, he didn’t like bell peppers, my mom made him this sauce/soup and when he tasted it he went like ‘Oh yum, this is very good tomato soup’. I will never forget that. Haha!
Plain gnocchi and sauce can be good, but roasted tricolor bell peppers elevate this dish to the next level. Then the Sicilian lover in me added some pine nuts and raisins for that extra burst of flavor. Which if you don’t like you can totally leave out.
Then THE ingredient that blends it all together, chili vegan parmesan, adding just the right kick in the mix. Click here to find out more about this cheese.
Top the whole thing off with fresh basil and your plate of pure magic is ready!
Get your apron ready!
This recipe serves 4 people
Ingredients
600 gr of gnocchi, homemade or storebought
5 red bell peppers
1 yellow bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 large white onion
2-3 large shallots
2 large garlic cloves
a handful of toasted pine nuts
a handful of raisins
1 tsp of vegetable stock powder
fresh basil leaves
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
How to
Dice the white onion, garlic and 4 red bell peppers into chunks. They don’t need to be regular, roughly chopped is okay.
Heat up a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pot and add the chopped red pepper, onion and garlic.
Fry for a few minutes then add a splash of water and the vegetable stock.
Leave to simmer with a lid on for 30 minutes or until the peppers are soft.
Set aside to cool for a few minutes, transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile cut the remaining peppers into thin strips.
Chop the shallots into chunks.
Toss the peppers and shallots together with a generous drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and peppers.
Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and roast in a preheated oven for 20-30 minutes until tender and slightly charred.
Remove from the oven and stir in the pine nuts and raisins.
Cook the gnocchi in salted, boiling water until they float.
Add the cooked gnocchi to a pan along with the sauce and toss until every gnocchi is coated.
Serve with the roasted peppers on top and a generous sprinkle of the vegan chili parmesan and some fresh basil.
Buon apetito!
SHARING IS CARING!
Did you make this? Tag me @lunatrapani on instagram. Love to see your creations.
