Tonight's Dinner: Baked Gnocchi

The hubby and I are huge gnocchi fans. So much so that whenever we go to an Italian restaurant, if there's ever gnocchi on the menu, that's what we order. We don't care if it's baked, fried, served as a side or the main course. So when I saw this baked gnocchi over at Bell'alimento, I knew we'd both love it. And, no surprise, I was so right.

While Pamela's version calls for straight marinara sauce, I wanted to add a little bit of meat to mine. So I used the same recipe I used a few months back when I poured bolognese over polenta. The result was out of this world. And since you can use both pre-made gnocchi and pre-made marinara as your base, this meal can be whipped up in under 30 minutes.

Baked Gnocchi

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 tablespoon basil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 16 ounces potato gnocchi
• 1-1/2 cups mozzarella
• 4 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano, grated, divided
• 2 tablespoons bread crumbs

Directions

1. In a large skillet cook the beef over medium-high heat for three minutes. Add the basil and oregano and cook for another 2 minutes or until no longer pink. Stir in the marinara sauce and peas and simmer for five to 10 minutes, or until heated through.
2. While the sauce simmers, cook the gnocchi according to the package directions; drain and return to the pot. Add bolognese sauce, mozzarella, and three tablespoons Parmgiano Reggiano. Toss to combine.
3. Spray a one quart baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon gnocchi mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs and remaining Parmigiano cheese over the top. Bake for 12-15 minutes until bubbly. Serve immediately.

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Cheesy beefy gnocchi

Stir-fried beef with winter pesto on gnocchi