Melissa Jo’s Signature Cream Sauce ๐

I am giving out all my secrets today, this blog is going to contain my back pocket recipe for my Signature Creamy Sauce. The possibilities are endless, once you master this sauce you are going to be able to add whatever protein you want or customize it to create your own signature sauce. Add a little bit of this, omit a little bit of that and then boom you have your own signature sauce!
You can add any protein you want to this cream sauce, for example, if you would like to add shrimp here is what you would do: in the same pan you will make your sauce; add the shrimp before you add in any of the other listed ingredients. Season and brown your shrimp, once they are cooked all the way through remove them from the pan, and then in the same pan without cleaning it out start creating your sauce with the ingredients listed below within the recipe card. Once your sauce is done add your shrimp back in with all the accumulated juices and boom you have your own signature sauce with your own signature protein!


I absolutely love using this Lodge Cast Iron Deep Skillet because it evenly distributes heat from the bottom through the sidewalls and it retains heat for a longer time.

To your Cast Iron Skillet, add olive oil, tomatoes, Crushed Red pepper Flakes, and salt & pepper. Let that sautรฉ for a few minutes on medium-high heat. I use the Le Creuset Salt Mill & Le Creuset Pepper Mill everyday for my recipes, the color is beautiful!

Add in the red onion and butter, sautรฉ that for a few more minutes.

While everything is sautรฉing, smash about ยพ of the tomatoes down gently with a Wooden Spoon.

Next, add in the Minced Garlic and sautรฉ for a few minutes until the garlic is fragrant.

Using a Lemon Zester, add in the lemon zest of half a lemon.

Add the Tomato Paste, and brown that up for a few minutes.

Using a Lemon Juicer, squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon to deglaze the pan.

Pour in the Chardonnay and let the alcohol cook out for about 5-7 minutes. (If you want to use the wine you can use the same amount of chicken stock instead).

Stir in the heavy cream and bring the skillet back to a boil. I love using this Pyrex 2 Piece Glass Measuring Cup Set!

Then add in the Gnocchi.

Freshly shave over some Pecorino Romano. Stir everything together and let that boil until the gnocchi is al dente. Then add in some fresh spinach and basil once the gnocchi is almost done cooking.

Garnish with some more greens and you are ready to serve!



๐ More Delicious Creamy Recipes
๐ How to Store Leftovers
Store in an air-tight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
๐ค Common Questions
Shrimp or chicken are great choices to add to this recipe!
My Signature Creamy Sauce pairs well with crostini, a side salad, or with some roasted vegetables.
๐ฅ Items Featured in the Video


Melissa Jo’s Signature Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 16 oz Gnocchi
- ยผ of a red onion chopped
- 1 dry pint cherry tomatoes sliced into thirds
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ยฝ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 heaping tbsp minced garlic
- 187 ML mini bottle of chardonnay
- 1 small lemon
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- โ cup heavy cream
- ยผ cup freshly shaved Pecorino Romano
- ยฝ cup baby spinach chopped
- 5-6 fresh basil leaves ripped up
Instructions
- In a cast iron add olive oil, tomatoes, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt & pepper. Saute that for a few minutes on medium-high heat.
- Next, add in the red onion and butter, saute that for a few more minutes. While it is sauteing, smash about ยพ of the tomatoes down gently with your spoon.
- Then add in the minced garlic and saute for a few minutes until fragrant.
- Add in the lemon zest of half a lemon and the tomato paste, and saute that for a few minutes to brown the tomato paste.
- Then squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon to deglaze the pan.
- Pour in the chardonnay, bring the pan to a boil, lower it to a simmer, and let that simmer for about 5-7 minutes, so the alcohol can burn out.
- Next, pour in the heavy cream, give that a stir, and bring the pan back up to a boil. Once it comes to a rolling boil, add in the gnocchi and the freshly shaved pecorino romano. Give that a stir and let that boil for about 2-4 minutes or according to package directions until the gnocchi is al dente.
- When the gnocchi is almost done cooking, add in the chopped fresh spinach and basil. Serve & Enjoy!
Video

Notes
- If you don’t want to use wine you can substitute the wine for chicken broth.
- Layer the salt & pepper as you go, after each step (if needed).
- If your sauce isn’t at your desired creaminess add more heavy cream.ย ย
- If you don’t want to add the spinach, just add something else that is green (like basil or parsley).