Love and Olive Oil

Warm Gnocchi and Heirloom Tomato Salad

Warm Gnocchi and Heirloom Tomato Salad

Let’s end tomato season with a bang.

No, not that kind of bang. Because I originally wanted to deep fry some gnocchi until it was light and crispy (I was going to call this my gnocchi panzanella and swap crispy gnocchi for toasted bread cubes). Turns out that’s not quite as easy as it sounds. Believe me, watch the video. You’ll understand why at about the 1:25 mark.

It’s like a gnocchi grenade!

Delallo Mini Gnocchi for Warm Gnocchi and Heirloom Tomato Salad

On to plan B.

Instead, let’s pan fry some adorable mini gnocchi. Just one side until it’s crispy and golden brown, but the other side and center is still delicate and soft. Then let’s toss the warm gnocchi with some heirloom cherry tomatoes, softened just to the point where their juices start to burst.

Now that’s how to end tomato season with a (figurative, not literal) bang.

Heirloom cherry tomatoes for Warm Gnocchi Salad

Served on a bed of arugula, this salad is light, fresh, and bright, but also hearty and filling enough that you can call it a meal on its own.

It’s the perfect farewell to summer, an ode to the sweet cherry tomatoes that I can so easily eat as if they were cherries, by the handful. For after a summertime full of perfectly sweet and flavorful market tomatoes, the grocery-store variety just isn’t the same.

Warm Gnocchi and Heirloom Tomato Salad

We are very fortunate to have worked with some incredible brands over the years, and DeLallo Foods (maker of said mini gnocchi) is no exception. Just last week they flew us up to their headquarters outside of Pittsburgh (which, I have to say, is actually a surprisingly cool city. I had no idea.)

Pittsburgh Skyline

In addition to treating us to an amazing dinner at Butcher and the Rye, as well as a Pirates baseball game, we got to see DeLallo’s original storefront (albeit quite a bit larger than it was when it first opened in 1954). We stayed in the original family home on the grounds behind the store (again, quite a bit larger than it used to be, with a stunning, I mean stunning, kitchen that they now use for recipe development, photography and video.)

DeLallo Pasta

Let me tell you, these people know their food, and their passion for it shows. Anthony DeLallo, grandson to George, toured us through each section of the store, stopping to talk about the products that he works so closely with on a daily basis.

Making Homemade Ravioli

As if we hadn’t sampled enough at their store (hello, pastry case and cookie plates) we returned to the house and began to prepare an incredible lunch of homemade mushroom ravioli, doused in sage butter sauce and dusted with parmesan cheese. By the time we were done with THAT, it was just about time for a “light” dinner of homemade pizza. Clearly, in this family-run business, food is love, and there was more than enough of it to go around.

Don’t believe me? Check out this cute video they made of our visit:
[responsive_vimeo http://vimeo.com/108117567]

As cheesy as it sounds, by the time we left (stuffed and happy), we truly felt like part of the family, and for that we could not be more grateful.

Warm Gnocchi and Heirloom Tomato Salad

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Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces (1/2 box) Delallo® mini potato gnocchi
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 garlic cloves, minched
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • baby arugula
  • freshly shaved Pecorino cheese, for garnish

Directions:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add gnocchi and cook for about 3 mintues or until gnocchi float to the surface (note: regular sized gnocchi may need a minute or two more). Drain and place on a paper towel-lined plate to dry.
  2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add dried gnocchi and cook, without flipping, for 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on one side. Transfer to a bowl and set aside; return skillet to medium heat.
  3. Add garlic to skillet and sautée until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook until just warmed, 1 minute. Add vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Add gnocchi back to skillet along with fresh basil; toss to coat.
  4. Serve warm on a bed of baby arugula and topped with shaved Pecornio cheese.
All images and text © / Love & Olive Oil

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Disclosure: This post was created as part of an ongoing partnership with DeLallo Foods. As always, all opinions written are purely our own. We’re incredibly grateful for opportunities like these that allow us to continue sharing delicious recipes with you, so thank you for supporting us and the brands we love.

