Comfort food doesn't get much easier than this Spinach and Tomato Gnocchi Bake. Light and pillowy gnocchi in a rich tomato based sauce with leafy greens and a cheesy top. It's family friendly comfort food with a healthy twist. A fuss-free one pan carb loaded dinner that is easy to adapt and ready in under 30 minutes.
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A comforting baked Italian dish doesn't have to involve pasta. Why not try swapping the pasta and using gnocchi instead?
If you want to try some more gnocchi recipes, take a look at our Creamy Sausage Gnocchi, Spinach and Mushroom Gnocchi, Spring Vegetable Gnocchi or our quick and easy Salmon Gnocchi.
Also take a look at our super simple Air Fryer Gnocchi.
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Why You Will Love It
- Total comfort food
- An easy way to use gnocchi
- All cooked in one pan
- Easy to adapt
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Gnocchi - We used a good quality store bought gnocchi to save some time. However if you have a little extra time, then you could make your own. Why not try our Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi.
- Spinach - A great way to add a green boost to this dish. You could use chopped up kale instead.
- Sun-dried tomatoes - This adds a really intense tomato flavour to the dish. Add a little splash of the oil from the jar for more of a flavour boost.
- Onion - You can save yourself some time and use frozen. You can also swap it for shallots if you want a sweeter flavour.
- Garlic - Fresh is always best, but you could save yourself some time and use frozen garlic, or chopped garlic in a jar.
- Passata - This is pureed and strained tomatoes and it is where all the sauce comes from. Try to use the best quality passata that you can afford, as you will really be able to taste the difference. A great passata will be really watery and you won't get the same rich sauce, as this sauce doesn't cook for very long, so it doesn't have time to reduce. You can swap it fo a can of chopped tomatoes if you prefer.
- Creme fraiche - This gives the dish a little creaminess and helps to thicken it up. You could leave it out.
- Basil - The perfect herb to go with a tomato based dish.
- Parmesan - If you want to make this dish vegetarian, then use a vegetarian alternative to parmesan. If you want to make this vegan, you could just leave the cheese out.
- Mozzarella - This super melty cheese just finishes the whole dish off. You could swap it for a mature cheddar if you prefer.
Variations
This is an easy dish to adapt, and you could swap in any vegetables that you have on hand. We used spinach because it cooks quickly, however you could sauté kale and use that instead.
Try to only use quick cooking veg, rather than root vegetables that would take longer. Bell peppers and courgettes work well in this, or you could fry some broccoli for an extra green boost. Artichokes go really well in it too. If you are making it for kids, then peas and sweetcorn are always a favourite.
To make this a really quick and easy meal, we used store bought gnocchi in a packet. However, you could make your own gnocchi which is far easier to make than you might think. We will have a recipe for that soon.
If you don't want tomato based sauce, and you would prefer a creamy one, then you could swap the creme fraiche, mustard and parmesan.
Step by Step Instructions
Prep: Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6.
- Step 1: Heat the oil and sauté the onions and garlic until softened.
- Step 2: Add the passata, basil, gnocchi, sun-dried tomatoes, creme fraiche and salt and pepper.
- Step 3: Mix well and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- Step 4: Top with Parmesan and mozzarella.
- Step 5: Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Serve with more Parmesan and chopped basil.
Serving Suggestions
Garlic bread of course! Gnocchi and garlic bread are such a delicious match. Either buy some ready made, or make your own easy garlic bread by cutting up some French stick and spreading it with a mix of butter, crushed garlic and dried herbs. Then pop it in the oven for 10 minutes.
You could also keep it simple with a big green salad. The key to an epic green salad is to use a variety of greens, like romaine, spinach, kale and rocket. You want leafy greens, but crunch too. Then you need the perfect dressing. Why not try our Lemon Vinaigrette, Honey and Mustard Dressing or Tomato and Basil Vinaigrette.
Dannii's Top Tips
- If you wanted to add meat to this, then leftover shredded chicken or some chopped cooked bacon would work.
- If adding other vegetables, make sure they are quick cooking softer vegetables.
- You can use any cheese that melts well in this recipe.
- Top it with some fresh herbs, extra cheese and a sprinkling of pine nuts.
- A little bit of the starch water from the pan added to the sauce makes it lovely and silky, so don't drain all the water.
- If you don't have gnocchi, you could make this recipe with any pasta sauce instead - it's a great pasta sauce. It's also a good sauce to pour over chicken or salmon too.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you do not to precook the gnocchi in this recipe, as it will all cook together in the sauce for an easy one pot meal.
