This is a super simple tasty alternative to a ready made tomato and mascarpone cooking sauce and it only requires a few key ingredients. The feta gives it a lovely creaminess that balances nicely with the roasted peppers and tomatoes, and the chilli flakes give it a gentle warmth. I like this as a vegetarian dish but if you wanted to add in some additional protein you could mix in some chargrilled chicken breast.
INGREDIENTS (SERVES 2)
- 2 red peppers
- 4 large tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 50g wild rocket leaves
- x3 garlic cloves (unpeeled)
- 1/3 block of feta, crumbled
- Pinch of chilli flakes (approx 1/4 tsp)
- 1 pack of gnocchi (for 2)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 200c (fan). Quarter the tomatoes and deseed, core and cut the peppers into large chunks.
In a large roasting tin, toss together the tomatoes and peppers, unpeeled garlic cloves, olive oil, oregano and lots of salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes until softened and starting to crisp on the edges.
Remove from the oven and carefully slip the garlic cloves out from their skins.
Split the tomato and red pepper mix in half. Place one half in a blender with the three garlic cloves and chilli flakes (optional) and blitz into a thick sauce.
Mash the remaining red pepper and tomato mix with a potato masher to release the juices, and break up the pepper chunks.
Cook the gnocchi in lightly salted boiling water until they float on the surface (approx 3 minutes). Drain the water and add the gnocchi back in the pan.
Add the blended sauce and the remaining mix from the roasting tin into the pan with the gnocchi and keep on a low heat. Stir in half of the crumbled feta, give it a minute or two to soften, then season to taste.
Serve into bowls then add the remaining crumbled feta and rocket on top, and enjoy :)
*LEFTOVERS RECIPES ALERT* If you're looking for something to do with the leftover feta, I have the perfect recipe for you! This Easy Baked Feta, inspired by a recent trip to Athens, is a dream of a dish and it is so simple to make! It'll help you avoid finding that left over feta in the fridge three weeks down the line, and if you want to be super cost effective, you can keep the tops of the red peppers from this recipe to bake on the feta too. Take a look: https://www.onthehobb.com/post/baked-feta