Gnocchi Bolognese, or the ultimate comfort food. Rich ground beef in tomato and veggie sauce, soft potato gnocchi, topped with cheese, the best family dinner one can get on a chilly rainy day. This dish is jam-packed with amazing flavours, it’s healthy, and so easy to make.
This gnocchi bolognese is not for someone who wants a quick light meal, but for those you fancy a hearty, rich dish that knocks your socks off. It’s the kind of meal you need to recover from, and have a nice siesta after for a couple of hours. It’s not that it’s unhealthy, it’s just so comforting, and perfect for those days when only a nice hot meal would do.
And what a perfect excuse to indulge in a hearty dinner than a cold wet day. I tell you what, if you like rain, come and visit Isle of Man, you get enough rain here to last you for a lifetime. Surprisingly, I really enjoy it, who would have thought? Although it’s only November, proper Winter is yet to come.
So, bolognese! It’s a sample food with us, and I cook it more often than any other dish, my favourite being my Easy Spaghetti Bolognese. Bolognese is just so simple, and it goes well with pretty much any carbs: pasta of any kind, rice, potatoes, noodles, and, my latest addiction, gnocchi. It’s the ultimate bolognese recipe, I kid you not!
I could make some homemade gnocchi, but I think the store-bought ones are pretty good actually, especially the fresh ones. They can be cooked really quickly, so I do go for shortcuts when I can. If I can make dinner time easier, why not?
HOW TO MAKE GNOCCHI BOLOGNESE
For this bolognese I used ground beef, but any other ground meat would do without changing the process. I used ground turkey for my Healthy Turkey Bolognese Recipe and it was a real treat.
- sautee the onion, add the chopped garlic and the ground beef and use a wooden spoon to break the meat into pieces, until the meat is starting to brown
You could add the onion and garlic after you brown the meat, but I quite like the fried onion taste, it brings extra flavour. Just make sure you add the chopped garlic towards the end, otherwise the garlic will become bitter if fried for a long time.
- add the chopped vegetables and beef stock together with the tomato paste, and leave to cook until the liquid is reduced.
- season with salt and pepper, and add the herbs
- meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to the boil, and cook the gnocchi according to the packet instructions
- when the gnocchi are cooked, drain the water, and add them to the bolognese sauce together with the grated cheese and chopped parsley
- give it a good stir, and turn off the heat
Simple, but so big on flavours! My bolognese sauce does not use red wine, but if do want to add some, you could add it after the beef has browned, and leave to cook until the wine is evaporated, before adding the broth.
baked gnocchi bolognese
I decided to just add the grated cheese and let me melt without putting it in the oven first, the residual heat from the bolognese was enough to melt it, especially since I used grated mozzarella cheese. You can also leave the lid on for about 5 minutes after you turn the heat off.
However, if you want some cheesy goodness, you can pop the dish in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and golden, just make sure the dish is oven-proof. You can set the oven to about 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit).One bubbly hot gnocchi bolognese, ready in no time!
If you’ve tried my GNOCCHI BOLOGNESE or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Gnocchi Bolognese, or the ultimate comfort food. Rich ground beef in tomato and veggie sauce, soft potato gnocchi, topped with cheese, the best family dinner one can get on a chilly rainy day. This dish is jam-packed with amazing flavours, it's healthy, and so easy to make.
- 1 lb ground beef (about 450g)
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery sticks
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp dried Italian herbs
- 1 lb gnocchi (about 450 g)
- 2 cups beef broth (stock)
- 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
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Heat up the oil in a pan set over a medium heat.
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Chop the onion and fry until golden, then add the chopped garlic, and leave to fry for a further 30 seconds.
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Add the ground beef and use a wooden spatula to break it up into pieces, until it begins to brown.
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Peel the carrots and chop them up together with the celery sticks, then add them to the pan together with the beef stock.
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Leave to cook with the lid on until the liquid is reduced, then add the tomato puree, seasoning and herbs.
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In a separate pan, bring salted water to the boil, then add the gnocchi and cook according to the packet instructions.
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When the gnocchi are cooked, drain the water, and add them to the bolognese sauce together with the cheese and parsley.
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Give it a good stir, and turn off the heat.
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