This Gnocchi Bolognese is a dish I've ordered at countless trattorias and restaurants in Emilia-Romagna and here in the Veneto, where we live about an hour and a half from Bologna.
I make it using tender green spinach gnocchi and a genuine slow-simmered Bolognese ragù, the traditional way, not store-bought gnocchi stirred into a quick sauce. It takes a little time, but it tastes like the plates we eat out here, and almost all of it can be made ahead.
This is one of my favorite recipes to make ahead and freeze, because it turns gnocchi Bolognese into a wholesome 10-minute weeknight meal. Make the sauce up to 3 days ahead, or freeze it for up to 6 months, then freeze the shaped gnocchi on a tray until solid and bag them. On a busy night, cook the gnocchi straight from frozen and toss it with reheated sauce. It's so good.
Jump to:
- What to Expect With This Recipe
- Why You'll Love This Gnocchi Pasta Recipe
- What is Gnocchi Bolognese?
- Overview: Gnocchi Bolognese Recipe (From Scratch)
- Gnocchi Bolognese Pronunciation
- Gnocchi Bolognese Ingredients
- How to Make Gnocchi Bolognese
- Make the Spinach Gnocchi (or use store-bought gnocchi)
- Make It Ahead
- 5 Easy Ways to Reheat Leftover Gnocchi
- How to Make the Best Gnocchi Bolognese Bake
- Best Cheeses for Gnocchi Bolognese Bake?
- More Gnocchi Recipe Ideas
- Gnocchi Bolognese FAQ
- More Easy Pasta Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
What to Expect With This Recipe
This dish comes together from two homemade parts, the ragù and the gnocchi. The ragù is a true Bolognese, beef and pork simmered slowly in wine and milk, made the way I've learned over the last 19 years from local cooks here.
It's the one part that's super easy but takes real time to simmer, so I keep the full sauce in its own post, and you'll find the complete method in my Authentic Ragù alla Bolognese recipe.
The gnocchi are homemade green spinach gnocchi, and they need only about 15 minutes of hands-on time. Neither part is difficult at all. The ragù is simply the part that needs a long, slow simmer, and everything else is quick.
Why You'll Love This Gnocchi Pasta Recipe
- It's 100% homemade, from the spinach gnocchi to the ragù
- Both the gnocchi and the ragù are authentic, made the way the dish is in Northern Italy
- Homemade spinach gnocchi are easier to make than you'd think
- It's built for meal prep, a 10-minute weeknight dinner once the parts are made ahead
- It tastes like the gnocchi al ragù we order at the trattorias near us
- A handful of melting cheese turns it into a baked gnocchi Bolognese
- The ragù is mostly hands-off, slow-simmering on its own while you do other things
What is Gnocchi Bolognese?
Gnocchi Bolognese is an Italian dish of soft potato gnocchi tossed in a slow-simmered Bolognese sauce, the beef and pork ragù from Bologna, then finished with a generous handful of Parmigiano-Reggiano. In this version, the gnocchi are homemade and green with spinach, but you can use regular potato gnocchi as well.
The gnocchi themselves are fluffy, tender spinach potato gnocchi, and the sauce is a proper Bolognese built on a base of soffritto, beef, pork, milk, wine, tomatoes, and stock. Together they make a slightly heartier dish than the same ragù served over noodles.
And because the gnocchi are green, it doubles as a festive plate for the holidays. Use it to make a green St. Patrick's Day dinner, a Mardi Gras spread, an Italian Christmas dinner, or a Halloween "Green Monster" or "Goblin Ragù" that both adults and kids will happily eat.
Overview: Gnocchi Bolognese Recipe (From Scratch)
If this is your first time making homemade gnocchi or a Bolognese sauce, start with my Ultimate Guide to Authentic Bolognese Sauce and my Classic Potato Gnocchi post. Between them, you'll find the best potatoes and flour to use, what does and doesn't belong in a traditional ragù, and the real restaurant photos we've taken around Italy.
For this dish, I use homemade green spinach gnocchi. Why spinach gnocchi instead of plain? Spinach pasta is the classic partner for a traditional Bolognese, the same pairing behind the famous Lasagna Bolognese with its sheets of fresh spinach pasta, and behind tagliatelle and pappardelle alla Bolognese (as seen in the photos above). The green gnocchi are a natural match for this sauce.
If you'd rather, use store-bought gnocchi or my classic potato gnocchi instead. The dish works either way. And with a handful of melting cheese, you can turn it into a baked gnocchi Bolognese, which I walk through further down.
