Cheesy Gnocchi Bake
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This Cheesy Gnocchi Bake couldn’t be any easier! Made with a simple but flavorful tomato and bacon sauce and topped with melty mozzarella cheese. It’s a satisfying and scrumptious meal fit for a busy weeknight or entertaining guests.
There’s nothing in this world I love more than bacon, pasta, and cheese. In that order, as well. Sometimes when I’m trying to brainstorm a recipe to post I just need to satisfy my own cravings! I think you’ll all be just as pleased with this creation as I was.
This recipe has it all. It’s made in one skillet, takes just 30 minutes, and it truly tastes like something you’d be served in a restaurant. Did I mention the bacon yet? It also has the easiest homemade creamy tomato sauce that’s garlicky and a little smoky. Now, let’s get cooking and put that gnocchi to glorious use!
Ingredients
Keep scrolling to the recipe card for the FULL ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page!
- Gnocchi – You can use store-bought or homemade.
- Bacon – Use as much as you like!
- Garlic – Just like the bacon, you can add more or less as you prefer.
- Smoked paprika – Even if you just have regular paprika, I highly recommend looking for this smoked version at the store.
- Diced tomatoes – You can use crushed tomatoes instead if you prefer a smoother tomato sauce.
- Tomato paste – Make your own tomato paste by simmering tomato puree for 20 minutes.
- Sugar – This will help balance out the acidic tomatoes. You can leave it out if you like, or use an alternate like honey.
- Sour cream – Greek yogurt or a splash of heavy cream will work too.
- Parsley – Fresh is best! You can use dried instead if that’s what you have handy.
- Salt and pepper – Season to taste.
- Mozzarella – I wanted to use a nice and melty cheese. Other great types would be provolone, Monterey Jack, or asiago.
How to make cheesy gnocchi bake
- Make the sauce: Preheat the oven to 435F. In a large oven-safe skillet, cook the bacon. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of the fat and add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, and garlic. Simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, and stir in the sour cream, paprika, salt, pepper, and parsley.
- Cook the gnocchi: Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the gnocchi according to package instructions. It should take just 1-2 minutes. Add the gnocchi straight from the boiling water to the skillet; reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
- Bake the gnocchi: Add a splash of the pasta cooking water to the skillet with the gnocchi and sauce. Mix everything together well, top with mozzarella cheese, and bake for 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve.
What else can I mix in my cheesy gnocchi bake?
Everything tastes good mixed into a creamy tomato sauce loaded with bacon and cheese! This is a great opportunity to sneak veggies into dinner. Need some inspiration? Give these ideas a try:
- Frozen/canned peas or corn
- Carrots
- Broccoli or cauliflower
- Cherry tomatoes
- Bell peppers
- Onion
- Spinach or kale
- Leftover chicken, cubed or shredded
- Ground beef, sausage, chicken, turkey, or pork, cooked with the bacon
How to serve cheesy gnocchi bake
I made this in one large skillet, but you could also scoop the sauced gnocchi into individually sized cast iron skillets before topping with cheese. This is a great recipe to create a restaurant experience for guests without slaving away all day!
Thinking about serving some sides? This recipe is nice and filling all on its own, but if you want a bit of nutritional variety on the plate it would be great served with some veggies. Here are some ideas for you:
- Old Fashioned Green Beans
- The Ultimate Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Garlic Herb Roasted Carrots
- Garlic Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Italian Roasted Mushrooms and Veggies
- How to Steam Broccoli
How to store leftover gnocchi
Your leftover gnocchi bake will last 3-5 days in the fridge stored in an airtight container.
To reheat, the microwave will work just fine. If that’s not an option, you can also reheat on the stovetop or the oven. For the stovetop, add the leftovers to a skillet along with a splash of either water or broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
For the oven, bake the leftovers, covered, for about 10 minutes at 400F or until heated through.
Can I freeze leftover gnocchi?
While it’s not ideal to freeze cooked gnocchi, you can if you need to keep the leftovers longer than 5 days. Gnocchi, when cooked, frozen, and thawed, tend to fall apart and become mushy.
If you don’t mind the texture, let the gnocchi cool down fully, then transfer to an airtight container. It’ll last 2 months. It’s best to let the gnocchi thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Looking for more recipes like this?
- Homemade Gnocchi Recipe
- One Skillet Ham and Cheese Gnocchi
- Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Gnocchi
- Sausage Leek Ragu Gnocchi
- Garlic Parmesan Butter Gnocchi
- One Pot Chicken Florentine Gnocchi
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Cheesy Gnocchi Bake
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 30 mins
Serves: 4
This Cheesy Gnocchi Bake couldn't be any easier! Made with a simple but flavorful tomato and bacon sauce and topped with melty mozzarella cheese. It's a satisfying and scrumptious meal fit for a busy weeknight or entertaining guests.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb gnocchi
- 6 slices bacon chopped
- 14 oz diced tomatoes (1 can)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 3 tbsp sour cream
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 1 cup mozzarella shredded
Instructions
- Make the sauce: Preheat the oven to 435F°. In a large oven-safe skillet, cook the bacon. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of the fat and add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, and garlic. Simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, and stir in the sour cream, paprika, salt, pepper, and parsley.
- Cook the gnocchi: Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the gnocchi according to package instructions. It should take just 1-2 minutes. Add the gnocchi straight from the boiling water to the skillet; reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
- Bake the gnocchi: Add a splash of the pasta cooking water to the skillet with the gnocchi and sauce. Mix everything together well, top with mozzarella cheese, and bake for 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Your leftover gnocchi bake will last 3-5 days in the fridge stored in an airtight container.
