Gnocchi in Red Sauce
Shelf-stable gnocchi, tomato powder, and a fistful of parmesan. Boils in three minutes.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 120
- protein
- 22 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total time
- 10 min
- water
- 600 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Bikepacking
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Shelf-stable vacuum-packed gnocchi | 8 oz | the dry-shelf kind, not refrigerated |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato powder | 3 tbsp | stands in for a jar of marinara |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Dried oregano and dried basil | 1 tsp total | |
| Sugar | 1/2 tsp | takes the edge off the tomato |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Grated parmesan | 1/3 cup | the hard shelf-stable kind |
| Whole milk powder | 2 tbsp | replaces the mozzarella pull |
Method
- Boil 400 ml of water with a pinch of the salt. Drop in the gnocchi.
- Three minutes. They float when they are done, and they overcook fast.
- Drain off most of the water into your mug, leaving maybe a half inch in the pot. Keep the mug, you may need it back.
- Off the heat, stir in the tomato powder, herbs, garlic, sugar, and remaining salt. Add water from the mug a splash at a time until the sauce coats instead of pools.
- Stir in the milk powder and parmesan and put the lid on for a minute. Then stir again and eat straight from the pot.
The original is a baked casserole: boil the dumplings, bury them in jarred sauce and fresh mozzarella, melt it under a broiler. None of that travels. Tomato powder is the swap that makes it work, because a jar of marinara is mostly water and glass. Rehydrated with the starchy gnocchi water, it comes back thicker than you would expect.
Cheese is the other change. Fresh mozzarella needs a fridge, so parmesan does the salt and milk powder does the body. Stir both in off the heat or the parmesan goes grainy and separates. The gnocchi themselves are the whole reason this is fast: three minutes in the pot against ten for pasta, which is real fuel saved.
Packing
Tomato powder, herbs, garlic, sugar, and salt go in one small bag as a sauce mix. Cheese and milk powder in a second bag, since they go in after the heat is off. Gnocchi stays sealed until camp.
Variations
- A foil packet of chicken or a handful of soy curls turns it into a heavier dinner.
- Sun-dried tomato bits or dried mushrooms rehydrate in the boil water and add chew.
- At a car camp, use real jarred marinara and fresh mozzarella and finish it in a covered skillet.
https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/baked-gnocchi-with-marinara-mozzarella-and-fresh-basil