This is an easy and delicious meat free meal, and it really does need any meat. However, if you wanted to add some then you could add some leftovers from a Roast Chicken or even some chopped up cooked sausages. You could also add some extra flavour with adding chopped bacon at the same time as the onion.
You can store leftover baked gnocchi in an air tight container in the fridge for around 4 days. You can either reheat it in a microwave or in a frying pan with a splash of stock to loosen it up a little, as the leftovers can be a little dry.
We don't recommend freezing leftovers, as once it is defrosted, it tends to fall apart and become a bit mushy.
Yes, you can easily make this gluten free. Just make sure to use gluten free gnocchi and make sure all the other ingredients that you are using are gluten free too.
We used store bought gnocchi to make this a super quick and easy meal, however you could use our homemade gnocchi recipe for this too.
More Italian Recipes
If you've tried this gnocchi bake recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Spinach and Sun-dried Tomato Gnocchi Bake
Ingredients
- 400 g (14 oz) of Gnocchi
- 1 teaspoon of Olive oil
- 1 (1) Onion - diced
- 2 Garlic clove - crushed
- 350 g (1.33 cups) of Passata
- 50 g (4 cups) of Spinach
- 10 g (0.5 cups) of Fresh basil - chopped (plus extra to serve)
- 85 g (0.75 cups) of Sun-dried tomatoes
- 3 tablespoon of Crème fraîche
- 150 g (5 oz) of Mozzarella - grated; optional
- 50 g (1.75 oz) of Parmesan
- 1 pinch of Sea salt and ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6.
- Heat 1 tsp of Olive oil and sauté 1 Onion and 2 Garlic clove until softened.
- Add 350 g of Passata, 50 g of Spinach, 10 g of Fresh basil, 400 g of Gnocchi, 85 g of Sun-dried tomatoes, 3 tbsp of Crème fraîche and 1 pinch of Sea salt and ground black pepper.
- Mix well and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- Top with 50 g of Parmesan and 150 g of Mozzarella.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
- Serve with more Parmesan and chopped basil.
Recipe Tips
- If you wanted to add meat to this, then leftover shredded chicken or some chopped cooked bacon would work.
- If adding other vegetables, make sure they are quick cooking softer vegetables.
- You can use any cheese that melts well in this recipe.
- Top it with some fresh herbs, extra cheese and a sprinkling of pine nuts.
- A little bit of the starch water from the pan added to the sauce makes it lovely and silky, so don't drain all the water.
- If you don't have gnocchi, you could make this recipe with any pasta sauce instead - it's a great pasta sauce. It's also a good sauce to pour over chicken or salmon too.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
You've made the perfect vegetable garden dish! I love how beautiful the spinach looks alongside those tomatoes! Definitely adding this to our menu list!
Rachel says
Oh now I have never ever thought to use Gnocchi in a bake and it is such a great idea x
The London Mum says
Delicious. I could eat a plate of it right now!
HelpfulMum says
This looks absolutely delicious. My children would love it too.
Hannah Wood says
This sounds very nice something I would sure love to try and eat.
Sam @ PancakeWarriors says
I remember the first time I tried gnocchi - I thought it was HEAVEN!! I've tried to make my own gnocchi before, not as easy as I thought! Love that you used store bought -so simple!
Maria @ runningcupcake says
MMmm I love this type of thing in the winter- with basil and some mozzarella melted in. Although I do find that the passatta spits all over the oven as it bakes!
Anna @AnnaTheApple says
I never used to k now what gnocchi was. I remember having it once and being like, "is it pasta??" it kind of blew my mind. I much prefer it to pasta as I feel you get so much more flavour and bite to it. And sundried tomato paste...ahh heaven!
mira says
Yeah, I love Italian recipes and I'm glad you are using my favorite tomatoes in this one! So delicious! Pinning to try it!
Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes says
I was just saying on another blog that I've never even tried gnocchi before. It looks amazing though, sundried tomatoes add a lovely flavour.
Hollie says
This contains all of my favorites: gnocci, spinach and sundried tomato. Thanks for sharing, I am thinking I will be making this soon.
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks says
Basil is the BEST perfume and cheese is always a great idea! This gnocchi looks fab!
Catstello says
Another amazing recipe!!! Thanks Dannii xo
Gingey Bites says
This looks yummy and so simple. I love that passata too.
A handy one for the cupboard. x
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
I looooooovvvveeeee gnocchi!!!!! this recipe looks amazing!!! when I have time, I make it from scratch!