Gnocchi Bolognese

This Bolognese inspired one skillet meal is not only hearty, it will easily become one of your gnocchi favorites!

An Easy One Skillet Meal

Let’s not kid ourselves, who doesn’t love a one skillet dish?! You don’t even need to boil the gnocchi for this one! Yes, you read that right. The gnocchi cooks right in the Bolognese sauce. This dish is so delicious that I can guarantee you’ll be digging in for seconds. It’s quite possible that this filling meal will satisfy even some of your pickiest eaters. What’s great about a Bolognese sauce is the fact that it’s loaded with veggies. In the case of picky veggie eaters, simply chop the vegetables into smaller pieces. I discovered that it’s very easy to hide vegetables in any tomato based pasta dish.

Lets make things easy

Homemade gnocchi is hands down absolutely delicious but for convenience and ease this recipe calls for premade. Nevertheless, it is perfectly acceptable to cheat sometimes. For instance, if you’re on the road or simply had a busy day, you’ll find yourself with limited time. One of my reasons for using store bought gnocchi…less dishes! The prep is fairly simple, just chop! Limited on time or simply dislike prep work? You can opt for pre-shredded carrots, chopped frozen onions, pre-grated parmesan and minced garlic. For more easy cheats check out Time Saving Cheats. Again, sometimes there’s no shame in cutting corners because life can get busy and good meals are certainly always a must.

It’s an easy one to make and alter!

Chop, sauté and simmer, that’s it! I seriously love the fact that you can skip the par boiling of the gnocchi. Bypassing that step saves time, water and reduces dishes. I highly recommend using ground Italian sausage because it loaded with flavor. If you’re not a fan of ground Italian sausage you can easily substitute it with another ground protein like beef, chicken or turkey just add a little extra oregano & basil if you do. Before serving be sure to top it with parmesan cheese and I love adding some fresh basil. Shredded mozzarella instead of Parmesan is a really great option too.

Gnocchi Bolognese

Recipe by Christina Stawiasz @thyme.and.timberCourse: DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

This Bolognese inspired one skillet meal is not only hearty, it will easily become one of your gnocchi favorites!

Ingredients

• olive oil

• 1 lb (16 oz) ground Italian sausage

• salt & pepper

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon dried basil

• 1 small onion, diced

• 1 carrot, diced

• 1 bell pepper, diced

• 1 celery stalk, chopped

• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 3/4 cup red wine

• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes

• 3/4 cup milk

• 1 lb (16 oz) package of gnocchi

• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

• Preheat grill and a 10 or 12 inch cast iron skillet over med-high heat.
• Add a drizzle of olive oil followed by the ground sausage, oregano, basil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Crumble the sausage while cooking. Transfer the crumbled sausage to a paper towel lined plate once it’s cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Leave about 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan.
• Reduce heat to medium and add the onion, carrot, celery and bell pepper to the skillet. Sauté until softened about 7-8 minutes.
• Next add the tomato paste, garlic and red wine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes.
• Return the the ground sausage to the skillet and add the milk and gnocchi. Stir to thoroughly combine and increase the heat to bring to a simmer. Once simmering, cover and reduce heat to medium-low and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until the gnocchi is soft and cooked through.
• Remove from heat and top with parmesan cheese.
  Enjoy!

Notes

• If substituting the ground Italian sausage for a different protein, I’d recommend adding more dry oregano & basil to taste. Increase each by at least a 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon or season to taste.