Gnocchi Bolognese Pronunciation
If you're wondering how to say 'gnocchi Bolognese' like an Italian, it's pronounced: 'Nih-yoki' 'bōh-luhn-ny'ay-zeh'. The 'gn' is silent and takes on the 'ny' sound like in the words 'canyon' or 'onion'.
Gnocchi Bolognese Ingredients
Here's an overview of what goes into the dish. You'll find the full amounts in the recipe card.
For the Bolognese sauce:
The ragù is a classic one, built from beef, pancetta, a soffritto of onion, carrot, and celery, red wine, milk, and tomato. I make it separately so it can be used across dishes, so you'll find the full ingredient list and method in my Authentic Ragù alla Bolognese recipe.
For the spinach gnocchi:
- 00 flour, or unbleached all-purpose in a pinch
- Yukon Gold or Kennebec potatoes
- Frozen or fresh spinach
- One egg yolk, for richness (leave it out for egg-free gnocchi)
- Salt
These make the green spinach gnocchi. For my flour and potato tips and the full step-by-step, see my Spinach Gnocchi recipe.
NOTE: I measure the gnocchi in grams for consistency, since potato moisture and flour absorption vary, but cup equivalents are in the recipe card for anyone without a scale.
How to Make Gnocchi Bolognese
Here's an overview of how to make it. The full instructions are in the recipe card. You can make the gnocchi and the ragù ahead and freeze them, or make everything in one afternoon.
Make the Ragù
You'll need about 1 to 2 cups of Bolognese sauce for this recipe. Make it up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate, or freeze for up to 6 months. For the full recipe, ingredient amounts, and step-by-step tips, see my Authentic Bolognese Sauce recipe.
Step 1. Make the ragù.
Make the Spinach Gnocchi (or use store-bought gnocchi)
I've made rather large gnocchi, but you can turn this into gnocchetti pasta by simply cutting the gnocchi into much smaller pieces. For the full recipe, ingredient amounts, and step-by-step tips, see my Spinach Gnocchi recipe.
Step 2. Cook the potatoes: Add the potatoes to a medium sauce pot, cover with water, and boil until fork-tender (about 25 minutes). Remove the peels while they're still hot.
Step 3. Combine everything: Mix the flour and salt together, add riced (or grated) potatoes and spinach, and stir until it looks crumbly. Add the egg yolk and stir just to incorporate it.
Step 4. Form the dough: Using your hands (and the technique outlined in the full recipe), bring the dough together to form a log and divide it into 2 smaller, equal-sized logs.
Step 5. Let the dough rest: Place the logs under the mixing bowl and allow them to rest for 30 minutes to let the dough relax.
Step 6. Cut the gnocchi: Working with one log at a time, roll the logs into long ropes and cut them into gnocchi or gnocchetti using a floured bench scraper or knife. Roll each gnocchi over a gnocchi board, cheese grater, or the tines of a fork while applying gentle pressure to make indentations in the dough.
Step 7. Boil the gnocchi & combine with ragù: Cook the gnocchi in a pot of boiling salted water or homemade broth until they float to the top, then cook for 1 more minute (3-4 minutes total). Add them to the pan with hot bolognese sauce and a splash or two of starchy cooking water and toss well to coat. Serve immediately with extra-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Enjoy!
Make It Ahead
This is the part that makes gnocchi Bolognese a weeknight meal. Freeze the shaped gnocchi on a tray until solid, then bag them, and make the sauce ahead too. On a busy night, drop the gnocchi into boiling water straight from frozen and toss with reheated sauce. For my full method on freezing and storing the gnocchi, see my Spinach Gnocchi recipe.
5 Easy Ways to Reheat Leftover Gnocchi
- Emergency: Place it in a microwave-safe bowl and cook it for 30 seconds to 45 seconds, or until heated through (method not recommended, but sometimes you need gnocchi fast:).
- Skillet: Place gnocchi (with or without sauce) in a skillet with a little EVOO and toss, cooking over medium-high heat for about 4 to 6 minutes.
- Boiling water or broth: This is the most common method for reheating gnocchi that doesn't have a sauce. It's easy and warms cold gnocchi beautifully. Just be sure to only leave the gnocchi in the water for a couple of minutes until warmed through, so you don't overcook them.
- Oven Broiler Place the gnocchi in a cast iron skillet or other broiler-safe dish and heat the gnocchi with a little olive oil or sauce under a preheated broiler for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until warmed through.
