Easy Gnocchi Bolognese (100% Made From Scratch)

What to Expect With This Recipe

The foundation for the best gnocchi Bolognese is of course the sauce, or 'Ragù alla Bolognese' which originated in Bologna, Italy, and the greater Emilia Romagna region just about an hour and a half from where we live.

I've learned a lot from spending time in the region over the last 15 years, speaking to locals, and eating the real deal dish in its birthplace. You'll be happy to know this hearty Italian dish is incredibly humble and easy even if the sauce needs ample time to cook and work its magic.

If you're a fan of Bolognese sauce, you may also want to try this authentic classic Italian lasagna Bolognese next! And if you don't have time to make a true slow-simmered Bolognese sauce, check out this Abruzzese Almost Bolognese recipe over here -- delicious and convenient!

Why We Love This Gnocchi Pasta Recipe

• It's 100% homemade which means it's healthier for your family
• Both recipes are authentic from right here in Italy
• Spinach gnocchi (any homemade gnocchi) is super easy to make
• Best meal prep 10-minute weeknight dinners for fall and winter
• This tastes just like what you'll eat at our local trattorias and restaurants
• With a handful of stringy cheese, this recipe makes the best baked bolognese
• Authentic Bolognese sauce is incredibly easy to make & all but about 30 minutes is hands-off simmering

What is Gnocchi Bolognese?

Gnocchi Bolognese is a dish comprised of two of the best Italian inventions ever made -- Bolognese sauce and homemade potato gnocchi! This is one of our go-to pasta recipes and one of my favorites to meal prep and freeze for 10-minute meals any night of the week.

It's a hearty dish with tender potato gnocchi covered in a slow-simmered Bolognese sauce made with a base of soffrito, beef, pork, milk, wine, tomatoes, and stock, and all topped off with a generous handful of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

It's delicious, robust, and the perfect fall dinner recipe your whole family will love (even the kids)! And it makes the perfect St. Patrick's adult pasta, Goblin Ragù or Green Monster Pasta for a Halloween dinner that won't scare off the adults.

Overview: Gnocchi Bolognese Recipe (From Scratch)

If this is your first time making a homemade gnocchi recipe or Bolognese sauce, I recommend taking a look at my Ultimate Guide to Authentic Bolognese Sauce and also at this Classic Potato Gnocchi post to get all the best tips and techniques before you get started.

These two posts outline everything you need to know from the best potatoes and flour to use, to what ingredients are traditionally found in Bolognese (and what's never included), plus I include real Italian gnocchi and Bolognese pasta photos we've ordered from our local restaurants all over the Emilia-Romagna region (the birthplace of this amazing dish). Here's everything you'll find in this post:

For this recipe, I've used my #2 Bolognese sauce (I have two favorite authentic Bolognese sauce recipes) which is perfect for clinging to every gnocchi nook and cranny and somehow still leaves you feeling light even after an entire bowl full. 

I've opted to pair the sauce with homemade spinach gnocchi which takes just about 15 minutes of actual hands-on time and is ready from start to finish in just under 1 hour when you have th sauce prepared in advance.

Why spinach gnocchi instead of regular gnocchi? Handmade spinach pasta is a classic pairing for traditional Bolognese sauce (as in the famous Lasagna Bolognese which is made using sheets of fresh spinach lasagna. 

Feel free to substitute store-bought gnocchi or make this classic potato gnocchi instead -- it's all delicious no matter what!

When meal-prepped and frozen, gnocchi Bolognese is what I like to call Italian fast food -- wholesome, completely homemade, ready in 10 minutes, and the best thing you're going to eat all week!

You can even transform this into the best cheesy gnocchi bolognese bake of your life (I tell you how below).

Gnocchi Bolognese Ingredients

This gnocchi with meat sauce uses basic ingredients (nothing fancy) you just need to set aside some time to make it. Below is an overview of the ingredients but you can find the full recipe with measurements in the recipe card.

