Recipe: Grilled Cherry Tomatoes with Gnocchi and Burrata
When peak summer produce starts to flood farmers markets and stores, filling your basket with sweet, juicy tomatoes is a given. But after you’ve had your fill of tomatoes in salads and sandwiches, here’s a new idea for a fancy-but-easy vegetarian dinner that channels all the deliciousness of a Caprese salad — that requires zero indoor cooking. All you have to do is fire up the grill and open a bottle of rosé, and it’ll feel like you’re eating dinner on the Italian coast on a warm summer night.
Caprese with a Few Twists
Caprese is as Italian as it gets, with its layers of juicy tomatoes, creamy fresh mozzarella cheese, and fragrant basil — which together happen to mimic the Italian flag. With a few fun twists, a Caprese can be hearty enough for dinner but is still easy to put together: Throw some store-bought gnocchi into a grill basket; grill them next to a few skewers of cherry tomatoes; and toss it all together with basil, an herby dressing, and buttery slices of BelGioioso Burrata cheese.
Why Burrata?
If you’ve never had burrata before, think of it as fresh mozzarella cheese’s dressed-up cousin. BelGioioso Burrata starts with hand-formed, warm balls of mozzarella that are filled with a mixture of smaller pieces of mozzarella and cream. This delicate, delicious combination of stracciatella filling and fresh, creamy mozzarella makes it extra special, and the fun part is slicing through the burrata and seeing the contrast between the two textures. For this dish, do wait until the last minute to slice so that you can immediately transfer the slices onto the gnocchi before the filling flows out all over the cutting board.
The Genius of Grilled Gnocchi
Grilled gnocchi, you may ask? A definite yes. The soft, pillowy nuggets of potato pasta can be tossed into a grill basket (they aren’t just for veggies and shrimp!) and grilled until golden brown and a little crispy on the outside. Plus, there’s no need to heat up the kitchen or boil the gnocchi first; all you have to do is pick up a package of refrigerated or shelf-stable gnocchi (skip the frozen) at the store, and they’re good to grill. Just don’t forget to preheat the grill basket while the grill itself heats up — this will help keep the gnocchi from sticking.
The rest of this dish comes together with ease. Thread some colorful cherry tomatoes onto skewers and grill them so that they get plump and juicy. Then, make a dressing with fresh herbs, lemon juice, and garlic, and toss it all together so that the tomatoes add some of their juices and the heat of the gnocchi warm up the slices of burrata just a little bit. This summer dish is one worth putting into regular rotation during grilling season, but there are so many other ways to eat BelGioioso Burrata — check out their Facebook page for more ideas and to learn how their cheeses are made.
Grilled Cherry Tomatoes with Gnocchi and Burrata
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 16 minutes to 18 minutes
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup
fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
- 1/4 cup
fresh parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons
freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 2 cloves
garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup
olive oil
- 12 to 6 ounces
shelf-stable or refrigerated potato gnocchi
- 1 pint
cherry tomatoes
- 4
(10-inch) skewers, soaked for 30 minutes if wooden
- 8 ounces
BelGioioso Burrata cheese
Instructions
Heat an outdoor grill to medium-high, direct heat (400 to 450ºF). Place a grill basket on the grill as it heats.
Place the basil, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a mini food processor and pulse to combine, 10 to 12 pulses. Once the herbs are finely chopped, turn the food processor to process and slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. (You can also make this by hand: finely chop the herbs and garlic, then whisk with the lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper.)
Transfer half of the dressing into a large bowl. Add the gnocchi and tomatoes and toss to combine. Thread the tomatoes onto the skewers.
Spread the gnocchi into an even layer in the hot grill basket. Cover and grill until the gnocchi begin to brown, tossing occasionally, 12 to 14 minutes total. Place the tomato skewers directly onto the grill grates, cover, and grill for 2 minutes. Flip the skewers, toss the gnocchi again, cover, and continue to grill until the tomatoes begin to burst, about 2 minutes more.
Transfer the gnocchi to a serving bowl. Slide the tomatoes off of the skewers into the bowl. Drain the BelGioioso Burrata, cut each burrata ball into quarters, and arrange on top of the tomatoes. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and top with more basil.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: The dressing can be made and tossed with the gnocchi and tomatoes up to 1 day in advance. Store in the refrigerator.
Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days.