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    Home » Main Dishes » Gnocchi Bolognese

    Published: Nov 3, 2020 · Modified: Feb 28, 2022 by Ajoke · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Gnocchi Bolognese

    Skip to Recipe - Print Recipe

    This quick one pot gnocchi or should I say gnocchi Bolognese would knock your socks off. Soft, pillowy gnocchi loaded with tomato sauce, melt in the mouth ground beef, and other fresh ingredients. It is simple, easy, and comes together in about 30 minutes.

    Serve it on its own or with homemade garlic bread.

    a plate of food.

    Quick Gnocchi Bolognese recipe

    What better time to share this comfort food recipe with you all. It is all chilly and rainy here at the same time. All I can do really is make a delicious comfort dinner the whole family loves and doesn’t have any veggies in it. Which is great for my daughters if you let them, they would only eat broccoli but they don’t want it every day too.

    Gnocchi is super easy to whip up, whether you choose to use store-bought or make it from scratch. It is a blank canvas that can be made into numerous delicious and easy recipes. You can bake it, cook it on the stove top or crockpot.

    It is great fried like this super easy yet delicious pan fried gnocchi with spinach, or with tomato sauce, or in a creamy gorgonzola sauce, you name it, you can go wild with gnocchi.

    This recipe is a delicious twist to the good old classic spaghetti bolognese.

    two plates of pasta and tomato with ground beef.

    Why you will love this recipe

    • It is your classic spaghetti Bolognese with a twist. Your weeknight or Sunday just got better.
    • It is economical and it uses store bought gnocchi, of course you can make yours if you are feeling up to it. I will share my homemade gnocchi recipe with you soon.
    • This is a one pot dinner wonder the family would love.
    • Although this recipe used ground beef, you can definitely make it vegetarian by making some smart swaps. E.g, swap the minced beef for mushrooms, eggplants (aubergine) or other roasted vegetables.
    • If you are vegetarian or vegan and would just like this recipe without meat or any other vegetables then you can easily make this gnocchi with tomato sauce. The sauce is rich and flavourful on its own and you can substitute the chicken stock for vegetable stock.
    a plate of food with a fork.

    Ingredients

    Potato gnocchi: any type of gnocchi works for this recipe and you do not need to boil it too. I used store-bought potato gnocchi for this recipe and it only requires 2 minutes to boil.

    Ground beef: also known as minced meat

    Onion

    Chicken stock powder

    Olive oil: substitute for any flavorless oil

    Tomato puree

    Garlic paste

    Hot sauce: substitute for red pepper flakes (chili flakes)

    Italian seasoning

    Bay leaves

    Mozzarella cheese

    Brown sugar: this can be substituted with Worcestershire sauce

    Chopped tomatoes

    Salt and black pepper to taste

    Water; This is optional but I tend to add about ½ cup of water to the sauce

    ingredients.

    How to make gnocchi Bolognese

    This is a really quick recipe to put together, the only prep here is chopping the onions which in this case would take only about 5 minutes tops.

    Start by sauteing the finely chopped until soft and fragrant. This is a good base to every pasta dish or any dish for that matter.

    onions in a pot.

    Add ground beef, break into the sautéed onion and cook until brown.

    Into the browned beef, add tomato puree, garlic paste, hot sauce, chicken stock powder, brown sugar, Italian herbs, water, salt, and black pepper, and mix to combine

    Finally, add the chopped tomatoes, bay leaves, stir to combine, and simmer for about 20 minutes. then add the gnocchi, stir into the Bolognese sauce and simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes, stir in some grated cheese into the Bolognese, take it off the heat and you are done.

    collage showing the process of cooking gnocchi in tomato sauce.

    Serve immediately with some grated parmesan cheese or pecorino and garlic bread.

    What to serve with gnocchi Bolognese

    You can serve this dish on its own as it is quite filling but it everyone loves a side of salad or vegetable. Simple arugula otherwise known as rocket salad works a treat or this easy cucumber salad.

    a plate of ground beef and gnocchi.

    Tips

    • If using store-bought gnocchi, make sure you read the cooking instruction on the packet. As much as you do not need to boil the gnocchi before adding to the tomato sauce, it is imperative you know when to add it to the sauce so as not to overcook or undercook it.
    • Swap the chopped tomatoes for passata or marinara sauce.
    • I used Italian herbs for this recipe but you can use thyme and oregano if it that is all you have.

    How to store

    This recipe makes the best leftover and I would say is great for meal prepping too.

