Ingredients

500g (2 cups) passata
generous handful of basil leaves, finely chopped (reserve a few small leaves to garnish)
1 garlic clove, very thinly sliced
1 yellow (bell) pepper, roughly sliced
1 courgette (zucchini), roughly chopped
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
500g (1lb 2oz) potato gnocchi (ensure egg-free), rinsed with hot water
6 tsp vegan cream cheese, chilled
generous pinch of sea salt and black pepper
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
Stir together the passata, chopped basil and garlic in the bottom of a deep roasting pan, then add the pepper, courgette and cherry tomatoes.
Add the rinsed gnocchi and cover the pan loosely with foil. Bake in the oven for 30–35 minutes until the gnocchi have become tender.
Remove the pan from the oven and discard the foil. Dollop over the cream cheese in teaspoon-sized amounts, pressing them gently into the sauce. Scatter over the reserved basil leaves and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over a little olive oil and serve hot.

Serve with crusty bread or garlic bread, if you like.

Serves 2 generously / Approximate cost* per portion: £1.89

*Approximate cost calculated using average prices from three main supermarket retailers in the UK. Price data accurate as of December 2021.