Tomato, Basil, and Parmesan Gnocchi

I had something entirely different slated for dinner tonight, but I realized as I was awake at 2:30 AM feeding the baby that we're out of beer. That doesn't usually happen in our house, so I'm glad I thought of it with enough time left to figure out something else for dinner. I had bought a package of gnocchi at Target awhile back (who knew that Target carried gnocchi?!) and remembered reading a recipe on the back of the package that sounded good. It called for fresh basil, and I had a trip to Trader Joe's planned today (I love their price on organic basil!!), so I thought this would be a perfect fill-in dinner. I have to make some modifications because I don't have one of the main ingredients, but we'll get to that later.

Tomato, Basil, and Parmesan Gnocchi
1 package Archer Farms tri-color Gnocchi
2 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1-1/2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Cook gnocchi according to package directions; drain. Melt butter in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add cooked gnocchi, tomatoes, and basil. Cook, stirring often, until gnocchi is lightly browned. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Makes 4 servings.

*****

I forgot to check the ingredients before we went to TJ's, and I was thinking it had marinara sauce in it, so I bought a jar of that. Oops. I have quite a few roma tomatoes on hand for HLT sandwiches (hummus, lettuce, tomato) I had planned on making this week for lunches, so I think I'll just chop those up in place of the grape tomatoes. I also thought the recipe called for mozzarella, so I bought a ball of fresh mozzarella. I think I'll dice that up as well and add it in to the mix, probably after everything else is cooked so it gets a little melty but mostly still holds together. I'm going to steam some broccoli to have on the side, make up a salad with some Romaine hearts I have, and I also bought some kalamata olive bread at TJ's today. Yum!

*****

Mmmmmm...this was so super yummy!! I had wanted it to have little chunks of cheese, but the cheese got all melty because I tossed it in when everything was still really hot. Oh well, it was still really good--gnocchi swimming in puddles of ooey-gooey-melted mozzarella. This is something I would definitely make again, although it was pretty decadent with all the cheese. I love how fast and easy gnocchi are to make.