There may be affiliate links in this post. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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26 Comments

  1. Your Gnocchi recipes are fabulous. Wow. 
    Especially the photos make me craving Gnocchi. Now, I just have to choose which recipe I will cook first. :)

  2. Thanks for the “what not to do with gnocchi” video… I’m not sure what was funnier – the exploding gnocchi or your laugh :-) This salad looks amazing, can’t wait for summer tomatoes!

  3. I was looking for Portobello mushroom recipes and found this on your blog thingy, not sure what it is really called, honest. It looks so simple and tasty, but come on, fried Gnocchi, oh that must be so good, pictures are great. Crispy, golden browned Gnocchi’s mixed with veggies, seriously, you are a very smart cookie . Thank-you, I will try this one for sure.

  4. Thanks for sharing about DeLallo – yet another company I’ll be sure to look up now. So special that they treated you to everything they did, that’s the definition of above and beyond. As a panzanella salad lover, I am fairly convinced that the gnocchi will actually win out.

  5. This looks like the perfect light dinner for busy week nights. 

    -Jamie

  6. This looks amazing! And I think it just became gnocchi season-I just posted a recipe for Parmesan gnocchi that I think would really take this over the top. More cheese in everything? Yes please. 
    http://www.fchem101.com/2014/09/parmesan-gnocchi-with-shaved-carrots-and-basil/

  7. This looks fantastic – never thought to add gnocchi to a salad but you sure do make t look great!

  8. This looks delicious! Now I have an excuse to make gnocchi! 

  9. Love the vibrant and colorful warm gnocchi. Pan-frying the gnocchi and pairing them with heirloom tomato sounds like a perfect way to end summer.

  10. That video. Hilarious. I can’t wait to make this as I adore gnocchi and panzanella type salads!

  11. Oh my gosh yum! Gnocchi is my favorite kind of pasta and this sounds wonderful. It’s been far too long since I’ve had gnocchi.

  12. Love that you use  hometown DeLallo!

  13. Gnocchi is so delicious. With all the fall greens starting to come in, this recipe is a great way to freshen up the salad rotation. Thanks!

  14. Gnocchi could very well be my favorite in the pasta category. I love all of DeLallo and your salad totally does it justice. Glad you guys had fun.

  15. OMG, his cackling reaction to the exploding gnocchi was enough to bring M running in from the other room asking me, “what are you watching????”.  Too funny.  Beautiful photos as usual.  :-)

  16. I made a panzanella salad any chance I get, and I think it’s just SO smart that you swapped out gnocchi for the bread! Beautiful! 

  17. Wonderful recipe! I love both heirloom tomatoes and gnocchi, so the two of them together is perfection! The colors of this salad also are very appealing.

  18. I want to LIVE in that DeLallo store! Although I could totally devour fried gnocchi, I love the simplicity of the pan fry instead. What a lovely way to end summer!

  19. such a colourful, pretty looking dish!

  20. DeLallo’s store sounds amazing! I need to make time to visit it the next time I go up to Pittsburgh and see family! That video is hilarious. I can’t tell whether I’m more disturbed by the grenade like action, or the guy’s laugh. Haha! 

    And this salad! Wow! Blown away. 

  21. I love the idea of smaller gnocchi and I have never ever thought of putting them in a salad! I like the crispiness of them!

  22. Confession: I haven’t even tried normal sized gnocci yet! Bad food blogger right?!
    But, mini anything is my favorite and these are TOO cute not to try. Plus it’s supa rainy here in Seattle, which means this is the perfect meal! Pinned!

  23. It’s a rainy and dreary day around here, and this looks like the perfect solution. I adore gnocchi and…those gorgeous tomatoes! LOVE. I have to squeeze this one in before all those beautiful babies are gone for the fall.

  24. This is absolutely perfect, today. I have fresh gnocchi and wanted something new to do with it, but I was out of ideas! 

  25. Simply love Italian food and always have, and always will:-)!!

  26. This looks soooo yummy! Funny, I just had the best gnocchi at a restaurant yesterday and am totally craving some more. Love this!

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