I need a vegan sauce to go with gnocchi?

**Indadhanu** · November 6th, 2009, 10:54 AM

LOL, yes I'm making gnocchi, which is why I'm spamming the recipe boards LOL!

My sis can't have ANY animal products, including eggs, cheese, butter etc.

I'm wanting to make a nice vegetable sauce to go with the gnocchi, I was thinking something fairly basic, like a tomato-based chuncky vegetable sauce?

How would I go about making one really nice?

I've never really made anything and she has come up to help me with Jazz so I want to do something nice for her!

**diannescruffy** · November 6th, 2009, 11:26 AM

Leasha this is just from the top of my head, how about frying onion, then toss in chopped carrots, celery, capsicum ( any vegies you like) brown them then some peeled tomatoes and if you've got some fresh herbs like parsley, oregano just for that added flavour.

Regards,
Dianne

**Talia*L** · November 6th, 2009, 11:33 AM

I would say - get some vegetables, cut them into 2cm pieces, and roast them with olive oil and salt.

I would recommend: Asparagus, zuccini, capsicum, red onion, pumpkin, cauliflower and eggplant, for example. The pumpkin will need a little longer to roast.

Then, when they are soft and delicious and caramalised, stir through a little rich tomato sauce (even a jar one with basil and garlic would be fine). Then toss through the gnocci at the end! You could also add some vegan cheese as an option...

**Bathsheba** · November 6th, 2009, 11:35 AM

I'd dice a pumpkin roast until caramelized (toss in olive oil first, maybe add a few sprigs of rosemary and a pinch of salt) in a hot oven. While that is cooking finely dice and fry some shallots (the purple ones) or just some onions. Add some garlic and seasoning (salt and black pepper). If your sis likes spicy food then add a pinch of cayenne/chilli. Add about half a tin of diced tomatoes. Cook until the shallots/onions look soft and transparent. Dry roast (ideally on a cast iron pan) a handful of pine nuts, then set aside for garnishing. When everything is cooked toss together with an extra splash of virgin olive oil. Sprinkle the pine nuts on top just before serving with a generous quantity of finely chopped parsley. My family love this. I find the pumpkin breaks down and clings to the pasta really well... meaning you don't need cream etc.

ETA: snap Talia!

**Talia*L** · November 6th, 2009, 11:40 AM

Ohh yes top with toasted pine nuts! Yum!

**Indadhanu** · November 6th, 2009, 11:42 AM

Mmmmmm OMG yum to both!!!!!! Mmmmmmmmmmmm caramelised veg sauce idea is GREAT!

**Rumpleteaser** · November 6th, 2009, 11:43 AM

You could make a ratatouilli, I got this receipe out of a babies and toddler cook book, so it would be ok for you DD too.
Serves 4ppl
2 tblsp olive oil
1 medium red onion thinly sliced
1 lg red caps, chopped coarsley
3 lg zucchini, slicked thickly
5 baby eggplant sliced thinkly
400gm diced tin tomatoes
2 cloves crushed garlic.

Cook onion, caps, zucc and egplt togthr 5min, add undarined toms, bring to boil, reduce to simmer cover cook 20mins or untill vegies soft, stir in garlic.

I then cut DS serve in to baby bit size and let him feed himself, he loves it.

**Bathsheba** · November 6th, 2009, 11:45 AM

I find the pine nuts replace the flavour of the cheese... and also provide extra protein... I used to eat them alot when i was a vego. They can be exxy... walnuts (chopped and dry roasted) also is a good, slightly cheaper alternative.

**Talia*L** · November 6th, 2009, 11:47 AM

I just wanted to add - I do a MASSIVE load of roasted veggies (8 - 12 types) each week, a few oven-loads. I then store them in containers in the fridge, and use them for pastas, pizzas, tarts, quiche, lasagne, even blend them up and make filling for ravioli.

This is great for vegans or people needing more veggies in their lives, as it's just a one-off effort each week, instead of peeling and preparing each night.

