Crispy cauliflower gnocchi puttanesca is going to be your new favorite weeknight dish.
Saucy, tangy, briny, puttanesca sauce coats plump cauliflower gnocchi is topped with crisp prosciutto and creamy burrata cheese. This crispy cauliflower gnocchi puttanesca is just so good-- I can't help but share.
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Sometimes I feel silly posting these recipes because they're really no-brainers.
You'll love this crispy cauliflower gnocchi puttanesca because it's
- salty
- briny
- cheesy
- crispy
- somewhat healthy
- so easy to make
- pantry friendly
Making the Puttanesca sauce
Cooking the puttanesca sauce can be as straightforward or as involved as you want. Puttanesca sauce is made up of tomatoes, olives, garlic, capers, anchovies, and fresh herbs. My recipe incorporates some white wine and crushed croutons because I had some on hand.
You can cheat-- I won't tell.
If you don't want to go through all of the trouble, you can cheat by adding a pre-made olive tapenade to your tomatoes. Either way, the sauce comes together in about 20-ish minutes.
Start with an olive tapenade.
I always keep garlic stuffed olives on hand, so that's what I used. In a small food processor, add the garlic-stuffed olives, capers, anchovies, fresh herbs, and lemon.
While slowly drizzling in the olive oil, pulse the mixture finely chopping and incorporating everything. If you're using a store-bought tapenade, you'll use about a half cup to three-fourths of a cup. The exact amount mostly depends on how salty/briny the olive tapenade is.
Combining the ingredients
In a 4.5-quart enamel dutch oven greased with olive oil, add canned tomatoes and white wine. While the tomatoes come up to a boil, crush them with the back of your spoon.
Once the mixture boils, lower the heat to a simmer. Next, add the tapenade (store-bought or homemade). Afterward, cover the mixture and let it simmer over low heat for about 20-minutes, or until the sauce has reduced down and started to thicken.
Finally, add the croutons for texture and to help further thicken up the sauce. I used homemade sourdough croutons. Just cut up the sourdough and toss with olive oil and dried herbs.
Place it in the oven at 425 F for about 5 minutes, or saute it over high heat in a non-stick pan until the edges are crispy. After that, crumble a large handful to stir into the sauce.
crisping up the prosciutto and cauliflower gnocchi
I decided to saute the gnocchi and prosciutto on the stove, but you can simply crisp them in the oven. To saute it, heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
Once the pan is hot, situate the gnocchi in a single layer. Leave the gnocchi for a few minutes, until the gnocchi is golden brown and starting to crisp around the edges. Then, flip the cauliflower gnocchi and cook the other side for another couple of minutes.
Afterward, remove the gnocchi and add the prosciutto to the pan. Cook the prosciutto until crispy on both sides. I don't add oil when I cook the prosciutto, but it may smoke a little.
Are you using the oven?
If you'd rather have a more hands-free option, you can cook the prosciutto and cauliflower gnocchi. Here's how to do it. Begin by preheating the oven to 425 degrees F.
Next, arrange the gnocchi and prosciutto on a sheet pan and toss in a small amount of olive oil. If you have some extra tender herbs, throw them in, too—bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until everything is nice and crispy, flipping at the halfway point.
Serving the crispy cauliflower gnocchi puttanesca
In a large serving bowl, coat the crispy cauliflower gnocchi in the puttanesca sauce. Next, top with freshly cracked black pepper, chopped garlic-stuffed olives, crispy prosciutto, creamy, torn burrata, and any leftover herbs and croutons to garnish. And if you want, hit it under the broiler for a few minutes to bubble up the cheese.
This crispy cauliflower gnocchi puttanesca was inspired by NYT Cooking and Alton Brown.
Craving more? Here are some more recipes I think you might enjoy...
If you make this recipe, tag me on Instagram @mandyoliveco and use the hashtag #mandyoliveco.
cauliflower gnocchi puttanesca
Saucy, tangy, briny, puttanesca sauce coats plump cauliflower gnocchi and topped with crisp prosciutto and creamy burrata cheese. This crispy cauliflower gnocchi puttanesca is just so good-- I can't help but share.
Ingredients
- 20 oz bag cauliflower gnocchi
- 4 ounces prosciutto
- 8 ounces burrata cheese
- Extra olives, croutons, and chopped herbs for garnish
Puttanesca sauce
- 2 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, drained
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ½ cup - ¾ cup olive tapenade (store-bought or homemade) *see notes
- ¼ cup crushed croutons (store-bought or homemade)
- ¼ cup fresh tender herbs, chopped
- Freshly cracked black pepper
Homemade tapenade
- ⅓ cup garlic-stuffed olives (approx. 7 - 10 olives)-- i prefer a mix of olives
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
- ½ small lemon, zest + juice
- ⅓ cup flat-leaf parsley
- 2 -3 basil leaves
- ¼ cup good-quality olive oil
Homemade sourdough croutons
- Sourdough bread, cut or torn into pieces (about ¾ of a cup)-- I like lewis brand half loaf sourdough sandwich bread.
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried herb blend
- S + P, to taste
Instructions
homemade tapenade:
- Place all ingredients, except for olive oil into a small food processor. Pulse olive tapenade while slowly adding olive oil until mixture is chopped and incorporated. Set aside.
homemade croutons:
- In a 4.5 quart enamel dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add torn sourdough bread and coat with seasonings. Saute until golden brown and crispy.
- You can also do this in the oven: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Toss together bread, seasoning, and olive oil onto a sheet pan and bake with about 5 minutes or until the bread is golden and crisp.
puttanesca sauce:
- In a 4.5 quart enamel dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Next, add in tomatoes and white wine. While the mixture is coming to a boil, crush the tomatoes with the back of your spoon. Once the tomatoes have started to boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer.
- Next, stir in olive tapenade and let the sauce cook down for about 20-30 minutes, covered, stirring frequently. When it's done, the tomato sauce will have reduced down and thickened. Afterward, remove the sauce from the heat and stir in crushed croutons. This will help flavor and further thicken the sauce.
- crispy cauliflower gnocchi
In a large non-stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add gnocchi in a single layer across the pan. Cook until the bottom is golden brown and the edges start to crisp, about 3 -5 minutes. Try not to move the gnocchi around. Just leave it to cook. Flip the gnocchi over and continue to brown the other side.
prosciutto
- In a hot pan, cook prosciutto until crisp, about 1 - 2 minutes per side. I don't oil my pan when cooking prosciutto, but the pan may start to smoke.
Rather make this in the oven?
- First, preheat oven to 425 degrees F (or according to cauliflower gnocchi package instructions, if any). Then, on a large sheet pan, toss gnocchi in olive oil. Afterward, top with torn pieces of prosciutto. You can also toss with tender herbs like basil, oregano, or thyme, if you'd like.
- Bake the mixture for about 20 minutes, flipping gnocchi over at the halfway point. Cook until the gnocchi is golden brown and the prosciutto is crisp.
- Serve
In a large serving bowl, coat the crispy cauliflower gnocchi in puttanesca sauce. Top with crisp prosciutto, extra olives, croutons, creamy burrata cheese, and extra herbs. Optional: broil the crispy cauliflower puttanesca for bubbly cheese.
Notes
Amounts my vary depending on saltiness of store-bought tapenade, so add more to the sauce as needed.
I use a heaping tablespoon/teaspoon of capers and anchovy paste to make the sauce more briny.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1193Total Fat: 59gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 40gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 2777mgCarbohydrates: 119gFiber: 10gSugar: 20gProtein: 46g
Nutrition facts are for personal reference only as calories may vary on a case by case basis.
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