- Regular Oven: Place gnocchi in a baking dish with sauce covered loosely with foil and add it to a preheated 375°F/190°C for about 6 to 8 minutes.
How to Make the Best Gnocchi Bolognese Bake
This recipe turns into a baked gnocchi Bolognese with almost no extra work. It's baked gnocchi with meat sauce under a layer of blistered cheese, and it's how I serve it for a crowd or a cool fall or winter Sunday night.
The one step you have to do is boil the gnocchi first, 3 to 4 minutes total before they go into the sauce. That sets their texture so they become tender and pillowy while under the broiler instead of turning gummy.
From there it's simple:
- Toss the cooked gnocchi with the Bolognese in a cast iron or stainless steel skillet.
- Stir in a handful of mozzarella, top generously with grated Parmigiano, and broil about 8 minutes until bubbling and golden.
For a lighter version, skip the mozzarella and go straight to Parmigiano for the crust. You can also assemble the whole skillet ahead, then broil it when you're ready to eat.
Best Cheeses for Gnocchi Bolognese Bake?
For the bake, freshly grated aged Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano DOP is non-negotiable for us. A few other melting cheeses also work well on top of a baked gnocchi Bolognese:
- mozzarella
- fior di latte
- scamorza
- provolone
- ricotta
More Gnocchi Recipe Ideas
Gnocchi is one of the easiest authentic Italian recipes you'll ever make. I'll keep adding our favorites here, including pumpkin, sweet potato, and spicy sausage gnocchi, but classic potato gnocchi is a great place to start.
- Italian Potato Gnocchi (with Video)
- Spinach Gnocchi From Scratch
- Whole Wheat Gnocchi (recipe coming soon)
And since it all comes down to the ragù, you'll find the same Bolognese in my lasagna Bolognese or branch out with a duck ragù.
Gnocchi Bolognese FAQ
Gnocchi Bolognese is an Italian dish of soft potato gnocchi tossed in ragù alla Bolognese, the authentic slow-simmered meat sauce from Bologna, and finished with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. In this version, I use homemade green spinach gnocchi (very typical of this region), so you get green, pillowy dumplings against this rich, wine, beef, and pork sauce.
Either works, since both are potato-based. I use green spinach gnocchi here because the slight earthiness pairs so well with the rich ragù, and it's the version we make at home in the Veneto. Classic potato gnocchi is just as good if that's what you have or prefer.
Yes, and a baked version is a great way to serve it for a crowd. Toss the cooked gnocchi with the Bolognese in a cast iron skillet, stir in a little mozzarella, top with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and broil until bubbling and golden. There's a full walk-through in the gnocchi Bolognese bake section above.
You can. Homemade spinach gnocchi give the best texture, but a good-quality store-bought potato gnocchi works when you're short on time. Cook it according to the package, then toss it with your warm Bolognese. The sauce is what carries this dish, so even a shortcut version turns out well
More Easy Pasta Recipes
- 3-Ingredient Italian Potato Gnocchi Recipe +Video
- Homemade Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli Filling Recipe
- Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce with Sausage and Kale
- Easy Shrimp Fettuccini Alfredo Pasta Recipe (w/Parmigiano Cream)
- Amatriciana Recipe (Pasta Amatriciana with Guanciale or Pancetta)
- Lobster Ravioli With Tomato Cream Sauce
- Squid Ink Pasta (Homemade Pasta al Nero di Seppia)
- Authentic Lasagna Bolognese Recipe (Lasagne alla Bolognese +Video)
Let's get started!
Print📖 Recipe
Easy Gnocchi Bolognese
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 4 Servings Gnocchi Bolognese
Description
Gnocchi Bolognese made 100% from scratch, the authentic Bologna way: pillowy homemade spinach gnocchi tossed in a slow-simmered Authentic Bolognese sauce with a handful of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Easier than it sounds, and worth every scrumptious minute.
Ingredients
For the Bolognese Sauce:
- 1 - 2 cups of homemade Bolognese Sauce
For the Spincach Gnocchi:
- 200g Italian 00 Flour with 11% -11.5% protein (2 cups + 2 tablespoons) (sub King Arthur's unbleached all-purpose flour)
- 500g Yukon Gold Potatoes (1 pound) (sub Kennebec potatoes) *potatoes measured before cooking or peeling
- 90g spinach, puréed or finely minced (½ cup)
- 1 large egg yolk (from a large egg)
- 6g sea salt (1 teaspoon)
*I prefer to use gram measurements for consistency and best results but feel free to use measuring cups as long as you the 'scoop and level' method to measure your flour. Also, you may need to use just a little more or less flour depending on what type you use.
