Pillowy gnocchi coated in a hearty homemade bolognese sauce makes for the perfect comfort food meal. Gnocchi bolognese is a hit with kids and adults alike, and the sauce can be made well in advance and reheated just before serving.
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“I made it exactly per your recipe & everything turned out great!!” -Jane, FoodieCrush reader
Gnocchi with Meat Sauce Is a Weeknight Fave in Our House
While my favorite bolognese recipe pairs perfectly with long tendrils of pasta, something extra special happens when these fine, meaty curds and finished sauce cling to pillowy clouds of tender gnocchi.
Because the sauce is even better the next day after the flavors have melded together, this gnocchi alla bolognese is one of my weeknight faves.
Most often I make it with shelf-stable, store-bought potato gnocchi but depending on how much time I have, lately I’ve been trying my hand at mastering homemade gnocchi. Either way, this gnocchi bolognese is a keeper.
Enjoy!
The 3 Main Ingredients
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Gnocchi — Use a good-quality store-bought gnocchi, like my favorite from DeLallo.
- Bolognese sauce — The full recipe is provided in the recipe card below, but it’s my gold-star bolognese sauce recipe. Onion, celery, and carrot are the flavor foundation of the sauce while a blend of ground beef and pork add meaty richness. Don’t skip the white wine and milk, both of which tenderize the meat!
- Parmesan — Always use freshly ground Parmesan for the best flavor.
How to Make Gnocchi with Bolognese Sauce
- Start with a mixture of onion, celery, and carrot in butter. A fine mince of sautéed vegetables is one of the signatures of bolognese. I use my food processor to achieve a fine dice with minimal effort.
- Caramelize the tomato paste before adding the meat. Cooking the tomato paste for several minutes with the aromatics caramelizes its natural sugars and makes for a richer tasting sauce.
- Simmer the meat in wine and milk to make it more tender and flavorful. With its less pronounced flavor, I prefer white wine in bolognese sauce, but red wine will also do. Just make sure it’s a decent brand you wouldn’t mind drinking.
- When ready to eat, briefly boil the gnocchi in a separate pot. For perfectly pillowy, never gummy gnocchi, cook it for just a minute more after it rises to the top of the boiling water.
- Add the bolognese sauce and gnocchi to a skillet to finish the dish. Just like in an Italian restaurant, I like to combine the sauce and gnocchi in a skillet to finish it off. This method is especially helpful if you’ve made the bolognese the day before. Just heat the amount of sauce you need before adding the cooked gnocchi to warm and meld together.
Tips to Keep in Mind
Plan on at least 2 ½ – 3 hours of cooking time for the best-flavored bolognese sauce. It’s best after a long, slow simmer for the flavors to develop. And it’s just as good if not better the next day.
There’s enough bolognese for 1 ½ to 2 pounds of gnocchi. Unless I’m serving it for a crowd, I’ll make the sauce then use just half of it for 1 pound of gnocchi, and freeze the rest of the sauce for later.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Gnocchi Bolognese Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion , roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 celery stalk , roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 carrot , peeled and roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 28 ounces canned whole San Marzano tomatoes , in juice (about 3 cups)
- 8 ounces pancetta , cut into ½-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 pound 80/20 ground chuck beef
- 1 pound ground pork
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup whole milk (2% milk fat can be substituted)
- 2 cups beef or chicken broth
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 16 ounces gnocchi
- Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics. In a large Dutch oven or heavy bottom pot, add the olive oil and butter over medium heat. In a food processor, pulse the onion, celery, and carrot until finely chopped. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and golden, about 5-7 minutes.
- Puree the tomatoes and pancetta. While the vegetables are cooking, add the tomatoes with their juice to the food processor and pulse 5-7 times until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Wipe out the food processor, then add the pancetta to the bowl. Pulse until the pancetta is a coarse paste. Set aside.
- Build the sauce. Add the tomato paste to the Dutch oven and cook for about 10 minutes until the paste begins to brown, stirring when needed so it doesn't burn. Add the ground chuck, pork, and pancetta to the pot along with the red pepper flakes. Use a wooden spoon to break the meat apart as it cooks, just until lightly browned and the meat loses its raw edge. Add the wine and cook until the wine is almost all absorbed, about 10 minutes, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Add the milk and cook until it has evaporated, which will take about 30 minutes, stirring and breaking up the meat more as it cooks.
- Simmer low and slow. Add the tomatoes, broth, bay leaves, and kosher salt. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to the lowest setting so it cooks with barely a bubble breaking the surface occasionally. Cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours until the meat is tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened to become rich and dark in color. Tip: Toward the end of cooking, a layer of oil will likely rise to the top. Spoon off the oil or fold back into the sauce as desired.
- Boil the gnocchi. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1-2 tablespoons of kosher salt. Add the gnocchi and cook until it floats to the top of the water, then 1 minute more.
- Toss the gnocchi with the sauce. Use a spider to transfer the gnocchi to the warm sauce (remove the bay leaves first!). Toss and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Serve with ground Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs like basil or rosemary if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
What to Serve With Gnocchi Bolognese
More Gnocchi Recipe Ideas
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Jane
Nevermind!! You’re recipe directions are right!! LOL.
I made it exactly per your recipe & everything turned out great!!
Thanks!!
Glad you liked it!!!
Ariana
What if I don’t have food processor?
You can always do it by hand!
Wendy
Where is gnoquis recipe? Thanks in advance
Hayley
Hi Wendy! We use storebought gnocchi for this.