This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Gnocchi With Creamy Tomato Sauce is built for nights when you want something warm and structured without spending an hour in the kitchen.
Store-bought potato gnocchi cooks quickly. The sauce comes together from pantry staples: tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, and a small amount of cream cheese for body.
It’s simple, balanced, and repeatable.
The full ingredient list and exact measurements are in the recipe card below.
Very simple recipe with a versatile pasta sauce, that can be used not only on gnocchi, but also your favorite pasta.
If you love making pasta at home, make sure you try this Gnocchi With Mushrooms recipe or this Baked Feta Pasta Recipe.
About the Sauce
This is not a heavy cream sauce.
It’s tomato-forward, with enough fat to soften the acidity and create texture.
You can use:
- Cream cheese for structure
- Heavy cream for a looser finish
Both work. The result is slightly different.
Milk or half-and-half won’t give the same consistency.
How Much Creamy Tomato Gnocchi Per Person?
Most store-bought gnocchi packages recommend about 4 oz (120 g) per serving.
That’s usually enough, especially with a rich sauce.
This recipe follows that proportion.
Variations:
The sauce works beyond gnocchi.
You can use it with:
- Regular pasta
- Gluten-free pasta
- Cauliflower gnocchi
- Ravioli or tortellini
You can add:
- Spinach
- Mushrooms
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Cooked chicken
- Sausage
- Shrimp
The base remains the same. You adjust around it.
Recipe tips:
- Canned tomatoes vary in acidity and texture. Whole peeled tomatoes can be crushed directly in the pan. Diced tomatoes create more texture. Tomato sauce produces the smoothest result. Add a small amount of sweetener only if the sauce tastes overly acidic.
- Heavy cream can be used instead of cream cheese for a looser, more traditional finish.
- This sauce works with regular pasta, gluten-free pasta, cauliflower gnocchi, ravioli, or tortellini.
- Add spinach, asparagus, or sun-dried tomatoes if desired.
- For more protein, add cooked chicken, sausage, or shrimp.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
It can also be frozen for up to 1 month.
Reheat gently. Add a splash of water if needed.
More Pasta Recipes:
Gnocchi With Creamy Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 16 oz 3 cups uncooked potato gnocchi
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 14 oz tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon honey, optional, to balance acidity
- 2 oz full-fat cream cheese
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
- Fresh basil, for garnish
Video
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add onion and cook until softened.
- Add garlic and cook briefly until fragrant.
- Stir in tomato paste, tomato sauce, and honey. Simmer for a few minutes.
- Season with salt, pepper, oregano, and basil.
- Lower heat and stir in cream cheese until smooth.
- Meanwhile:
- Cook gnocchi according to package instructions.
- Reserve ½ cup of cooking water before draining.
- Add gnocchi to the sauce. If needed, loosen with a splash of reserved water.
- Serve with Parmesan and fresh basil.
Notes
- Heavy cream can be used instead of cream cheese for a thinner sauce.
- Cauliflower gnocchi or gluten-free gnocchi work well.
- Add cooked chicken, sausage, or shrimp for more protein.
- The sauce can be used with other pasta shapes.
- Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this for dinner and loved it! Maybe want to specify that the reserved pasta water is for the sauce
Oh my Goodness ! This looks terrific. Great job
Looks like a great recipe which I will try tomorrow.
Could I suggest an interrnational metric version of the measurements for those of us outside the US?
Hi Valerie, there is a button in the recipe card that you press and the ingredients are converted to International.
I made this today, although I doubled the recipe and added fire roasted tomatoes and 1 tomato sauce instead of two tomato sauces, I also simmered it for about 45 minutes before adding the cream cheese and added chicken stock instead of pasta water. Super easy and convenient ingredients
Great! Glad you liked these 🙂
I’m impressed and so was my family. Delicious and soooo easy. I served it with a salad & garlic bread. I don’t usually follow recipes verbatim, but I’m glad I did Herr. Thank you.
Made this for dinner today and it was fantastic! I added a little extra tomato paste and used fresh oregano and basil instead of dried and turned out so nice and thick and creamy! I plan to tweak the sauce recipe a little to make use it as a pizza sauce. Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
I wanna make this but you don’t say what to do with the onion. I assume we don’t just put a full unchopped onion in the skillet
You add chopped onion and cook it while cooking the sauce
Quick and easy to make and very tasty. Adding some of the pasta water was essential in my case.
Made this dish tonight with a side of sausage and peppers for my family. We are loving it! I got a “damn babe, this is good!,” from the Husband. We’ve never had gnocchi before, happy I found your recipe! ❤️
Ho Tonya, so glad you liked it!
Delicious! I substituted ricotta cheese for the cream cheese. Just because I’m in a “can’t get enough “ ricotta!! Topped with fresh parmigiana, fresh basil and thyme. This is a keeper.