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
For the Bolognese Sauce:
- Make the Bolognese sauce the same day or 1 to 3 days in advance (head over here for the authentic recipe from Bologna, Italy).
For the Spincach Gnocchi:
- Boil the potatoes: While the bolognese sauce is simmering, add the potatoes to a medium sauce pot, cover with about 2 inches of water, and add salt to taste. Bring the pot to a boil and cook until fork-tender (about 25 minutes). Strain the potatoes and use a fork to hold each potato steady while you use a spoon to scrape off the skins while they're still hot. Discard the peels, or use them to make homemade broth. *Alternatively, you may bake the potatoes until fork tender (about 1 hour at 400°F/205°C).
- Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl or on a countertop, mix the flour and salt together using your hand and make a well in the middle. Rice or grate the potatoes into the well while the potatoes are still hot to very warm (you'll see steam coming off of them), add the spinach, and stir everything together using a fork until mostly combined and crumbly looking. Add the egg yolk, stir just to incorporate it, and then bring the dough together using your hands.
- Form the dough: Place the dough onto a non-stick baking mat (or a lightly floured work surface) and press it down slightly to form a larger rectangle. Fold the dough like a letter bringing in both sides to the middle. Flatten it once more and then fold in the opposite sides like a letter. Pinch the dough together and, using your hands, gently roll it into a 16-inch log. Divide it into 4 smaller logs (each about 4 inches long) using a floured bench scraper. The dough will still be warm at this point and feel like a cross between pasta dough and mashed potatoes (sturdy, but soft).
- Let the dough rest: Place the upside-down mixing bowl over the tops of the logs to cover them and allow them to rest for 30 minutes to let the dough relax.
- Cut the gnocchi: Working with one log at a time, roll the logs into long ropes and cut them into gnocchi or gnocchetti using a floured bench scraper or knife. Roll each gnocchi over a gnocchi board, cheese grater, or the tines of a fork while applying gentle pressure to make indentations in the dough, or if the dough is really soft, just use a fork to make imprints on the tops. Place the gnocchi onto a lightly floured parchment-lined baking pan, leaving space in between each, and repeat with the remaining dough. *Alternatively, you can simply cut the gnocchi and press an indentation into them using your thumb if you don't want to make the 'rigate' or ridges.
- Cook the gnocchi and assemble the dish: Cook the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water just until they float to the top, plus about 1 minute more (about 3 to 4 minutes total). Add 1/1/2 to 2 cups of the Bolognese sauce to a skillet set over medium heat, add the cooked gnocchi and a splash or two of starchy gnocchi cooking water, and toss everything to coat. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
SPINACH GNOCCHI TIPS & NOTES
If you're not working on a non-stick baking mat, you may need to add a little flour as you begin to roll the dough into a log. Only add just enough to keep it from sticking to the surface.
Do not use bread flour to make gnocchi because it contains too much protein.
Do not make spinach gnocchi in advance and refrigerate it. The dough is delicate and will start to dry out too much. Instead, meal prep spinach gnocchi, and freeze it (see instructions and details below).
You may freeze raw spinach gnocchi uncovered on the baking tray (leaving room in between them so they don't touch). Freeze for 30-45 minutes, or until frozen solid, then drop them into an airtight container or freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Cook directly from frozen (never thaw gnocchi first) in a pot of boiling salted water or broth (they'll take a few minutes longer to cook than fresh gnocchi).
Cook gnocchi in plenty of boiling water so they don't stick together as they cook. Gently stir them frequently which also helps keep them from sticking together as they cook.
To make this a Cheesy Bolognese Gnocchi bake, see the main post for instructions.
- Prep Time: 41 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutues
- Category: Cookies, Dinner, Italian, Lunch, Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 Servings of Gnocchi Bolognese (+4 additional servings of Bolognese Sauce)
- Calories: 587
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 490mg
- Fat: 26g
- Saturated Fat: 11g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 65g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 20g
- Cholesterol: 72mg
Kelly says
Pillowy spinach gnocchi swimming in rich, slow-simmered Bolognese — this is the kind of meal you dream about on a cold night. It takes some love, but every bite is worth it. Pure comfort in a bowl:) Add extra parmesan!