30-minute meal: gnocchi with tomatoes, pancetta and wilted watercress
After a long day at work nobody feels like spending hours in the kitchen cooking.
![](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/07/gnocchi-2.jpg)
With this 30-minute meal not only will you save time, but your family will get both a healthy and tasty meal.
The use of pancetta balances the sweet tomatoes and peppery watercress.
Make it a meal by adding a salad tossed with red-wine vinaigrette.
What you need:
* 60 grams pancetta, chopped.
* Three cloves garlic, minced.
* Two large tomatoes, chopped.
* Half a teaspoon sugar.
* A quarter teaspoon red pepper.
* Two teaspoons red-wine vinegar.
* A quarter teaspoon salt.
* Half a kilogram gnocchi.
* 120 grams watercress, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped.
* A third of a cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
What to do:
Bring a large pan of water to a boil.
Cook pancetta in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, about four to five minutes.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, sugar and red pepper and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes are almost completely broken down, about five minutes. Stir in vinegar and salt. Remove from the heat.
Cook gnocchi in the boiling water until they float, three to five minutes or according to package directions. Place watercress in a colander and drain the gnocchi over the watercress, wilting it slightly. Add the gnocchi and watercress to the sauce in the pan; toss to combine.
Serve immediately with Parmesan.