Gnocchi Bolognese

On the search for a cozy, restaurant-worthy dinner you can make at home? This Gnocchi Bolognese combines tender gnocchi with a rich meat sauce made with ground beef, ground pork, and pancetta. It's easy enough for the average home cook, but tastes like it came from a restaurant!

Jump to:

• 👩‍🍳 Why this recipe works
• 🗒 Ingredients
• 🍝 How to make gnocchi bolognese
• ⏲️ How to store leftovers
• 🧊 How to freeze
• 🎉 Variations
• 🍽️ More pasta recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

I will gladly take a bowl of bolognese in any form I can get it. It's my husband's favorite meal to order out and I love making it at home, too.

But there's something extra tasty about bolognese sauce served over soft and pillowy gnocchi.

Gnocchi is most often served with sauces like pesto, browned butter, gorgonzola cream sauce, or a light tomato sauce. You don't often see it served with meat sauce. But gnocchi with meat sauce is absolutely delicious and this gnocchi bolognese is so versatile, it makes the perfect special occasion or weeknight dinner!

👩‍🍳 Why this recipe works

If you've ever made bolognese before, chances are you made it with tagliatelle or pappardelle as those are the most traditional pasta choices.

But you can serve bolognese sauce over anything you want. And I happen to think it's extra delicious when served over gnocchi.

Gnocchi may not technically be a pasta as it's made with potatoes, but it's usually treated similarly to pastas and served in many of the same ways.

If you're a gnocchi fan who loves the idea of a rich and hearty meat sauce, this recipe is most definitely going to work for you!

In addition to serving bolognese over anything you want, you can also make the sauce with whatever you want! I love this recipe for Pork Bolognese and this one for Chicken Bolognese.

🗒 Ingredients

Here's everything you need to make homemade gnocchi bolognese (but be sure to view the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):

• Olive oil
• Diced pancetta: optional, but adds additional great flavor
• Onion
• Carrots
• Celery stalks
• Garlic
• Ground beef
• Ground pork: I like the ground beef and ground pork combo, but you can use any meat you want for bolognese
• Tomato paste
• Dry white wine: like pinot grigio or cabernet sauvignon.  If you don't have white wine or don'e want to use it, you can substitute with vegetable broth or beef broth.
• Whole peeled tomatoes: San Marzano are my favorites
• Thyme sprigs
• Parmesan cheese rind: optional, but great for adding extra flavor
• Whole milk
• Salt & pepper
• Gnocchi: I usually purchase vacuum-sealed shelf stable gnocchi, but you can also use frozen gnocchi if you prefer. You can also make your own homemade gnocchi.
• Grated parmesan: optional for serving
• Chopped basil: optional for serving
• Red pepper flakes: optional for serving

🍝 How to make gnocchi bolognese

I think there's a common misconception that bolognese is difficult to make. It does take time because it's best to let it simmer for a couple hours, so all the flavors can marry together.

But the actual cooking process is quite easy and my step-by-step instructions help break it down for you to make it as simple as possible!

To start, add olive oil to a dutch oven or deep saucepan over medium heat.

When hot, add pancetta (if using), onion, carrot, and celery and cook until they're beginning to soften and brown, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.

Add ground beef and ground pork to saucepan and cook while breaking up with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes, until meat is starting to brown.

Add white wine and using a wooden spoon, scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Simmer for about 5 minutes to reduce.

Stir in tomato paste and cook for one minute.

Add the tomatoes, crushing them with your hands as you do. Stir in the thyme and parmesan rind, if using.

Bring mixture to a simmer and then reduce heat to low. Cover the saucepan and let simmer for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until sauce is nice and thick.

When sauce is almost done cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add gnocchi. Stir lightly to prevent sticking and cook for about 2-3 minutes, until gnocchi float to the top of the water.

Note that if your gnocchi are frozen they may require 1-2 minutes extra cooking time. Drain.

While gnocchi is cooking, remove parmesan rind and thyme sprigs from sauce. Stir the milk in and and let simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste sauce and add salt and pepper according to your tastes (I usually add 1 teaspoon of each).

I like to serve my bolognese sauce over the gnocchi, so when my gnocchi is drained, I serve it on the individual plates.

And I top each plate with bolognese sauce.

And grated parmesan and chopped basil, of course.

⏲️ How to store leftovers

Gnocchi can be more filling than the typical pasta and, of course, the meat sauce adds even more sustenance to this dish. So, there's certainly a chance you'll have leftovers!

Luckily, it's easy to store them to enjoy later.

Just put cooled gnocchi bolognese in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge. When stored properly, it should keep fresh for about 4 days.

You can reheat it in the microwave, but I think it's best reheated in a skillet over low heat. You may want to add in an additional splash of milk to thin the sauce out a bit.

🧊 How to freeze

Gnocchi bolognese also makes a great freezer meal!

Unless you're planning to eat it all at once, I recommend storing the dish in individual portions, so you can just grab what you need and keep the rest frozen.

Place each portion in freezer-safe containers or in heavy-duty freezer bags. Remove as much air as possible from containers or bags to prevent freezer burn.

The frozen gnocchi dish should stay good for about 3 months in the freezer.

I recommend thawing it in the fridge overnight when you're ready to enjoy. But if you didn't plan far ahead enough to do that, you can cook from frozen.

I recommend reheating in a saucepan over medium-low heat, adding a splash of additional milk to loosen sauce. If gnocchi is still frozen when reheating, cover saucepan with a lid and stir occasionally.

You can also reheat in the microwave if you prefer. It should only take a minute for thawed. If still frozen, reheat at intervals, stirring in between for about 2-3 minutes total.

🎉 Variations

I like that this bolognese sauce is fairly traditional and will likely appeal to any fans of the classic Italian dish.

But there are also lots of fun twists you can make on gnocchi bolognese and ways to suit it more to the tastes of you and your family.

Here are some ideas:

• Use cream instead of whole milk for finishing sauce. This will make for a richer, more decadent dish with a velvety finish.
  
• Make the bolognese sauce spicy by adding a healthy portion of red pepper flakes, Calabrian chili paste, or hot peppers. You can also make the dish with spicy Italian sausage instead of ground pork.
  
• Add more veggies to the sauce. I especially like mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, and spinach, but any of your favorites should work.
  
• Add a little pesto to the sauce for some fun additional flavor dynamics.
  
• Instead of serving the dish on individual plates, put the gnocchi in a casserole dish and add the sauce over it. Top the dish with mozzarella and parmesan cheese and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until bubbly.
  
• Add truffle oil to the sauce for an even more luxurious flavor.

Gnocchi can help make an already indulgent bolognese dish even more decadent and I think you'll love this dish!

📖 Recipe