These baked quenelles in tomato sauce are wonderfully soft and puffed, surrounded by a rich, savory sauce filled with mushrooms, green olives, garlic, and herbs. Add a little grated cheese before baking, and you have an easy French comfort-food dinner that is almost impossible not to love.
At this point, my affection for quenelles is no longer exactly a secret.
First, I showed you how to make homemade French quenelles from scratch. Then I baked them in a generous amount of creamy sauce for my quenelles with béchamel sauce.
Naturally, I could not stop there.
Today, we are taking those same soft, pillowy quenelles in a completely different direction: a deeply flavorful tomato sauce with sautéed mushrooms, green olives, garlic, thyme, and oregano.
My mother made quenelles both ways when I was growing up-sometimes with béchamel and sometimes with tomato sauce. The béchamel version is mild, creamy, and wonderfully comforting, while this tomato version is brighter, more savory, and packed with flavor.
Do not ask me to choose between them. That would be like asking me to choose a favorite child-the answer changes depending on the day.
Jump to:
- Why You Will Love These Quenelles in Tomato Sauce
- But Where Do I Find Quenelles?
- Ingredients You Will Need
- How to Make Quenelles in Tomato Sauce
- My Best Tips for Perfect Baked Quenelles
- What to Serve with Quenelles in Tomato Sauce
- Can You Prepare the Tomato Sauce Ahead of Time?
- How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- More Ways to Enjoy French Quenelles
- Baked Quenelles in Tomato Sauce
Why You Will Love These Quenelles in Tomato Sauce
This recipe is wonderfully comforting without being quite as rich as the béchamel version.
The tomato sauce simmers with onions, garlic, mushrooms, herbs, and green olives, becoming flavorful enough to complement the delicate quenelles without overpowering them. Once baked, the quenelles puff up beautifully while soaking in some of that delicious sauce.
And if you are the kind of picky eater who does not like mushrooms or olives-or, far more alarmingly, either one-you can simply leave them out. The recipe will still be delicious, and I will do my best not to take it personally.
It is also:
- Easy to prepare with homemade or frozen quenelles
- Made mostly with simple pantry ingredients
- A wonderful meatless French main course when you use vegetable bouillon
- Perfect served with rice, bread, or a simple green salad
- An excellent excuse to put grated cheese on something
The cheese is technically optional. Whether I personally consider it optional is another matter entirely.
But Where Do I Find Quenelles?
Good news: you can make quenelles from scratch using only a handful of very ordinary ingredients that you probably already have at home.
My easy homemade quenelles recipe uses milk, water, butter, flour, and eggs. That is it. No mysterious equipment, no obscure ingredients, and no emergency flight to Lyon required.
Once shaped and poached, the homemade quenelles are ready to be placed directly into this tomato sauce and baked.
Can You Buy Quenelles in the United States?
Quenelles are still difficult to find in regular American grocery stores, but a few French specialty retailers carry them online.
Frenchery currently lists Saint-Jean frozen plain quenelles through Instacart. These would be the closest match for this recipe, although availability depends on your location and ZIP code.
Frenchery also lists frozen Bocuse-style pike quenelles through Instacart. These have a more pronounced fish flavor than plain quenelles, but they can also be baked in tomato sauce.
When searching online or inside a French specialty market, look for:
- Quenelles nature
- Plain quenelles
- Quenelles lyonnaises
- Quenelles de brochet or pike quenelles
Stock and shipping availability can change, especially with frozen products, so homemade quenelles remain the most dependable option. Fortunately, they are far easier to make than their very French appearance would have you believe.
Ingredients You Will Need
Quenelles
Use six large plain quenelles, either homemade or frozen. If your quenelles are small, you may need more and should reduce the baking time slightly.
Fresh mushrooms
Slice the mushrooms before sautéing them with the onion. They add a lovely earthy flavor and make the sauce feel more substantial.
White button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms both work well.
Yellow onion and garlic
The onion forms the aromatic base of the sauce, while five cloves of garlic provide plenty of flavor.
Whole peeled tomatoes
Use one large can of whole peeled tomatoes with their juice.
I like to cut the tomatoes directly inside the can using kitchen scissors. It saves time, avoids covering the cutting board in tomato juice, and gives the scissors a brief moment of culinary importance.
Tomato passata
Tomato passata-also sold as strained tomatoes-makes the sauce smoother and gives it plenty of body.
A plain, unseasoned tomato sauce can be substituted when passata is unavailable.
Tomato paste
A generous spoonful of tomato paste intensifies the tomato flavor and helps create a richer sauce.
Bouillon
Chicken or vegetable bouillon adds depth and seasons the entire sauce.
Because the bouillon and olives are already salty, wait until the sauce has simmered before deciding whether it needs additional salt.
Green olives
Use pitted green olives so that no one encounters an unexpected olive pit during dinner. French meals may contain drama, but dental drama is best avoided.
Add as many olives as your heart tells you is reasonable.
Bay leaves, thyme, and oregano
These simple herbs give the tomato sauce its warm, savory flavor.
Remember to remove the bay leaves before serving!
Grated cheese
The cheese is optional, particularly if you ask a strict quenelle traditionalist.
I usually sprinkle a little grated cheese over the quenelles before baking because it melts, turns golden, and makes everything even better.
Please keep this between us. I was born in Lyon-the hometown of quenelles-and I have a culinary reputation to protect.
How to Make Quenelles in Tomato Sauce
1. Sauté the vegetables
Cook the sliced onion and mushrooms in a little olive oil for a few minutes, until softened.
Add the minced garlic and bay leaves and cook for 1 minute more.
2. Make the tomato sauce
Add the chopped tomatoes and their juice, followed by the tomato passata, tomato paste, bouillon, thyme, oregano, and black pepper.
Simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Stir in the green olives, then taste and add salt only if needed.
3. Assemble and bake
Arrange the quenelles in a baking dish and spoon the tomato sauce around and partially over them. Sprinkle with grated cheese, if using.
Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 to 30 minutes, until the quenelles are puffed and lightly golden. Serve them immediately, before they have time to reconsider all that puffing and slowly collapse.
My Best Tips for Perfect Baked Quenelles
Give Them Plenty of Room
Quenelles expand considerably in the oven, so do not pack them tightly into the baking dish.
When necessary, divide them between two dishes. They need personal space, encouragement, and a generous amount of sauce-honestly, a fairly reasonable list of demands.
Do Not Completely Submerge Them
Pour the sauce around the quenelles and only partially over them.
Completely covering the tops prevents them from rising above the sauce and becoming lightly golden.
Watch the Consistency of the Sauce
The tomato sauce should be thick enough to coat the quenelles but still loose and spoonable.
If it becomes too thick while simmering, add a small amount of water. Start with just a splash-you can always add more.
Taste Before Adding Salt
Bouillon cubes, olives, and cheese can all contribute quite a bit of salt.
Taste the finished sauce first, then add only as much salt as it genuinely needs.
Serve the Quenelles Immediately
Quenelles are at their very best straight from the oven, while they are hot, tender, and beautifully puffed.
Have the table ready before removing them from the oven. Quenelles do not enjoy waiting for everyone to finish whatever mysteriously urgent thing they suddenly decided to do at dinnertime.
What to Serve with Quenelles in Tomato Sauce
My favorite accompaniment is plain white rice.
The rice absorbs the tomato sauce beautifully, catches all the mushrooms and olives, and ensures that none of the sauce is abandoned at the bottom of the plate. Rice may not be glamorous, but it understands its assignment.
You could also serve these quenelles with:
- A simple green salad with Dijon vinaigrette
- Roasted zucchini
- Steamed green beans
- Sautéed spinach
- Crusty French bread
- Rice pilaf
Because the tomato sauce already contains mushrooms and olives, you do not need an elaborate side dish.
Can You Prepare the Tomato Sauce Ahead of Time?
Yes. The tomato sauce can be prepared up to two days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Warm it gently before assembling the dish. If it has thickened in the refrigerator, stir in a small splash of water until it becomes spoonable again.
For the best texture, wait to combine the quenelles and sauce until shortly before baking. Leaving the quenelles in the sauce for several hours may cause them to absorb too much liquid.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Store leftover quenelles with their tomato sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Reheat them in a covered baking dish at 325°F or 160°C until hot throughout. Add a spoonful of water or tomato sauce if the mixture looks dry.
Individual servings can also be reheated in the microwave.
The quenelles will still be delicious, but they will not be quite as impressively puffed the second time. Much like the rest of us, they find it difficult to recreate yesterday's enthusiasm.
More Ways to Enjoy French Quenelles
For an entirely different-but equally comforting-version, try my baked quenelles with béchamel sauce. They are surrounded by a smooth, creamy white sauce and baked until lightly golden.
And when finding quenelles feels impossible, make your own with my easy homemade French quenelles recipe. Once you discover how simple they are, a dangerously quenelle-filled future awaits you.
These baked quenelles in tomato sauce are cozy, flavorful, and wonderfully French. Between the soft quenelles, savory tomato sauce, mushrooms, olives, and melted cheese, they make the kind of family dinner that disappears very quickly.
You will find the full recipe below. Please leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a comment after trying it-it truly means the world to me and helps other readers discover the recipe too!
Baked Quenelles in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 large plain quenelles, homemade or store-bought
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 200 g (7 oz) fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes with their juice, about 800 g (28 oz)
- 1 generous tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 chicken or vegetable bouillon cubes (Or 2 teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon)
- 500 g (about 2 cups) tomato passata, crushed tomatoes, or plain tomato sauce
- 100-120 ml (about ½ cup) water, optional, depending on the desired consistency
- Pitted green olives, to taste (optional)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Dried oregano and thyme, to taste
- Grated cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
- Sauté the vegetables. Heat a little olive oil in a large saucepan or deep skillet. Add the sliced onion and mushrooms and cook for a few minutes, until softened. Add the minced garlic and bay leaves and cook for 1 minute more.
- Prepare the tomato sauce.Cut the whole peeled tomatoes into smaller pieces-I like to cut them directly inside the can using kitchen scissors-and add them to the pan with their juice.Stir in the tomato passata, tomato paste, bouillon cubes, thyme, oregano, and black pepper. Simmer gently over low heat for about 20 minutes. Add the green olives, stir, and taste before adding any salt.
- Assemble and bake.Arrange the quenelles in a large baking dish and spoon the tomato sauce around and partially over them. Sprinkle with grated cheese, if using.Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size of the quenelles. Remove them from the oven as soon as they are well puffed and lightly golden. Serve immediately.
Notes
- For the most accurate results, I recommend using the metric measurements in grams, although U.S. customary measurements are provided.
- Tomato passata: Passata is simply smooth, strained tomatoes. If you cannot find it, use the same amount of crushed tomatoes or unseasoned plain tomato sauce. You need approximately 500 g, 17.6 ounces, or 2 cups. When using a 28-ounce can, measure out about 2 cups and refrigerate or freeze the remainder. You may also use the entire can for a more generous amount of sauce; simply omit the optional water.
- The mushrooms and green olives are both optional. Feel free to leave out either one-or both, if that keeps everyone at the table happy.
- Wait until the sauce has finished simmering before adding salt. The bouillon cubes, olives, and optional cheese may already provide enough.
