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This Gnocchi Bake is covered in cheese and a creamy tomato sauce that everyone will love! It only takes 5 minutes of prep, but it feels like a gourmet meal. It has so many delicious flavours mixed into the sauce and is sure to become a family favourite.
Recipe Difficulty – Very Easy
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
Gnocchi recipes are few and far between, but always so delicious! This recipe is a winner! Combine the tender gnocchi with the amazing sauce, and then bake it in the oven with a cheese topping? Yes, please! You can’t go wrong!
Ingredients to make Gnocchi Bake
- Cream Cheese – I used a Vegan cream cheese to keep it dairy-free.
- Grated Cheese – I used vegan cheese. Parmesan cheese, ricotta, mascarpone, or mozzarella cheese are all great options.
- Olive Oil – cooks up the vegetables before they go into the sauce.
- Red Onion – has a great mild and slightly savoury flavour.
- Garlic Cloves – are a must for almost any dinner dish.
- Plum Tomatoes – add a fantastic flavour to this cheesy gnocchi bake.
- Black Olives – are a great addition that brings a bit of an earthy flavour.
- Capers – give a bit of a lemony and salty taste.
- Passata – is pureed and strained tomatoes.
- Spinach – levels this dish up a little in taste and appearance.
- Fresh Basil – is sweet and a little bit spicy.
- Fresh Parsley – is a little bit peppery.
- Lemon – adds a brightness to this gnocchi tomato bake.
- Gnocchi – I use gluten free, but this dish will be delicious regardless!
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Veggies – You can adjust which vegetables you include based on your preferences and what you have on hand. Broccoli, peppers, zucchini, or mushrooms would also work great in this dish.
- Plum tomatoes – Cherry tomatoes will work as well.
- Spinach – Kale or arugula would also be delicious additions.
- Passata – If you want to use marinara sauce in place of passata, be sure to cut down on the other flavours you’re adding into your sauce.
Variations
- Spicy – Add some red pepper flakes or chili flakes to the sauce for a spicer dish.
- Deluxe – This Baked Gnocchi is already pretty deluxe! You could add some fresh herbs to the top to add another pop of colour.
- Kid friendly – Kids will love this dish! If they are opposed to any of the veg in the recipe, simply take those out and let them enjoy!
How to make Gnocchi Bake
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 200C (390F). Firstly, slice the onion, garlic, tomatoes (quarter), and capers.
Step 2: Now, make the sauce by adding around 2 tbsp olive oil to a saucepan or skillet with the onion, garlic, chopped tomatoes, olives, capers and a pinch of salt and pepper to cook down for 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add the passata, cream cheese, spinach, basil, parsley and lemon juice to the sauce and stir and simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 4: Meanwhile, boil the gnocchi for 2-3 minutes.
Step 5: Drain the gnocchi, add to the sauce and stir.
Step 6: Pour the sauce into a baking dish, top with grated cheese, and bake for 20 minutes. Cool briefly before serving.
Hint: Gnocchi is ready when it floats. They won’t be too chewy and will have the perfect texture!
Leftovers
Store any leftover gnocchi in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in the microwave.
Recipe FAQs
Typically, you would boil gnocchi for a few minutes and then toss it in the sauce. In this recipe, I do recommend boiling it before baking it. If you want to skip that step, it will likely cook in the sauce in the oven.
This gnocchi pasta bake tastes great with most classic Italian sides such as garlic bread or a rocket salad.
More Baked Dinner recipes
- Chicken Pasta Bake
- Mushroom Stroganoff Pasta Bake
- Salmon Tray Bake
- Sausage Pasta Bake
- Tuna Pasta Bake
- Aubergine Bake
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Gnocchi Bake
Ingredients
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 200 g plum tomatoes, sliced into quarters
- 3 heaped Tbsp black olives, chopped
- 2 heaped tbsp capers
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 690 g jarred passata
- 200 g cream cheese, I used dairy-free
- 2 handfuls spinach
- 1 handful fresh basil, chopped
- 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 juice lemon
- 500 g gnocchi, I used gluten-free
- 100 g grated cheese, I used dairy-free
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F). Firstly, slice the onion, garlic, tomatoes (into quarters), capers.
- Now make the sauce by adding around 2 tbsp olive oil to a pan with the onion, garlic, chopped tomatoes, olives, capers and a pinch of salt and pepper to cook down for 5 minutes.
- Add the passata, cream cheese, spinach, basil, parsley and lemon juice to the sauce and stir and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile boil the gnocchi for 2-3 minutes.
- Drain the gnocchi and add to the sauce and stir.
- Pour the sauce into a baking dish, top with grated cheese and bake for 20 minutes.
