Description
Gnocchi Bolognese is the ultimate comfort food meal! Simmer ground beef and ground pork with aromatic veggies, wine and Italian tomatoes to create a hearty and decadent homemade bolognese sauce. Then toss with pillowy soft potato gnocchi dumplings for a restaurant-worthy dinner at home.
Great for easy entertaining, date night, or Sunday supper. Comfort food doesn’t get better than this cozy gnocchi alla bolognese!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 pound 85% lean ground beef
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup unoaked dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
- 1 1/2 cups passata rustica (tomato purée)
- 1/2 – 1 cup chicken stock or water
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 8–10 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- optional: 1 parmesan rind
- 32 ounces gnocchi (can sub gluten-free gnocchi, see Recipe Notes)
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan or pecorino romano
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
- for serving, as desired: grated parmesan or pecorino romano, finely chopped fresh basil or parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, etc.
Instructions
- Brown the soffritto: Add the olive oil to a Dutch oven (or large, heavy-bottomed pot with lid) over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot & shimmering, add the carrots, celery, & onion. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until deeply browned & fragrant, 15-20 minutes. If the veggies begin to brown too quickly, reduce the heat to medium or medium-low. Once browned, push the soffritto mixture to the outer edges of the pot.
- Brown the meat: Add the ground beef & ground pork to the center of the pot, such that it’s surrounded by the soffritto mixture, & season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Reduce heat to medium. Let the meat brown 2-3 minutes without touching it, then turn it over & brown the second side 2-3 minutes before using a wooden spoon to break it apart into fine pieces. Stir to combine with the soffritto mixture.
- Deglaze the pot: Add the garlic & tomato paste to the Dutch oven, stirring to coat the ground meat & soffritto mixture. Cook 2-3 minutes, until browned & fragrant, then build the bolognese sauce. Deglaze the pan by slowly pouring in the white wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that may have formed on the bottom of the pan.
- Build & simmer the bolognese sauce: Once the wine is almost completely cooked off, add in the tomato purée & 1/2 cup of the chicken stock/water to the pot. Tie the herbs together using kitchen twine (or finely chop if you do not have twine), then add to the pot with the bay leaves & parmesan rind (if using). Season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt & stir to combine. Bring the bolognese to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Partially cover the pot (place the lid on the pot such that it’s just partially covered, allowing some steam to escape as the sauce simmers). Simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 30 minutes. Give everything a stir every 10 minutes, splashing in a little more chicken stock/water as needed if the sauce is thickening too much. [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="34142,34144"]
- Cook the gnocchi: Meanwhile, as the bolognese sauce simmers, cook the gnocchi. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi & cook 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the gnocchi float to the top of the pot. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy water then drain the gnocchi. (Learn more ⇢ How to Cook Pasta Perfectly Every Single Time!)
- Finish the gnocchi bolognese: Remove the lid from the pot with the bolognese sauce, increasing heat to medium-high to maintain a steady simmer. Stir the heavy cream & grated parmesan into the bolognese. Cook 1-2 minutes, allowing everything to meld together. Add the gnocchi straight into the pot, tossing to coat it in the bolognese sauce. From here, adjust as needed so the bolognese sauce evenly coats the gnocchi – if the mixture is too thick, toss in a little of the reserved gnocchi water; if the mixture is too loose, toss in an extra handful of parmesan cheese, etc. Cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, allowing the gnocchi to meld with & absorb some of the sauce. [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="34146,34149"]
- Serve the gnocchi bolognese immediately, topped with additional grated parmesan, chopped basil or parsley, &/or a sprinkling of crushed red pepper, as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Gnocchi Yield: As written, this recipe yields a large batch of gnocchi bolognese, easily feeding up to 8. Once gnocchi bolognese is prepared, I don’t recommend freezing leftovers – the dumplings lose some of their light & airy texture after a freeze & thaw. If you don’t need to feed a large crowd or you don’t plan to eat all the leftovers, I’d suggest just using half of the gnocchi & reserving half of the bolognese sauce to enjoy a later time – refer to Storage & Freezing directions below for more guidance!
- Storage, Reheating, & Freezing:
- Gnocchi Bolognese Storage & Reheating: Once assembled, gnocchi bolognese will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through, adding a splash of water or chicken stock as desired to loosen up the sauce a little bit.
- Make-Ahead Bolognese Sauce Storage & Reheating: This bolognese sauce is also the perfect make-ahead recipe because it stores so well – it gets even better as it sits & its flavors meld together! To store, prepare according to Steps 1-4 of Recipe Directions, above. Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container & store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat bolognese sauce on the stovetop, adding a splash of water or stock as needed to help loosen it up, then finish according to Steps 5-7 of Recipe Directions, above.
- Bolognese Sauce Freezer Instructions: This bolognese sauce is also incredibly freezer-friendly. To freeze, prepare according to Steps 1-4 of Recipe Directions, above. Once cooled, transfer to a freezer container or divide between multiple freezer containers for smaller portions. Freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the frozen bolognese sauce in the refrigerator overnight or submerge the freezer container in room temperature water for a quicker thaw. Easily reheat on the stovetop, adding a splash of water or stock as needed to help loosen it up, then finish according to Steps 5-7 of Recipe Directions, above.
- 10-Minute Meal Prep: Nearly all of the active prep work for this gnocchi bolognese comes from prepping the veggies. Take care of this in advance – it takes 10 minutes, tops – & you can jump straight in to cooking during the week:
- Prep the veggies: Dice 2 medium carrots, 1 stalk of celery, & 1 medium yellow onion. Transfer to an airtight container & store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. (10 minutes active prep)