Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Baked Gnocchi
Soft gnocchi under melted mozzarella makes an especially inviting spoonful. Tomato sauce gathers around the little dumplings, with grape tomatoes adding bright pockets between them. Bring the bubbling dish to dinner and enjoy a little fresh basil with the warm cheese and sauce.
- Prep
- 6 min
- Cook
- 14 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Original yield
- Serves 5
- Ingredients
- 6 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Cuisine
- Italian
- Cooking method
- Baking · Baked & roasted
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
A few quick notes
1. Undercook gnocchi before baking
Boil gnocchi for less than its full package time, following the stated reduction because it cooks further in the oven.
2. Drain and transfer promptly
Drain gnocchi well, move it immediately into the sauced dish and spread it out before topping.
3. Choose optional browning
The final broil is optional if you'd like the mozzarella browned a little rather than simply melted.
Get to know the ingredients
Refrigerated gnocchi
Use refrigerated gnocchi, or try shelf-stable gnocchi as an alternative.
Mozzarella options
Use fresh mozzarella cut into slices or the listed shredded block mozzarella for the topping.
Fresh basil garnish
Torn basil or whole small leaves are listed for scattering over the baked dish at serving.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 5. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 7 steps completeMake room for Baked Gnocchi
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Basil goes over the bubbling dish
Once the sauce bubbles and the cheese is ready, garnish with fresh basil and serve warm.
A little more help as you go
Cream needn't blend completely
Stir cream into the first sauce layer in the dish; the directions say it doesn't need full incorporation.
Cooked meat is optional
You can use cooked Italian sausage or ground beef added to the marinara for a meaty variation.
A few questions you might have
Are all the tomatoes put in the dish first?
Add half over the first sauce-and-cream layer, then the rest after spreading the drained gnocchi in the dish.
Should I salt the gnocchi water?
The directions specifically call for unsalted boiling water before cooking gnocchi for its shortened initial stage.
Does all the sauce go underneath?
Use the first portion in the dish bottom, then pour the remaining sauce evenly over the gnocchi and tomatoes.
Can I use extra sauce?
You can use a full twenty-four-ounce jar if you prefer the dish especially saucy.
Does the mozzarella go on after baking?
Top the assembled gnocchi and sauce with mozzarella before baking until the sauce bubbles and cheese melts.
Any more cooking tips?
You can also add 3/4 lb. Italian sausage, cooked or 3/4 lb. ground beef, cooked to the marinara sauce. Shelf stable gnocchi works too it just doesn't taste quite as good. If you really love sauce then you can just use a full 24 oz jar. Otherwise save for spaghetti for lunch tomorrow or freeze for another use.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: cookingclassy.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
