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.
Easy Cheese Gnocchi Bake Recipe
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
- 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
- Caprese Gnocchi Sheet Pan
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Cheesy Gnocchi Bake
Ingredients
- 1 pound gnocchi
- 6 slices bacon (chopped)
- 14 ounce diced tomatoes ((1 can))
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 3 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
- 1 cup mozzarella (shredded)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
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.
Equipment
Video
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
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Enjoy!
Obsessed with this recipe! I’ve made it half a dozen times and my friends/family are always stoked whenever I’m making it. Agreed with the author that smoked paprika is necessary – it takes the dish from good to great. I add a bit more paprika and quite a bit more salt, but the fundamentals are all great – just tweak whatever suits you. I make it vegetarian by adding more salted butter to replace the salt and fat from the bacon.
Also a tip – frying your gnocchi in butter makes them crispy and so much less stodgy than boiling them! It’s up to your preference ofc but I love them done this way.
Thank you for such a fab recipe!!
This was super easy to make and tasted phenomenal! I sprinkled some grated pecorino romano and grana padano cheeses on top of the mozzarella before baking, and was really happy with the extra nuttiness added.
So I’ve been making this recipe exactly as written for well over a year now and anyone who is debating on trying it, lemme tell you, DOUBLE ITTTTTT!!!!!!!! Not because it doesn’t make enough but because it’s just THAT FREAKING GOOD! This is my favorite dinner of all time and it’s so easy on top of that. This is the only recipe that I’ve never tweaked in the slightest because it doesn’t need a damn thing changed. 1000/5 stars
Best review ever! Thank you!
No THANK YOU!! This recipe heals my cold and grumpy soul 🙏
Oh my GOD this is amazing! Made it for the first time tonight, paired it with pistou soup (a good match). I left out the bacon and used Beyond Beefless Ground, also half a head of cauliflower I had left over, and some bell pepper and grated carrot. For cheese, parmesan, mozzarella, and Mexican cotija. This is going on my “tried and true” list!
So glad you liked it!
Perfetto! Wonderfully delicious and uncomplicated recipe.
I have always wanted to try gnocchi and this recipe was the best experience to start with. So much flavor packed in. Will be making this again for sure!!
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!
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.
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 🙂
Hello Jo,
What can I use if I don’t have an oven-safe skillet? Will a baking dish work?
For sure!
This is a great recipe! The first time I added peas and kale, the second time spinach and cauliflower. I searched high and low for smoked paprika and I’m so glad I did, it really adds a nice kick to the flavour. The only difference when I make it is that after I cook the bacon I remove it and add it back in right before it goes in the oven so it stays really crispy.
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.
so easy and so yummy! didnt have bacon or sour cream, so i just used some ground meat substitute, turns out to be great 😉
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
Looks delicious!
GNOCCHI WITH BACON, TOMATO SAUCE AND MOZZARELLA can you freezethis?
You can, in an airtight container.
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!
That would be a great idea! You can load it up with some sautéed veggies as well.
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.