Sausage and gnocchi baked under mozzarella
Calabrian chile and capers doing the heavy lifting while the oven does the work.
At a Glance
Story
Capers in a baked pasta look like a mistake and are the reason it works. Fat and starch and melted cheese all pull in the same direction, and there is nothing in the dish to cut them until a caper bursts. Anchovies would do the same job. Neither is optional, whatever the ingredient list implies.
Ingredients
- 12 oz shelf-stable gnocchi
- 10 oz hot Italian sausagetorn into bite-size pieces
- 1 × 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 4 oz grape tomatoes
- 1 tbsp capers
- 1 ½ tsp Calabrian chile paste
- ½ tbsp dried Italian herbs
- 4 oz fresh mozzarellatorn
- saltpepper
Method
Assembly rather than cooking. Everything goes into one dish cold and the oven sorts it out, which is the correct amount of effort for a Wednesday.
- Rack in the centre, oven to 450°F.
- In a baking dish, combine the gnocchi, tomato sauce, tomatoes, capers, dried herbs and as much Calabrian paste as you can defend. Season and stir until the gnocchi are properly coated.
- Tear the sausage over the top in an even layer.
- Cover tightly with foil. Bake 30 minutes.
- Foil off. Tear the mozzarella over the surface in rough drifts. Back in, uncovered, 5 to 7 minutes, until the cheese slumps and browns in patches.
- Stand 3 minutes before serving, which is longer than it sounds.
A green salad alongside, dressed sharply, or nothing at all.
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