    In the fridge: Leave to cool completely and portion into an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It can be stored for up to 5 days, but I personally don’t store food in the fridge for any longer than 3 days for optimum freshness.

    In the freezer: while it is ok to freeze uncooked gnocchi, it is not the same for cooked one. Nevertheless, all hope is not lost as this recipe can be frozen for up to 2 weeks.

    To reheat: simply reheat in the microwave, you might need a longer time if reheating from frozen.

    a bowl of gnocchi and ground beef.

    More pasta recipes

    Baked tortellini

    Roasted red pepper pasta

    Broccoli pasta recipe

    Lemon garlic pasta

    If you made this easy gnocchi bolognese recipe, don’t forget to leave me feedback. Tag me @thedinnerbite on Instagram and save away to your Pinterest. Please subscribe to the blog if you haven’t for free new recipes in your inbox weekly.

    a plate of gnocchi bolognese.

    Gnocchi Bolognese

    Ajoke
    This quick one pot gnocchi or should I say gnocchi Bolognese would knock off your socks. Soft, pillowy gnocchi loaded with tomato sauce, melt in the mouth beef and other fresh ingredients. It is simple, easy and comes together in about 30 minutes.
    5 from 9 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 35 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Servings 6
    Calories 486 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 600 g Potato gnocchi
    • 500 g ground beef
    • 1 cup Onion chopped
    • ½ tablespoon chicken stock powder or as needed
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 tablespoon tomato puree
    • 1 teaspoon garlic paste
    • 1 tablespoon hot sauce substitute for red pepper flakes (chilli flakes)
    • ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
    • 2 Bay leaves
    • ½ tablespoon brown sugar this can be substituted with 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 800 g Chopped tomatoes
    • 1 cup mozzarella cheese grated
    • Salt and black pepper to taste
    • ½ cup water optional

    Instructions
     

    • Start by sauteing the finely chopped until soft and fragrant.
      chopped onions sauteeing in a cast iron pot.
    • Add ground beef, break into the sautéed onion and cook until brown.
      cooked ground beef in a pan.
    • Into the browned beef, add tomato puree, garlic paste, hot sauce, chicken stock powder, brown sugar, Italian herbs, water, salt and black pepper and mix to combine. Add the chopped tomatoes, bay leaves, stir to combine and simmer for about 20 minutes.
      browned beef and tomato in a pot.
    • Add the gnocchi, stir into the Bolognese sauce and simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes, stir in some grated cheese into the Bolognese, take it off the heat and serve immediately with some grated parmesan cheese or pecorino and garlic bread.
      a pot of pasta and beef.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 486kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 26gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 701mgPotassium: 623mgFiber: 5gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1228IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 242mgIron: 6mg

    Nutritional data: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients and brands you use. Under no circumstances will thedinnerbite.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.

    Keyword gnocchi bologenese, gnocchi with tomato sauce
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    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? PLEASE RATE IT AND LEAVE ME A COMMENT. USE #THEDINNERBITE OR TAG @THEDINNERBITE ON INSTAGRAM SO I CAN SEE YOUR PHOTOS, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOUR CREATIONS. THANK YOU!

    700 shares

    Filed Under: Main Dishes, Pasta Recipes Tagged With: gnocchi, ground beef, quick and easy

    About Ajoke

    Hello, Nice to meet you! Welcome and thanks for visiting my food blog "The Dinner Bite". Feel free to browse through, you are guaranteed nothing here but a yummy experience

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Diane says

      April 10, 2022 at 11:33 am

      5 stars
      Absolute comfort food. Loved this recipe

      Reply
      • Ajoke says

        July 31, 2022 at 10:10 pm

        Thanks Diane, glad you loved it

        Reply
    2. Sandra says

      January 26, 2022 at 8:53 am

      5 stars
      Made this tonight …. It was just delicious the sauce was light n zesty just right for pairing with the gnocchi
      …. It’s a keeper !!!!

      Reply
      • Ajoke says

        January 30, 2022 at 6:16 pm

        Happy days! thanks for the feedback, Sandra

        Reply
    3. Lise says

      August 29, 2021 at 9:01 pm

      Are you supposed to boil the gnocchi first?

      Reply
      • Ajoke says

        February 20, 2022 at 1:11 pm

        No, Lise. you don't need to boil the gnocchi first since it only takes about 2 minutes to cook and that can be achieved when you add the gnocchi to the ground beef sauce. Thanks

        Reply

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    Hi! I'm Ajoke.

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