Baked Gnocchi with Bacon, Tomato and Mozzarella

Photo by Katie Kay

I love Diane Lane, and I find myself so envious of her pretend lives when I watch any of her movies (except Unfaithful.  Or Perfect Storm.)  
Nights in Rodanthe made me positively yearn to open a Bed & Breakfast on the East Coast and the yearning hasn't faded since the movie came out.  Under the Tuscan Sun made me fantasize about dropping everything and buying a villa in Tuscany.  I'd wear billowy white shirts and sandals as I drank deep red wine and cooked rich Italian food from scratch.
I know nothing (Jon Snow) about Italy or authentic Italian food, so the closest I'll ever come to those 2 fantasies is immersing myself in my kitchen prep, pretending I'm cooking somebody's Italian grandmother's secret family recipe. 
I think of gnocchi as authentically Italian, although we have a bit of a love/hate relationship.  I tried making it from scratch and failed miserably.  I even bought a $20 potato ricer and this was just as epic of a fail as my first attempts at caramel!  It was shameful and I've used store-bought ever since.  
How do you even say gnocchi?  I never say it aloud for fear of sounding like a pretentious snob--I'm talking to you, Giada.  I should go to Tuscany to do some research on this.
In the meantime...this cheesy, smoky delight will tide you over.  Pour a glass of wine and channel Diane Lane with me.

Diane Lane - Under the Tuscan Sun

Baked Gnocchi with Bacon, Tomato and Mozzarella
18oz package potato gnocchi 8oz raw bacon, chopped 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced 1 tsp smoked paprika 14oz can diced tomatoes 8oz cherry or grape tomatoes, halved 1 tsp sugar 2 Tbsp heavy cream Salt & pepper 4 large slices mozzarella (fresh if you can get it)
Preheat oven to 350 and set a large pot of water to boil.  In a skillet, cook the bacon until crispy then add the garlic and smoked paprika.  Stir quickly to prevent garlic from burning.  Add the tomatoes and sugar, then let it come to a simmer.  As the tomatoes simmer, add gnocchi to the boiling water and cook according to package directions.  Drain when finished.
Turn off the heat under the tomatoes, then stir in the cream, salt, and pepper to taste.  Add gnocchi, then pour into a baking dish.  Top with mozzarella and bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
by Simply Delicious Food