Creamy Tomato Gnocchi Sauce (Quick Vegan Sauce)
Indulge in a vegan version of this classic Italian dish made with soft pillowy gnocchi. The tomato-based sauce is rich, flavorful, and boasts a secret ingredient: carrots.
Servings: 4 people
Equipment
- Vegetable chopper/dicer optional
Ingredients
- 4-5 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 yellow onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2-3 medium carrots
- 700 g - 800 g canned chunky tomatoes (about 2 cans) or tomato passata (1 bottle)
- 4 teaspoons of dried herbs de Provence or Italian herbs
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 800 g vegan gnocchi* (Make sure they are egg-free; for a gluten-free dish, buy a gluten-free variety)
- 200 ml vegan cooking cream** (I use soy cream)
- 1 teaspoon sweetener of choice**
- 2-3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, roasted pine nuts, or fresh herbs as a topping, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables. Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic cloves. Peel and dice the carrots into small pieces. Tip: You can use a vegetable chopper for dicing the onions and the carrots.
- For the sauce, sauté the chopped onions with the olive oil in a large skillet or pan for a couple of minutes until they become translucent.
- Add the diced carrots and chopped garlic to the pan and continue to cook for a few minutes until the garlic turns golden brown and smells nice and the carrots start to get soft.
- Pour in the canned tomatoes (or tomato passata), the dried herbs, salt, pepper, and sweetener of choice, and mix well with the sautéed vegetables. Let the sauce simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes with the lid on.
- Add the gnocchi to the sauce and toss them gently to coat evenly. Allow them to cook in the sauce for another 5-10 minutes until they are pillowy soft. Stir once or twice in between.
- Remove the pan from the heat and gently stir in the cooking cream.
- Serve and enjoy with your favorite toppings.
Notes
*If you don't have gnocchi on hand, this creamy tomato sauce also works beautifully with pasta or millet.
**Omit the cream and the sweetener if you prefer a fresh tomato sauce.