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!

Baked Gnocchi with fresh basil garnish.

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If I'm ever at an Italian restaurant and there's gnocchi on the menu, odds are I'm ordering it. So I'm not sure why it took me so long to come up with my own Baked Gnocchi recipe. But now I can make it at home any time I like!

This gnocchi bake is easy to make in just one pot, pan, or skillet, going straight from the stove to the oven. And not only do you get a restaurant-quality dinner from your very own kitchen...but it's at a better price and you get to control the ingredients!

Baked Gnocchi on plate.

Ingredients

Baked Gnocchi is made with simple ingredients and, better yet, you can easily customize the recipe to your liking!

Labeled ingredients to make Baked Gnocchi recipe.
  • Lean ground beef. You may substitute half or all of the ground beef with Italian sausage, if you wish.
  • Garlic. Minced.
  • Italian seasoning. This dried herb combo lends Italian flavor to the Baked Gnocchi. However, 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 instead.
  • Crushed red pepper flakes. Optional. For a touch of heat!
  • Salt + freshly ground black pepper. To taste.
  • Flour. Serves as a sauce thickener. You can use all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, or even gluten-free flour.
  • Tomato sauce. Or you can substitute tomato puree.
  • Beef broth. I prefer using low-sodium broth to give me more control over the ultimate saltiness of the dish.
  • Half-and-half. To contribute creaminess to the sauce. Feel free to substitute heavy cream (for extra decadence) or whole milk (to lighten things up).
  • Gnocchi. I recommend using refrigerated or frozen gnocchi. Shelf-stable gnocchi may be used as long as you’re using a good quality brand (such as DeLallo)...just know that some brands of shelf-stable gnocchi are not as tasty as others. You can also make this Baked Gnocchi recipe using alternative types of gnocchi, such as sweet potato, cauliflower, or even almond flour gnocchi.
  • Baby spinach. Optional but recommended. It cooks down and you hardly even know that it's there, so add as much as you like!
  • Shredded mozzarella + freshly grated Parmesan. Because what's Baked Gnocchi without cheese? 😉
  • Fresh basil. To chiffonade and use as a garnish. Optional, but a lovely and delicious touch if you've got some!
Extra close-up of Baked Gnocchi recipe.

How to Make Baked Gnocchi

(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)

One of my favorite things about this gnocchi bake is that it only dirties one pan!

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large, oven-safe skillet or pot set over medium heat, brown the ground beef and garlic. Drain and then season with Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes (if desired), salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Browning ground beef in skillet.
Adding herbs and spices to ground beef for gnocchi bake.
  1. Mix in the flour and cook, while stirring, for another minute to eliminate any raw flour flavor.
Adding flour to ground beef.
  1. Stir the tomato sauce, beef broth, and half-and-half into the cooked ground beef. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce is thickened.
  2. Sprinkle baby spinach over the top.
Adding tomato sauce, beef broth, and heavy cream for Baked Gnocchi.
Baked Gnocchi recipe with baby spinach.
  1. Add the gnocchi and 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella to the meat sauce and stir to combine.
Adding gnocchi and cheese to gnocchi bake.
Baked gnocchi recipe in skillet.
  1. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella plus the grated Parmesan. Cover the skillet with a lid or aluminum foil and transfer to your pre-heated oven.
One of the best baked gnocchi dishes with cheese sprinkled on top.
Skillet covered with foil and ready for oven.
  1. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 more minutes until golden and bubbly.
Gnocchi bake fresh out of oven.

Garnish with basil chiffonade, serve hot, and enjoy!

Baked Gnocchi in skillet with basil.
Fork Knife Plate icon in teal.

Quick Tip

Since the skillet or pot will be very hot from the oven, I like to rest oven mitts over the handles while the Baked Gnocchi is being served to remind everyone not to touch them.

Spoon scooping into Baked Gnocchi.

Ground beef dinners and one-pot dinners are two of my favorite "dinner categories" when I'm crunched for time. So I was honestly thrilled to add a gnocchi bake to our meal rotation!

This Baked Gnocchi recipe easy.

It's customizable.

It's scrumptious.

It's appealing to kids and adults alike!

I mean, what's not to love? 🙂

Baked Gnocchi bite with fork.

More Easy One-Pot Italian Dinners

Baked Gnocchi close-up in 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 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 6 servings
Calories: 371kcal
Print Pin Rate

Video

Ingredients

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.

Equipment Needed

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

Calories: 371kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 977mg | Potassium: 555mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 969IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 225mg | Iron: 6mg
Made this recipe? I'd love to see on IG!Mention @FiveHeartHome or tag #FiveHeartHome!

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5 from 1 vote

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Recipe Rating




2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    My entire family enjoyed this one! Comes together quickly and is so good! Thank you for another wonderful recipe, Samantha 🙂

    1. So happy to hear that, Calyn...thanks for taking the time to let know! (And hope y'all are doing well!) 🙂