Baked Gnocchi Recipe with Mozzarella - Easy Comfort Food! (2024)

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This vegetarian Baked Gnocchi recipe is so quick and tasty. A super simple sauce, packed with spinach and tomatoes, is topped with mozzarella cheese for the perfect easy comfort food vegetarian family meal.

Baked Gnocchi Recipe with Mozzarella - Easy Comfort Food! (1)

Oh hello laziest ever one pan dinner.

British ‘summer’ is proving a bit sketchy so far this year aka RAIN RAIN RAIN.

Another day of wet feet, through my inappropriate choice of footwear (but it’s JUNE FOR GOODNESS SAKE) and all I want is some kind of comfort food dinner.

Enter: Baked gnocchi = carby, cheesy, goodness.

In need of TLC in a bowl? Or a mega quick meal for small people? Or a way to eat molten cheese on a Wednesday night? This is your new fave dish.

✅ Ultimate comfort food – hug in a bowl

Super quick, including cheat’s tomato sauce.

✅ Secretly includes at least 2 of your 5 a day

Baked Gnocchi Recipe with Mozzarella - Easy Comfort Food! (2)

What IS gnocchi anyway?

Gnocchi is an Italian potato dumpling. Made with flour and mashed potatoes, they are usually boiled and served in a similar way to pasta.

In this baked gnocchi recipe, I use ready made gnocchi.

It works really well as they are quite dense, so soak up the sauce, and give a real comfort food texture.

How do you make the Baked Gnocchi recipe?

This is a one pan recipe (hurrah!) so choose a large shallow pan, that’s suitable for the oven as well as the hob.

Make a simple sauce with onions, garlic, and passata.

Add honey to take off a tart edge, spinach, salt and pepper and the gnocchi.

You DO NOT need to pre boil the gnocchi as it will cook in the sauce.

Allow everything to soften slightly, then top with the mozzarella and bake until crispy and golden.

Baked Gnocchi Recipe with Mozzarella - Easy Comfort Food! (3)

A couple of notes on some of the ingredients I used:

  • Garlic – I use preprepared frozen as I’m always looking for a shortcut.
  • Onion – Again, I use preprepared frozen chopped onions (life changing).
  • Passata – Buy a good quality passata, it does make a difference, especially as this sauce doesn’t cook down for long. If you can buy one with Italian herbs (basil/oregano) already add – do it.
  • Honey – this offsets the slightly sour taste of passata, use a teaspoon of sugar if you prefer.
  • Spinach – I use baby spinach, pre washed, buy frozen is fine. You’ll just need to either defrost first, or allow it to bubble into the sauce for 5 mins before adding the gnocchi.
  • Gnocchi – I think there tends to be two types of gnocchi in supermarkets. Either are fine for this dish, in fact the drier one is possibly better as it will get softer in the oven:
    • Kind of semi-dried – in vacuum packs
    • In the chiller with fresh pasta – which is a little wetter

Baked Gnocchi Recipe with Mozzarella - Easy Comfort Food! (4)

Variations on the recipe:

Baked Gnocchi with Chicken – Stir chunks of cooked chicken (or leftover cooked chicken)through the sauce before putting the cheese on top.

Baked Gnocchi with Bacon – Stir pieces of cooked bacon through the sauce before putting the cheese on top.

Creamy Gnocchi Bake – Stir 4 tbsp of double cream or creme fraiche through the sauce before putting the cheese on top.

Baked Gnocchi with Sausage – Stir chunks of cooked sausages through the sauce before putting the cheese on top.

Make the sauce more rich – If you have time, you can allow the sauce to cook for an extra 15 – 20 minutes before adding the spinach and gnocchi. (You may need to add a splash of water as it will become quite thick.)

Baked Gnocchi Recipe with Mozzarella - Easy Comfort Food! (5)

What to serve with the Baked Gnocchi recipe:

  • Garlic bread
  • A green salad
  • Some broccoli pan fried with a little garlic
  • It would also make a great side for any simple protein, like marinated chicken

Fancy some more 30 minute dinner ideas?

  • Grilled Halloumi Bake (vegetarian & gluten free)
  • Teriyaki Chicken with Sticky Sauce (gluten free)
  • Easy Egg Fried Rice Recipe (just 15 minutes!)

Baked Gnocchi Recipe with Mozzarella - Easy Comfort Food! (6)

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do.I’d love to know how you got on and what you thought of it if you make thisBaked Gnocchi recipe.

Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below!

Also, if you fancy showing me a photo by tagging me on Instagram (@tamingtwins) I LOVE to see your creations and try and share as many of them as I can.

Baked Gnocchi Recipe with Mozzarella - Easy Comfort Food! (7)

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4.90 from 57 votes

Baked Gnocchi

By Sarah Rossi

This vegetarian Baked Gnocchi recipe is so quick and tasty. A super simple sauce, packed with spinach and tomatoes, is topped with mozzarella cheese for the perfect easy comfort food supper.

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 People

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp Olive oil
  • 3 Cloves Garlic, Peeled and crushed
  • 1 Large Onion, Peeled and finely chopped
  • 700 g Passata, The type with added Italian herbs if possible
  • 1 tsp Honey
  • 80 g Baby spinach
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 800 g Fresh gnocchi
  • 300 g Mozzarella Cheese

Optional:

  • 25 g Fresh basil
  • Freshly grated Parmesan to serve

Metric - Imperial

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 200C.

  • Heat the olive oil in a large pan (one that can go on the hob and also in the oven).

  • Add the garlic and onions and cook for 5 minutes until softened.

  • Add the passata, honey, spinach, salt and pepper and the gnocchi. (Also add the fresh basil if you're using, reserving a few leave to garnish).