**~Phoenix~** · November 6th, 2009, 12:14 PM

Gnocchi Puttanesca - you can ditch the anchovies for some extra chillies etc & pinenuts as a cheese substitute.

Ingredients (serves 4)
2 tbs olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
5 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 small red chilli, seeded, finely chopped
1/2 cup (125ml) dry white wine
800g canned chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 tbs baby capers, rinsed
100g small pitted black olives
800g potato gnocchi
1 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley
Grated parmesan, to serve
Method
Heat the olive oil in a deep frypan over low heat, add the chopped onion, crushed garlic, anchovy fillets and chilli and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until the onion has softened and the anchovies have dissolved. Add the white wine, chopped tomato, bay leaf and rinsed capers, then cook for a further 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened. Season - remembering that the anchovies, capers and olives are all quite salty - then stir in the olives.
Towards the end of the sauce cooking time, cook the potato gnocchi in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain.
Add the gnocchi and the flat-leaf parsley to the sauce and toss well.
Serve the gnocchi sprinkled with grated parmesan.

Whenever we've made gnocchi at home (italian family) we usually just have it with a basic tomato based napolitana type sauce, with chilli added

**LimeSlice** · November 6th, 2009, 12:19 PM

Don't forget you can use coconut milk in place of cream or milk to make a white based sauce...roasted curry pumkin is one of our fav's with gnocchi

**Janie** · November 6th, 2009, 01:56 PM

And if you want a REALLY easy, cheat's tomato sauce, try this

Heat some olive oil in a pan......add a whole clove of garlic.........when you can smell the garlic add 400g crushed tinned tomatoes........add some salt..........simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

It's great when you need a sauce REALLY quickly, and don't like using packet ones

**luna moth** · November 6th, 2009, 02:51 PM

For next time, if you want a decadent creamy pasta sauce (not the best with gnocchi, but brilliant with fettucine) do my vegan white sauce:
Simmer 1 cup water with 1 tsp Massel stock powder (or 1 cube - chicken best)
Add 1/2 tub Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese (availabel at woolies and now some coles)
Stir until tofutti is as dissolved as you can get it.
Remove from heat, make up a cornflour slurry (about 2tsp cornflour in athick paste with water)
Dump slurry into mix, stir like mad.
return to heat, until it bubbles up.

This is an amazing sauce, works brilliantly on lasagne, or with pasta and say, cauliflower, or anything else you would put with a white sauce. (Peas, mushrooms and vegie bacon is another fave at our place)
It's real comfort food, and I would highly recommend you give this a go for her one time - once I learned how to do this sauce, it was a real staple. Helps me to not miss dairy so much, so I know it would be good for her.

Good luck!

**Bathsheba** · November 6th, 2009, 02:57 PM

Fantastic tip Snugglybean! I'll be trying that one!

I really should cut down on my dairy... don't have an allergy... but I suspect my skin would be better. I think I tend to break out when I overdo dairy.

**christy** · November 6th, 2009, 03:13 PM

I do a pumpkin/tofu sauce...

Roast 1/2 butternut pumpkin in olive oil
In the last 5 minutes, add 2 tbsp of pine nuts and 2 cloves garlic

In a blender, put the roasted pumpkin, pine nuts, garlic and 125gm silken tofu. Blend up and add 2 tbsp olive oil. Serve over pasta with some sage leaves on top. Numm

**Fleur** · November 6th, 2009, 04:35 PM

I just wanted to add - I do a MASSIVE load of roasted veggies (8 - 12 types) each week, a few oven-loads. I then store them in containers in the fridge, and use them for pastas, pizzas, tarts, quiche, lasagne, even blend them up and make filling for ravioli.

This is great for vegans or people needing more veggies in their lives, as it's just a one-off effort each week, instead of peeling and preparing each night.

sorry don't want to hijack

but I just wanted to ask - how long do they keep okay in the fridge?

Some great ideas here

I wish I had something to contribute but I've got nothing on these