For the Bolognese: (if you're looking for a Bolognese sauce without butter click over here)

• extra virgin olive oil
• unsalted butter
• onions
• carrots
• celery
• pancetta
• ground beef (well-marbled cuts like the neck, skirt, chuck, or sirloin)
• dry red wine such as Sangiovese di Romagna (sub cabernet, merlot, pinot nero, or other dry red wine))
• chicken broth
• milk
• tomato passata
• tomato paste (sub regular tomato paste))
• salt and black pepper to taste

For the Spinach Gnocchi:

1. Flour: 00 Italian flour with 11% -11.5% protein (or in a pinch substitute King Arthur's unbleached all-purpose flour with 11.7% protein). High-quality flour means better gnocchi. The goal is to use the least amount of flour as possible to keep gnocchi light and tender.
2. Salt: I've used Himalayan salt, but any salt will do.
3. Yukon Gold Potatoes (or Kennebec potatoes). They're creamy (semi-waxy) with a good amount of starch and we think they're tastier than russets.
4. Frozen Spinach (sub fresh): I've used frozen puréed spinach for this recipe which we easily find here in Italy, but I also use regular frozen spinach. Use what you can find. When making large bulk gnocchi batches, I process the frozen spinach in a food processor or blender, but when making a half or regular batch I just mince the spinach using a chef's knife.
5. Egg yolk: I've used a single large egg yolk for a little extra fat and flavor. Using eggs in potato gnocchi is the way we make gnocchi here in the Veneto, although in some other regions across Italy, eggs and egg yolks are not used at all. In fact, for a no egg spinach gnocchi, you could simply omit the egg yolk in this recipe.

*I use gram measurements when making gnocchi because it's more consistent. Especially when there are so many variables that will be out of your control (i.e., moisture and starch levels in the potatoes and the flour absorption potential).

And this recipe has never failed me!  However, I've included approximate measuring cup equivalents for those of you without a scale.

How to Make Gnocchi Bolognese

Here's an overview of how to make homemade gnocchi Bolognese, but you can find the full instructions in the recipe card. I like to make both the gnocchi and the Bolognese sauce in advance, then portion and freeze it to make really convenient 10-minute weeknight meals. But you can totally make it all in one day without any problem if you have a lazy afternoon you need to fill up!

To Make the Bolognese Sauce

Head over to my Authentic Bolognese Sauce post to get the full recipe instructions including step-by-step photos and tips from Bolognese locals.

This recipe takes 3 hours from start to finish to make, but it only includes about 30 minutes of actual hands-on time with the rest being the time it needs to simmer. And it even tastes better the next day once all the flavors have melded together.

1. Sauté the vegetables in butter and olive oil adding them one at a time and allowing them to cook a few minutes before adding the next.
2. Add the pancetta to the vegetables and cook (about 10 minutes).
3. Add ½ the beef and cook until no longer pink and it's lost most of its moisture (about 5 minutes). 
4. Add the last ½ of the beef and cook until no longer pink and it's lost its moisture (about 10 minutes). 
5. Deglaze the pot with wine and cook for 20 minutes.
6. Add the tomato passata and the tomato paste diluted in chicken stock and milk. Cover, and simmer for 2 ½ hours.  Use right away or cool it and store it. 

To make the Spinach Gnocchi *(or substitute your favorite store-bought gnocchi)

I've made rather large unctuous gnocchi, but you can turn this into gnocchetti pasta by simply cutting the gnocchi into much smaller pieces. 

• 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.
  
• Mix everything together: 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.
  
• 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 4 smaller equal-size logs.
  
• Let the dough rest: Place the logs under the mixing bowl 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 indentions in the dough.
  
