Gnocchi alla Sorrentina Recipe | Potato Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella

Welcome, fellow food lovers! Today we have the honor of introducing you to a recipe that will teleport your taste buds straight to the sunny coast of Sorrento – the delectable Gnocchi alla Sorrentina. Originating from Sorrento, a small town that clings to cliffs overlooking the southern shore of the Bay of Naples, Gnocchi alla Sorrentina is a dish that celebrates the vibrant spirit of Italian coastal cuisine. Want to make the gnocchi yourself? Check out our guide on How to Make Homemade Gnocchi from Scratch!

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Pasta Affair: 50 Authentic Italian Recipes

While tripe isn’t for everyone, this is the definitive Italian Tripe recipe for anyone who likes beef tripe. The sauce—with tomato, mint, white wine and pecorino cheese—is divine.

This recipe uses beef tripe parts from all three edible stomachs of the cow. Preparing tripe is not complicated—the complicated part may be finding it at a local butcher! 

Tripe is extremely nutritious! It is low in fat and high in protein. In ancient times, it was a main source of nutrition for poor Italians who couldn’t afford choicer cuts of meat.  

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Learn how to make Italian Tripe recipe with our video recipe, filmed in Italy:

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How to Make Italian Tripe

For the complete recipe for making Roman Tripe, check out the recipe card below!

What is Tripe?

Tripe is the edible stomachs of the cow. There are three, each with a different texture.

Boil it for 15 minutes.

Even if the tripe you’ve purchased is already clean, we recommend boiling it in salt water with onion, carrot and celery for 15 minutes to remove any lingering odor.

Serve with bread!

Italian Tripe is traditionally served with bread for a fantastic scarpetta (sopping up the sauce).

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Tomato Products We Recommend

This tripe recipe calls for crushed tomatoes. In Italy, Italians have a secret for crushed tomatoes: they use or buy whole peeled tomatoes, remove the seeds and ‘water’ and then crush them with a blender or by hand. Why not just buy crushed tomatoes?

Italians know that canned crushed tomatoes tend to be less sweet than passata (purée) or whole peeled canned tomatoes. This is because skins and seeds often make their way into crushed tomato products, which produces a less sweet product.

For dishes like Roman Style Tripe (Trippa alla Romana), here in the PIATTO™ kitchen we tend to use:

• cans of whole peeled tomatoes from Mutti or Pomì (Amazon affiliate links)

To find out more about why, check out our guide on best canned tomatoes for sauce!

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Other Italian Tripe Recipes

Check out the traditional recipe for Trippa alla Fiorentina (Florence Style Tripe) on our website!

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Discover More Roman Food Recipes!

Rome Food

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Sicilian Food

Tuscan Food

Umbria Food

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Italian Tripe Recipe – Trippa alla Romana

PIATTO RECIPES

The traditional tripe dish of Rome! The tomato sauce—with tomato, mint, white wine and pecorino cheese—is divine.

4.98 from 44 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean

Servings 4 people

Calories 266 kcal

Ingredients

• 2.2 lb beef tripe cleaned
• 1 onion for pre-cooking the tripe
• 1 carrot for pre-cooking the tripe
• 1 rib celery for pre-cooking the tripe
• 1 onion chopped
• ½ carrot chopped
• 1 rib celery chopped
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes
• handful fresh mint minced
• 4 tbsp pecorino romano cheese finely grated
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 4 tbsp olive oil or as needed
• fresh chili peppers to taste
• fine salt to taste
• black pepper to taste

Instructions

 

Pre-Cook the Tripe

• Boil the tripe for 15 minutes in salted water with a whole onion, carrot and celery to remove the last of the odor. Drain and set aside.

Sauté the Tripe

• Coat the bottom of a skillet generously with olive oil. Sauté the chopped onion, carrot and celery over medium-low heat until the onions start to appear translucent.
• Add the tripe to the vegetables and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for a few minutes over medium heat. 
• Add a ½ cup of white wine. Stir, and cook until the wine has evaporated. 

Make the Sauce

• Add crushed tomato and a 1 1/2 cups of water to the tripe. 
• Bring the sauce to a boil. Add a handful of fresh mint and a pinch of salt.
• Cover and cook the tripe in the sauce over medium-low heat for 2 hours.

Finish with Pecorino Cheese

• After the two hours, turn off the heat and add about 4 Tbs of freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Stir to melt the cheese. 

  Feel free to top with more pecorino when you serve the dish.  

Video

Watch the Video Recipe!

Watch the video for this Gnocchi alla Sorrentina recipe from our YouTube Cooking channel:

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A Taste of History

Legend has it that the Gnocchi alla Sorrentina was born during the Renaissance period when the Spanish ruled over Naples and its neighboring regions. Sorrento, being a prominent maritime hub, was exposed to various culinary influences.

The dish represents the quintessence of Mediterranean flavors. It combines the local sun-ripened tomatoes with the divine meltiness of mozzarella cheese (fior di latte). The addition of fresh basil adds an aromatic note, while a sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese lends a sharp depth of flavor. These simple ingredients, when harmonized, create a symphony of flavors that is both comforting and invigorating.

The Recipe: A Love Letter to Sorrento

This hearty meal begins with the classic Italian gnocchi – soft potato dumplings that are as light as a cloud. It’s very easy to make homemade potato gnocchi and we’ll show you how to do it in our guide: How to Make Homemade Gnocchi From Scratch

For Gnocchi alla Sorrentina, the gnocchi are then nestled in a rich tomato sauce infused with garlic and basil. But the real magic begins when generous amounts of mozzarella and Parmigiano cheese are sprinkled over the top. The dish is baked until it turns into a bubbling cauldron of cheesy goodness.

Tips for Making Gnocchi alla Sorrentina

Make Homemade Potato Gnocchi!

It’s actually really easy to to learn how to make homemade gnocchi from scratch! Check out our guide and Italian Grandma Lulu’s recipe! 

Parmigiano Reggiano

Always use authentic Parmigiano Reggiano, instead of so-called ‘parmesan’ cheese.

Fresh Mozzarella is Best

In Italy, fresh mozzarella is used in this dish. Choose mozzarella made with cow milk rather than buffalo milk. Look for ‘water packed’ mozzarella balls or logs.

Want stringy cheese? The fresh mozzarella traditionally used in this dish (and almost always used in Italy) won’t be super stringy when melted. If you want that texture, reach for a drier provolone cheese. While not traditional, it will produce that stringy melted cheese that many enjoy.

Au Gratin Option!

Love an ‘au gratin’ crust? Broil this dish for 1-2 minutes. Watch closely to avoid burning!

More Italian Gnocchi Recipes!

• Four Cheese Gnocchi Recipe
• Semolina Gnocchi Recipe
• Little Gnocchi without Potatoes

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🇬🇧 This is the English-language version of our original Italian recipe on PIATTO Ricette.