Easy Baked Gnocchi (One-Pan!)

Easy Baked Gnocchi (One-Pan!)

Baked Gnocchi is an easy, one-pot dinner recipe brimming with lean ground beef, a creamy and flavorful tomato sauce, tender gnocchi, baby spinach, Italian herbs, and plenty of cheese!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings 6 servings

Calories 371kcal

Author Samantha Skaggs

Equipment

Large (5-qt) Sauté Pan

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef
4 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
½ teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons flour
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
½ cup half-and-half
1 to 2 large handfuls of baby spinach optional
1 (16- to 18-ounce) package refrigerated OR frozen gnocchi
1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella DIVIDED
2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh basil chiffonade for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large, oven-safe skillet or pot set over medium heat, brown ground beef and garlic until meat is no longer pink, breaking it up and stirring frequently. Drain fat. Season meat with Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes (if desired), salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Thoroughly stir in flour and cook, while stirring, for another minute.
Stir tomato sauce, beef broth, and half-and-half into cooked ground beef. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper, if desired. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until sauce is thickened.
Stir baby spinach, gnocchi, and 1 cup shredded mozzarella into meat sauce. Sprinkle top with remaining mozzarella and grated Parmesan. Cover skillet with a lid or aluminum foil and transfer to pre-heated oven.
Bake for 20 minutes, uncover, and bake for 5 more minutes until golden and bubbly. Garnish with basil chiffonade and serve hot.

Video

Notes

You may substitute half or all of the ground beef with Italian sausage, if you wish.
If you don’t already have Italian seasoning in your spice cabinet, you can substitute ½ teaspoon dried parsley + ½ teaspoon dried basil + ½ teaspoon dried oregano + ¼ teaspoon dried thyme + ⅛ teaspoon dried rosemary in this recipe instead.
You can use all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, or even gluten-free flour as the sauce thickener.
1 cup tomato puree may be substituted for the tomato sauce.
You can swap out the half-and-half for heavy cream (for extra decadence) or whole milk (to lighten things up).
Shelf-stable gnocchi may be used, but try to make sure you’re using a good quality brand (such as Delallo) as some are not as good as others.
You can use as much spinach if you like…it pretty much melts away as the dish bakes. Or you can leave it out altogether.
Since the skillet or pot will be very hot from the oven, I like to rest oven mitts over the handles while dinner is being served to remind everyone not to touch them.

Nutrition