• Cook the gnocchi: Cook the gnocchi in a pot of boiling salted water or homemade broth just until they float to the top. You may also freeze them uncovered on the baking tray. After they are frozen solid, drop them into an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
  

How to Store Spinach Gnocchi

When making spinach gnocchi from scratch, you'll want to take a few things into consideration. Try to time gnocchi so that they're ready as soon as you plan to cook them (or a few minutes before). This is because gnocchi dough is somewhat delicate and you don't want it to dry out or allow it to turn mushy. While it's best to Italians here in Italy stick to these simple gnocchi rules:

Here are the best ways to store gnocchi according to what I've learned from Italians here in Italy:

Refrigerate gnocchi dough: You can make gnocchi dough up to 3 hours in advance. Cover the dough with parchment paper or sustainable cling film so that it's in direct contact with the dough, seal and store. This helps prevent gnocchi dough (especially regular gnocchi dough without spinach) from oxidizing and turning a dark color when it's exposed to air.

Never refrigerate formed gnocchi: Storing formed gnocchi in the fridge negatively affects the consistency (depending on your recipe, they can begin to dry out or turn mushy).

Freeze formed gnocchi (best option in above photo): Place formed gnocchi on a parchment-lined tray (leaving room in between them so they don't touch) and freeze for 30-45 minutes or until frozen solid. Transfer to an airtight container 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).

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 

Gnocchi is versatile and tastes great in soup or crisped up as a gnocchi bake in the oven. You can easily turn this recipe into the best Sunday night gnocchi Bolognese bake you've ever had just by loading it up with some cheese and placing it under the broiler until the top is ooey-gooey and crispy! You won't be sorry you did -- it's delicious.

If you've never baked Bolognese with gnocchi, I suggest first cooking the gnocchi as directed (3 to 4 minutes in boiling water for fresh homemade gnocchi), before adding them to the sauce to bake. This ensures the texture is springy, tender, and never mushy plus, you don't have to worry about whether or not they're cooked through. 

1. Cook gnocchi in boiling salted water for 3 to 4 minutes (or for one minute after they float to the top) and add them to a cast iron skillet with the Bolognese sauce and toss everything to coat.
2. Add a handful of stringy cheese (like mozzarella, etc.) give everything a quick stir, top it with a generous handful of grated Parmigiano (or Parmesan) cheese, and pop it into the oven under a preheated broiler for about 8 minutes, or until bubbling and top is golden brown. *Alternatively, you can just add grated Parmesan to the top of the gnocchi and place it under the broiler which is healthier and makes a lower-calorie Bolognese bake. 

Best Cheeses for Gnocchi Bolognese Bake?

There are a few options for what cheeses to use in your gnocchi bake, but for us freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Parmesan) is non-negotiable -- it's a must! Here are a few other cheese options that are perfect for this baked gnocchi dish:

• mozzarella
• fior di latte
• scamorza
• provolone
• ricotta
• Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Grana Padano

More Gnocchi Recipe Ideas

We love gnocchi for its delicious texture and taste and also because it's one of the easiest authentic Italian recipes you'll ever make. I'll be adding all of our favorite gnocchi recipes here soon and updating this list with pumpkin gnocchi, sweet potato gnocchi, creamy spicy sausage gnocchi, and more, but classic gnocchi is a great first place to start.

• Toothsome Italian Potato Gnocchi (With Video)
• Whole Wheat Gnocchi (recipe coming soon)

Easy Gnocchi Sauces the Whole Family Will Love

Here are some of our favorite gnocchi sauces whether you're in the mood for creamy cheesy gnocchi, a vegan gnocchi sauce, or something so light you only know it's there by the flavor that hits your mouth with each bite.

• Light as a feather Sage and Parmesan Gnocchi Sauce
• Simple Italian Pomodoro Sauce (Sugo di Pomodoro)
• Spaghetti Sauce with Beef (Spaghetti con Ragù)
• Northern Italian Beef Ragù Gnocchi Sauce
• Italian Duck Ragù (Ragù d’Anatra)
• Creamy Alfredo Gnocchi sauce
• Simple Shrimp and Tomato Gnocchi Sauce
• Spicy Tomato-Alfredo Gnocchi Sauce