This creamy, cheesy vegetable gnocchi bake with courgettes, peppers and onions is pure comfort food! Serve with a green salad for a fabulous meal that everyone will love!
I’ve wanted to try a Gnocchi bake for ages. I don’t know why I put if off for so long! I am now OBSESSED.
I can’t stop making this dish – it’s creamy, comforting and so delicious. The gnocchi works just like pasta, soaking up all that lovely tomato-mascarpone sauce.
Just like my Meatball Mozzarella Pasta Bake and Chicken Fajita pasta bake recipes, this easy recipe has become a new family favourite.
why i love this recipe
- It’s made in one pan – always a good thing in my book!
- It’s packed full of healthy veggies – and you can use whatever kind of veg you like!
- It’s pretty quick and easy to make – but it tastes like you’ve been slaving away in the kitchen for ages!
- Did I mention the comfort factor? This recipe is top tier comfort food heaven! Soft, fluffy potato Gnocchi, rich tomato and mascarpone sauce and gooey mozzarella – need I say more?
- It’s perfect for any time of year, but it’s especially good for those chilly nights when you need something rich and filling but you need to get it on the table in under one hour.
make it even easier!
To make this recipe super quick and simple, I use a packet of ready made chilled Gnocchi in this dish. I make my own tomato sauce with a carton of passata (sieved tomato sauce), but you could also use a jar of your favourite tomato sauce if you wanted to make it even speedier.
what to serve with a gnocchi bake
This is quite a filling dish, so the only side dish required is a crisp green salad with a simple lemony salad dressing. It also pairs beautifully with this Spring greens with lemon and mustard dressing recipe.
did you make this recipe?
I hope you loved it! Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment below. If you need any help with the recipe or have any questions, please just ask and I’ll do my best to help.
Cheesy Vegetable Gnocchi Bake
This cheesy vegetable Gnocchi bake with peppers, courgettes (zucchini) and onion is so comforting and delicious. Serve with a simple green salad for a perfect family meal.
Ingredients
- one tablespoon olive oil (not extra virgin)
- one large red onion, peeled and sliced (you can use a white onion instead)
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 150g diced courgette (zucchini), diced into small pieces
- 200g mixed peppers, thinly sliced (I used red, yellow and orange)
- 400g tomato passata (sieved tomato sauce)
- pinch of white sugar (optional)
- 4 or 5 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
- 125g mascarpone
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (you might not want to add more pepper)
- 250g fresh Gnocchi
- 25g black or green olives (optional)
- 25g freshly grated parmesan
- 125g mozzarella, torn into pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160Fan/Gas mark 4. Gently heat the olive oil in a large heavy based saucepan. Add the sliced onion and saute on a low-medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes before adding the dried oregano and freshly ground black pepper.
- Add the diced courgette and peppers and saute for about 5 minutes (you just want them very slightly softened) before adding the tomato passata, pinch of sugar if using, chopped basil leaves and the mascarpone. Turn the heat down to low and stir until the mascarpone has melted. Add salt and more freshly ground black pepper to taste. You might want to add a little more fresh basil at this stage. Allow the sauce to simmer very gently for 5 minutes.
- Add the fresh potato gnocchi and the olives, if using. Pour everything into a large casserole dish. Sprinkle over the grated parmesan and add the mozzarella pieces. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the bake is hot, golden and bubbling.
- Serve with a fresh, crisp green salad to cut through the richness of the tomato mascarpone sauce.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 478Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 636mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 5gSugar: 8gProtein: 16g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.
I love gnocchi done in a cheese, leek, wholegrain mustard & creme fraiche sauce.
Will make this on Sat as an easy weekend dish & looks & sounds so tasty. Xx
Thanks Karen, sounds delicious! x
Do you have to precook the gnocchi?
No, it cooks in the sauce π
Hi Nickki, can you precook the sauce a few hours before baking? Planning on doing this for a main after a starter and wonβt have time to do all the prep in between courses. Thanks π
Hi Alan, yes you absolutely could π You could make the whole recipe, sprinkle with the cheese and keep it in the fridge. Or make the tomato sauce (don’t add the Gnocchi) and chill until you’re ready to assemble. Either way, let it come to room temperature (about 15-20 minutes) to take the chill off it before baking. You would probably need to add an extra 10-15 minutes or so on to the baking time and keep an eye on it – cover with foil if it looks like it’s browning on top too fast. Hope this makes sense and… Read more »