Dining Solo? This Gnocchi Con Tomate Recipe Makes a Perfect Single Serving

“If you’re going to make one recipe from this book, make it this one!” writes recipe developer and author Eleanor Wilkinson in her cookbook One Pot One Portion: 100 Simple Recipes Just for You. “It. Is. Divine.”

As you probably gathered from the title, Wilkinson’s book is brimming with recipes devoted to the single diner. After all, when you’re planning solo culinary self-care, you don’t need a recipe that makes eight servings. Oh, and because Wilkinson knows that you don’t want single-serving cooking to generate a sink full of dishes, she’s devised all of these recipes to be one-pot meals.

Here’s why Wilkinson is so passionate about this simple meal in particular: “The crisp bounce of the gnocchi replaces the bread traditionally used in Spanish ‘pan con tomate’ and takes it from a light lunch to a more substantial meal.” Which means that you’ll be getting Italian flavors in a Spanish context — talk about the best of both worlds.

“Good-quality tomatoes are essential here, as well as generous seasoning, as that’s where most of the flavor comes from,” Wilkinson writes. So be sure to seek out some gorgeous tomatoes and fresh basil to ensure the most delicious results.

Gnocchi Con Tomate

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 good-quality, large vine tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 5 ¼ oz / 150g gnocchi
• ¼ cup / 5g fresh basil leaves, torn if large
• Flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. Start by grating your tomatoes onto your serving bowl or plate. Use the large hole of the grater and grate until you are left with the skin of the tomato, which you can discard. Add the garlic to the tomato and mix together. Season with flaky salt and a good drizzle of olive oil.
2. Heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat and add another good drizzle of olive oil to the pan. Add the gnocchi and fry for 4 to 5 minutes until golden and crispy. Season with salt, then spoon over the tomato mixture.
3. Scatter the basil leaves over the top before serving.

Reprinted with permission from One Pot One Portion 100 Simple Recipes Just for You by Eleanor
Wilkinson. Copyright © 2025 by Eleanor Wilkinson. Photographs copyright © 2025 by Dan Jones.
Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random
House LLC, New York.