We use just a touch of pancetta—cured Italian-style bacon—to balance the sweet tomatoes and peppery watercress. Make it a meal: A salad tossed with a red-wine vinaigrette completes dinner.

Makes 4 servings, about 1 cup each

ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

2 ounces pancetta, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound gnocchi (see Shopping Tip)
4 ounces watercress, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped (6 cups packed)
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Put a large pan of water on to boil.
2. Cook pancetta in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, sugar and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes are almost completely broken down, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and salt. Remove from the heat.
3. Cook gnocchi in the boiling water until they float, 3 to 5 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.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 377 calories; 7 g fat (3 g sat, 1 g mono); 16 mg cholesterol; 63 g carbohydrate; 14 g protein; 3 g fiber; 686 mg sodium; 329 mg potassium.

Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (50% daily value), Vitamin A (45% dv), Calcium & Iron (15% dv).

4 Carbohydrate Servings

Exchanges: 4 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 fat

TIP: Shopping Tip: We like the texture of “shelf-stable” prepared gnocchi found in the Italian section of most supermarkets, but frozen and fresh refrigerated gnocchi also work well here.

I, too, added the extra pancetta and the 4 cloves of garlic I also bulked it up with half a bag of baby spinach I had. Loved this recipe the sauce is way good. Nice flavor contrasts.

Anonymous, annapolis, MD

Yummy!!! Don't add the extra salt though, the pancetta is salty enough. I used 3 oz of pancetta, 4 cloves of garlic and a touch extra of the hot pepper flakes. We like our food a little spicier at our house.

Anonymous, Seattle, WA

I used prosciutto instead of pancetta and baby arugula because I couldn't find watercress at the market. It was delicious!

Penelope

Instead of fresh tomatoes, I used canned diced tomatoes. So good! And, I hear that canned tomatoes are healthier than the fresh ones. I also added spinach as watercress was not available.

Sarah, Austin, TX