Gnocchi alla Caprese

So you may have noticed that my blog has been quiet for the past few months.  This spring we decided to put our first family home on the market and buy a new home in a neighboring county.  It was a difficult decision as we loved, loved, loved our home.  Fortunately we found a great home to buy, and we ended up closing on both our old house and new house on the same day in the middle of June.  Let me tell you... packing up our entire house with a crawling baby and a moody toddler, a double closing, and moving on a 103 degree day...it was a nightmare!  Needless to say, these past few months have been difficult ones.  We had to make many sacrifices:  we missed out on a fun friends trip, family dinners were replaced by take-out, and we lost our summer garden!  My husband planted it all before we realized we were going to put our house up for sale.  Of course right as everything in the garden started growing, we moved.  So for the first time in many summers, we don't have our summer garden vegetables to enjoy.  Boo!

However, we can still buy in-season veggies at the local grocery store (Earth Fare!).  Nothing beats an in-season tomato paired with fresh basil, right?  Let me introduce you to the perfect recipe for the season: Gnocchi alla Caprese. This recipe is definitely a summer-only recipe, because it requires in-season produce in order to reach its full delicious potential.   It takes only about 20 minutes to make, and its simplicity really allows the fresh ingredients to shine.  I could seriously eat this meal every day, and so could my kids.  Which is good, because I might be serving it at least once a week for the rest of the summer!

Gnocchi alla Caprese

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

3 Cups  of Seeded & Diced Tomatoes

1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Basil

Salt & Pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 lb Potato Gnocchi

2-3 Garlic Cloves, minced
8 oz Fresh Mozzarella, diced

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, combine the diced tomatoes and chopped basil. Season with salt and pepper, stir, and set aside.

2. In a large skillet, over medium heat, add in olive oil.  Toss in the gnocchi, and saute until slightly golden brown and fully cooked, about 7-9 minutes.

3. Add in the minced garlic, and saute for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.  Stir in the tomato mixture. Cook until just heated through, about a minute.  Remove from heat, stir in the mozzarella, and serve immediately.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serving Size: 1/4th of Entire Dish

Calories: 347

Fat: 16

Carbs: 38

Protein: 16