• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Vikalinka logo

WHOLESOME RECIPES YOU CAN TRUST

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Starter
    • Bread
    • Side dishes
    • Asian recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Drinks
    • Videos
  • Breakfast
    • Eggs
    • Pancakes, Muffins and More
    • Grains
    • Hot breakfast
  • Lunch
    • Salad
    • Soup
    • Sandwiches and more
  • Dinner
    • Chicken
      • Chicken breasts
      • Chicken thighs and drumsticks
      • Whole chicken
    • Beef
    • Pasta
    • Casseroles
    • Slow Cooker and Instant Pot
    • Pork
    • Fish and Seafood
    • Quick and Easy
    • Stew
  • Dessert
    • Cake
    • Pies
    • Cookies
    • Pastry
  • Collections
    • Asian Recipe Collection
    • Russian Recipe Collection
    • Italian Recipe Collection
    • Christmas Recipe Collection
    • Thanksgiving Recipe Collection
    • Easter Recipe Collection
  • About
    • Travel
    • Privacy policy
    • Contact Me
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Dessert
  • Collections
  • Videos
  • Travel
  • About
×

Home » Recipes » Dinner » Pasta

November 26, 2019

Gnocchi Bake with Meat Sauce and Mozzarella

Published November 26, 2019 | Julia Frey (Vikalinka)

Jump to Recipe

This delicious gnocchi bake comes from the South of Italy. Potato gnocchi cooked in a meaty tomato basil sauce under a blanket of melted mozzarella and Parmesan. Easy, comforting and satisfying!

For another delicious but very different take on a gnocchi recipe, take a look at my Creamy Butternut Squash Gnocchi.

Baked gnocchi topped with melted mozzarella, basil leaves and tomato slices

This recipe I am sharing today is inspired by our recent trip to Southern Italy. Campania region to be exact.

If doesn’t ring a bell, think of Naples, Sorrento, Pompeii and Amalfi Coast. That part of Italy is filled with glorious sunshine and breathtaking landscapes. It is also famous for its delicious food. 

baked gnocchi with a spoon in the dish

Gnocchi Bake 

Even though the gnocchi themselves originate in Northern Italy, this dish was on a menu in almost every restaurant we went in the South. It is known as Gnocchi alla Sorrentina or Sorrento-style gnocchi. 

It’s a very simple dish of potato gnocchi (usually made in house) baked in a sweet tomato basil sauce and topped with fresh mozzarella. Simplicity at its best! 

Bolognese sauce and gnocchi on marble

How to make it

I’ve changed the recipe a tiny bit by adding ground beef to my tomato sauce to make it a bit more substantial and to satisfy the meat lovers in my family. The Italians will not appreciate it as they rarely add meat to their pasta dishes but we LOVED it. 

I guess, we take the best bits and adjust the rest to our taste, don’t we? A creative license as they call it!

Process shots for baked gnocchi recipe

I’ve simplified the recipe as well. It’s great to make your own gnocchi when you’ve got the time but most of us won’t bother.

So I replaced the homemade gnocchi with a good quality store bought ones. I’ve used the Napolina brand as a nod to the place this dish came from. 

Now let’s talk about the gorgeous meaty tomato basil sauce. You’ve got two options. You can easily make your own or buy your favourite brand of spaghetti sauce and add the ground beef to it. I promise either way this gnocchi bake is to die for! 

baked gnocchi close up

Do I need to pre-cook gnocchi?  

Yes, you do. Gnocchi are thick potato dumplings that need to be boiled first to achieve the soft and fluffy texture. They are extremely quick to cook and most brands take only 1 minute after they are added to rapidly boiling water. 

You will know your gnocchi are cooked once they float to the top. Take them immediately off the heat and drain them. Don’t be tempted to give them another minute as they will continue cooking in the sauce!

Pro tip 

It’s difficult to find tomatoes as sweet and delicious as they are in Italy, which changes the taste of the sauce. I recommend tasting your sauce at the end of the simmering time and adding 0.5-1 tbsp of sugar if the taste is too acidic. (An Italian cook gave me this little tip!)

baked gnocchi with mozzarella

Serving Suggestions

You won’t need too much to round off this meal as gnocchi are very filling and a little goes a long way. I love serving this dish with a traditional green crisp Italian salad dressed simply with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 

If you want to try something more interesting, go for our Warm Zucchini Salad or Roasted Parmesan Broccoli to compliment your Italian-themed meal. You can also explore our Italian salads and antipasti and pick your own!

More favourite Italian recipes to try:

  • Slow Cooker Italian Beef Ragu
  • Spaghetti Bolognese 
  • Sun-dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken
  • Prawn Pasta in Tomato Cream Sauce
baked gnocchi with mozzarella

Baked Gnocchi in Meat Sauce with Mozzarella Recipe

Julia Frey of Vikalinka
Potato gnocchi cooked in a meaty tomato basil sauce under a blanket of melted mozzarella and Parmesan.
5 from 7 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4
Calories 563 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lbs lean ground beef
  • 1 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 5-6 leaves fresh basil, torn or 1 tsp dried basil
  • 2X400g/14oz canned crushed tomatoes or tomato passata
  • salt to taste
  • 500g/1lbs prepared gnocchi
  • 100g/1/2 cup grated mozzarella
  • 25g/1/4 cup grated parmesan
  • 1 tomato, sliced
  • 2-3 basil leaves

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan, then brown the ground beef until no longer pink inside. Add crushed garlic, torn basil leaves, oregano, canned tomatoes or tomato passata and bring to a boil, salt to taste. Simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes.
  • While the sauce is simmering, cook the gnocchi in a pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions. Drain and mix with the sauce once the sauce is done simmering.
  • Transfer the meat sauce with the gnocchi into a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with grated mozzarella and Parmesan, then top with a few tomato slices and basil leaves if desired. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the contents are hot and bubbly.

Notes

  • Alternatively you can use store bought spaghetti sauce instead of making your own. 

Nutrition

Calories: 563kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 41gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 1017mgPotassium: 1070mgFiber: 7gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 942IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 310mgIron: 10mg
Keyword baked gnocchi, gnocchi recipe
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More Pasta

  • Tuscan Ragu
  • Tomato Cream Cheese Pasta with Chicken and Pancetta
  • Creamy Butternut Squash Gnocchi
  • Sausage Gnocchi in Romesco Sauce
668 shares

About Julia Frey (Vikalinka)

Julia Frey is a London based recipe developer and photographer. Julia founded Vikalinka in 2012 with the main mission to provide her readers with delicious and accessible everyday recipes, which could be enjoyed by everyone.
read more..

Related Posts

  • Ground Beef Tacos topped with salsa, avocado slices and red cabbage slaw.

    Best Taco Meat Recipe (With Homemade Spice Mix)

  • top down view of pappardelle pasta with sauce on a white plate.

    Tuscan Ragu

  • short rib on a bed of rice with bok choy and kimchi on a plate

    Gochujang Short Ribs

Primary Sidebar

Julia from Vikalinka

Julia Frey is a London based recipe developer and photographer. Julia founded Vikalinka in 2012 with the main mission to provide her readers with delicious and accessible everyday recipes, which could be enjoyed by everyone.

More about me →


  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • YouTube

Popular

  • Best Beef Stroganoff (VIDEO)
  • Best Chicken Marsala (Classic Recipe Made Easy)
  • Chicken with Garlic Mushroom Sauce (VIDEO)
  • Pasta Cream Sauce (VIDEO)

Footer

As Featured On…

as featured on

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 Vikalinka