- To reheat, the microwave will work just fine. If that’s not an option, you can also reheat on the stovetop or the oven. For the stovetop, add the leftovers to a skillet along with a splash of either water or broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
- For the oven, bake the leftovers, covered, for about 10 minutes at 400F or until heated through.
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 453kcal (23%)Carbohydrates: 49g (16%)Protein: 16g (32%)Fat: 22g (34%)Saturated Fat: 10g (63%)Cholesterol: 49mg (16%)Sodium: 1252mg (54%)Potassium: 357mg (10%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 5g (6%)Vitamin A: 829IU (17%)Vitamin C: 13mg (16%)Calcium: 211mg (21%)Iron: 6mg (33%)
Enjoy!
Mary says
My son chose your recipe to make for his homeschool cooking class. We have never had gnocchi so it was a lot of fun. Man was is good! I posted in a video on my youtube and left the link to your recipe with credits. Great recipe!
Karen Peterson says
I made this and both my husband and I loved it. It was so easy to make and the flavor and creamy texture were so delicious. I will definitely be making it again.
Heather says
Sometimes I’m too tired to make a time-consuming meal, but I often feel the ‘easy’ recipes pale and the family doesn’t eat them as well. This recipe was so quick and easy, but still satisfying. Even my pickiest child ate it! I made a salad while the gnocchi was in the oven and warmed a baguette. Easy, warm, delicious meal. I need more of these in my life
BTW-I used an 8×8 baking dish 🙂
annie says
Hello Jo,
What can I use if I don’t have an oven-safe skillet? Will a baking dish work?
Jo Cooks Team says
For sure!
Kevin Adams says
This is one of the best things I’ve made in a long time. VERY easy and full of flavor. I didn’t have fresh parsley so I used some generic Italian seasoning. I also doubled the amount of black pepper and added some red pepper flakes. I don’t think this is necessary, the dish has really good flavor, but I do like a little bit of spice.
Irene Yang says
so easy and so yummy! didnt have bacon or sour cream, so i just used some ground meat substitute, turns out to be great 😉
Dee says
i love to cook never used gnocci before came across your recipe last night..was amazing..i added roasted red peppers and sundried tomatoe,,,think its one of the best dinners made!!!!will definately make other things as well..i am a good cook myself but your recipes are definately an inspiration…i look forward to trying many more of them..ty
Traci Kenworth says
Looks delicious!
Angela Crofts says
GNOCCHI WITH BACON, TOMATO SAUCE AND MOZZARELLA can you freezethis?
jo says
You can, in an airtight container.
Aurora says
This looks really tasty! Do you have any suggestions on how to make this vegetarian? I was thinking adding something like smoked paprika to the marinara to (somewhat) make up for leaving out the bacon!
Jo Cooks Team says
That would be a great idea! You can load it up with some sautéed veggies as well.
Janet Rumshas says
I love gnocchi and this sauce made it even better. It was really an easy and impressive Thursday night dinner. Even the hubs liked it and he isn’t a gnocchi fan. Thank you for the recipe – I will be making it again.
June Tennant says
I made this and my husband said it was the best meal I have made todTs. I was disappointed as I’ve slaved over other meals and this one took no time at all. I used canned spaghetti sauce and served chiChen parses an on the side.
jo says
Ha! That’s great to hear, June! Hope you try some of my other easy recipes. 🙂
Amy says
Made this recipe for the second time, it’s definitrly a favourite in our house now!
Beth says
I love your serving dishes! Where can I find them!?
Joanna Cismaru says
Hi Beth, I buy them all over the place really, I actually think I got these ones at Canadian Tire.
Kellar says
I’m making this tomorrow! Right up my husband’s alley and looks awesome to me, too! Can I do everything up until putting it into the over and refrigerate for a few hours? I’m not a seasoned chef, so advice is appreciated! Thanks!
jo says
Yes absolutely you can. I hope you and your husband like this. 🙂
Kirstin says
Best Gnocchi recipe ever! Thanks
jo says
Thank you, so glad you enjoyed it!
Christine says
Begged the Husband to make this for dinner last night. Oh My! It was amazing. Now we are planning on making again at Easter for the Family.
Thanks so much!
jo says
Wow, that’s great! Thanks for stopping by!
Diana says
I will make this tomorrow. In the US, we can find a pound of gnocchi at dollar stores and places like Big Lots. This recipe is just what I was looking for!
jo says
That’s great, I hope you like it Diana! 🙂
Abbe @ Abbe's Cooking Antics says
I love gnocchi but honestly get bored with coming across the same old “with sage and butter” or “with butter and sage” recipes! This recipe really is very appealing and has all my favourites in it. Another one to try 🙂
jo says
Thanks Abbe!
Dianne says
This looks sooo good.My kind of dosh for sure..Thank you for sharing. Hope you had a nice relaxing weekend..It was the kind of weekend to just nestle snugly with a blankie in front of the Boob Tube, for sure!
jo says
Hi Dianne,
Thanks! Weekend was nice, very cold, especially on Sat, unfortunately they always go too fast. 🙂
Ann says
Love this recipe thanks for sharing. Great food site too….LOVE cooking and trying new things!! Thanks again
jo says
Thanks Ann, hope you like it!
Julie says
This looks like an amazing dish! Can’t wait to try it, thanks for sharing!
jo says
My pleasure Julie. Thanks for stopping by!
Jesse says
If I just want to use a jar of sauce instead of the tomato past crushed tomatos sugar ingredients, think that will still work and if so do I use whole 24 oz jar?
jo says
It should be fine Jessy.