Dressed up Gnocchi

Pasta with "red sauce" (marinara) is a staple in many homes. While I love making a simple, healthful pasta dish for our family, a few quick changes can transform pasta with red sauce into a company-worthy dish. I was reminded of this the other day when SPH was cooking dinner. Ever the experimenter, he had said he was making gnocchi with marinara, but little did I know he was making something as delectable as this: Looks delicious, doesn't it? Sometimes in my harried rush to get dinner on the table, I lose a bit of my creativity. But SPH, on this particular day, had some time, some extra ingredients and some inspiration that transformed regular ole' pasta into: Gnocchi with Tomato-Cream Sauce topped with Bacon, Fresh Mozzarella Slices and Basil A quick addition of a bit of sour cream (yes, you can mix this into sauces with a fantastic, less-fat result), a touch of olive oil and some pureed red peppers created a sublime pasta sauce. Rummaging through the fridge he found some fresh basil, buffalo mozzarella and cooked bacon, which he used to crumble on top. I share this for two reasons: first, to say once again, that I am by far the inferior cook in our kitchen and I stand in awe of my gourmet husband. And second, to perhaps inspire you to look to "whatever you have on hand" to jazz up a simple dish. SPC
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