  • Stir everything (whilst still on the heat) for about 5 minutes until combined and the spinach is starting to wilt.

  • Top with the drained mozzarella cheese, pulled into chunks.

  • Put the pan into the oven for about 15 minutes until the cheese is delicious and golden and bubbling.

  • Top with some fresh basil if you have some.

Notes

  • Use passata with Italian herbs in to add extra flavour if you can.
  • If your jar of passata is slightly smaller, don't worry.
  • This dish will be quite saucy, we like it like that to dunk garlic bread in. If you prefer it less runny, use less passata.
  • Add some grated parmesan to serve if you like.

Nutrition

Calories: 648kcalCarbohydrates: 93gProtein: 29gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 1215mgPotassium: 1001mgFiber: 9gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 3275IUVitamin C: 27.6mgCalcium: 483mgIron: 11.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Kids Cooking, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Family Food, Italian

Like this? Leave a comment and rating below!Mention @myusername or tag #myhashtag!

Categorized as:
Cheese, Comfort Food, Main Courses, One Pot, One Pot Vegetarian, Pasta, Pasta Bake Recipes, Recipes, Under 30 minutes, Vegetarian

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Baked Gnocchi Recipe with Mozzarella - Easy Comfort Food! (2024)

FAQs

Does gnocchi have to be boiled before baking? ›

It comes together on a single baking sheet in right around 30 minutes. No boiling required!

How do Italians serve gnocchi? ›

It can be sauced and served in typical pasta style or tossed with fresh veggies for a lighter dish. Gnocchi can be added to soups and stews, fried until crispy or roasted in the oven with meat and vegetables for a sheet pan dinner.

How do you cook gnocchi so it is not mushy? ›

When cool enough to handle, scrape off the skins and push the potato through a ricer or food mill, then, while still warm, start working your dough on a floured work surface. (Here, Davies offers up another tip to fight the mush: “Spread out the mash to cool; the escaping steam will further take away any moisture.”)

Is it better to bake or boil potatoes for gnocchi? ›

The secret to the lightest, most tender potato gnocchi is to bake the potatoes instead of boiling them. A baked potato is dryer than one that has been boiled, which means you avoid having to add more flour to the dough to account for excess moisture, a practice that leads to over-kneaded, tough gnocchi.

What should you not do when making gnocchi? ›

Try not to knead it as kneading will develop the gluten and make your gnocchi chewy. Keep some flour in a cup for dusting the board and your hands as you work to stop the dough sticking.

How do you know when gnocchi is done in the oven? ›

Roast, stirring once or twice, until gnocchi are golden and starting to crisp, most of the tomatoes have burst, and onion is golden, 25–30 minutes.

What is traditionally served with gnocchi? ›

The Gnudi, or spinach and ricotta gnocchi, is a typical recipe from Tuscany, usually served with a simple tomato sauce or with butter and sage. In fancy restaurants, sometimes these are served with very special aged parmesan cheese like pecorino or with a slice of lard that melts in contact with the hot gnocchi.

What does gnocchi mean in Italian? ›

The word gnocchi may be derived from the Italian word nocchio, meaning a knot in wood, or from nocca, meaning knuckle. It has been a traditional type of Italian pasta since Roman times. It was introduced by the Roman legions during the expansion of the empire into the countries of the European continent.

How do you make packaged gnocchi taste good? ›

So instead of boiling or baking a package of gnocchi on a Wednesday night and wishing it tasted more like the pillowy homemade version, I broil it. Yep, that's right: I rip open one of those shelf-stable packages, toss the gnocchi with a tablespoon of olive oil, a lot of grated Parmesan cheese and a little bit of salt.

Why is gnocchi so expensive? ›

does take a bit of time to make, not because the. ingredients are expensive. They're potatoes.

Why did my homemade gnocchi turned to mush? ›

Adding too much flour all at once

It is very easy to add too much flour to gnocchi dough, which can make these dumplings glutinous, gummy, and sticky. If you dump all of the flour into your gnocchi dough at once, you won't have the same texture as a gnocchi that has just enough flour to bring it together.

Why are russet potatoes best for gnocchi? ›

Russets are dryer and hold less water, making them ideal for gnocchi making. Because of their dry and starchy texture, they may require less flour than other varieties, yielding an airier texture, and making them an excellent choice for a beginner or anyone who wants a no-fuss gnocchi experience.

What is the best potato for gnocchi? ›

Yukon Gold Potatoes are THE BEST potatoes for homemade gnocchi. They're dense, creamy, semi-waxy and do not retain too much moisture (if you love Yukon's for mashed potatoes, they make exquisite gnocchi).

What is the best flour for gnocchi? ›

Plus, it has too much protein: High-protein wheat results in chewy gnocchi. If you want to be true to Italian gnocchi, look for imported Italian flour marked "00 tenero," which is milled from soft wheat with a low protein content.

Is gnocchi already cooked? ›

The basic ingredient of store-bought gnocchi is, of course, potatoes, which in this case are precooked. But in addition there are various raw flours and/or starches, such as rice, wheat, corn, and potato. These latter are inedible when uncooked from the standpoint of both digestibility and safety.

How is gnocchi supposed to be cooked? ›

Poach gnocchi in batches in a pan of lightly salted water for 2-4 minutes. Cooked gnocchi will float to the top. Strain and serve immediately with a good pasta sauce. See our how to make gnocchi guide for more information.

Can you cook gnocchi in sauce instead of water? ›

You don't need to pre-cook the gnocchi.

Just add the uncooked gnocchi directly to the tomato sauce and cook it in the same pan.

Do you have to boil Trader Joe's gnocchi? ›

Trader Joe's provides three methods for cooking the gnocchi: in a pan cooked with a little water and then browned with oil or butter, boiled, or microwaved.

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