Veggie Gnocchi Bolognese Bake

Take your bolognese to a new level with this Gnocchi Bolognese Bake! Think little pillows of potato dumplings in a rich veggie bolognese, then baked with creamy mozzarella. This is the ultimate comfort food!

We all love a good veggie bolognese but sometimes you just want something more, something extra! That's exactly what this gnocchi bolognese is. This is comfort food at its best, a delicious combination of gnocchi and bolognese, rich and comforting, and totally extra! And it's a one-pot dinner, so you're saving on the washing up too!

This recipe takes a little longer to make so we like to have this at the weekend, but it's always worth the wait. Cooking that veggie bolognese sauce a little longer gives this dish so much more flavour. And baking it in the oven with all that creamy mozzarella is cheesy comfort food heaven!  Let's get stuck in!

Why This Recipe Works

• That veggie bolognese sauce - rich and hearty, with just a hint of heat, lots of veggies and lentils.
• Gnocchi - perfect little pillows of potato, these dumplings are delicious in a ragu!
• Baked bolognese - baked until that cheese is all gooey and delicious.
• One-pot dinner - all done in one pot, no boiling the gnocchi first! This also means less washing up.

What You'll Need 

• Gnocchi - store-bought is absolutely fine here! Fresh gnocchi is on the fluffier side compared to the vacuum-packed versions but they both taste the same so I wouldn't be too fussy about this one. 
• Puy lentils - I use store-bought pre-cooked lentils. This is an easy recipe, and something I like to make with as little hassle as possible. But if you want you can, of course, cook up a batch of lentils beforehand. Puy lentils are best for this recipe though.
• For the veggie bolognese sauce - onion, carrots, celery, red bell pepper, canned tomatoes, tomato puree (paste), garlic, fennel seeds, dried oregano, red wine, soy sauce, vegetable stock and a very small pinch of red chilli flakes. The fennel seeds add great flavour to this sauce, so I definitely recommend keeping these in. The red chilli flakes are optional and depending on how you like you bolognese you can omit them or add extra, it's up to you. Red wine also adds a lovely richness to the sauce but if you're serving this to children you may want to omit it.
• Cheese - One ball of mozzarella is plenty for this, I also add some veggie parmesan too. I have made this with low-fat mozzarella and it didn't really cut it so I recommend using full fat for this one.

How To Make Gnocchi Bolognese Bake

This is just a quick visual guide, please see the recipe card below for full instructions.

1.  Cook the onion, garlic and celery until soft. Add the garlic, oregano and fennel seeds then add the red bell pepper and cook for a few minutes.
2. Add the wine and cook until it reduces. Pour in the can of chopped (diced) tomatoes, tomato puree (paste) and soy sauce. Stir well.
3. Next, add the lentils and stock and cook until the sauce is thick and has reduced slightly. 
4. Finally, add the gnocchi, then stir them into the sauce. Spread the mozzarella over the top of the sauce and add some grated veggie parmesan. Cover the pan loosely with tin foil and place in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes. Carefully remove the tin foil for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Leave to cool slightly before serving.

Tips For Making The Best Gnocchi Bolognese Bake

• Let that sauce cook for a while! You want all those lovely flavours to develop and create and a rich and tasty sauce!
• Save yourself some time by using store-bought gnocchi and pre-cooked lentils. You could save yourself even more time by cooking the sauce the day before!
• Cover the pan while it bakes. This will stop the cheese from overcooking but at the same time help the gnocchi to cook. Just remember to remove the foil for about 10 minutes at the end to get that cheese browned up a bit.
• Use full-fat cheese. This is comfort food, full-fat cheese brings all the creamy gooeyness that you need!
• Wine is optional - but recommended. If you are serving this to young children or pregnant women I would avoid the wine. The chilli flakes are also optional, I like to add a small pinch to lift the sauce up a bit but that's up to you. Don't add too much though, it will overpower the bolognese.

FAQs

Can I make this ahead? You can make the bolognese sauce a day or two ahead. Store it in the fridge until you are ready to use it. Heat it up on the hob then add the gnocchi and follow the rest of the instructions as per the recipe.

Can I freeze this? This dish is best made fresh and served straight away. But if you need to you can freeze it. Once you've added the gnocchi leave the dish to cool. When the dish has cooled completely, transfer it to an airtight, freezer-safe container, seal and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, defrost thoroughly in the fridge overnight before reheating. Loosely cover with foil and bake until it is thoroughly heated through. Then complete the dish by adding the mozzarella and veggie parmesan and cook for a further 10 minutes uncovered in the oven.

How long will this last in the fridge? If you do have any leftovers, store them in the fridge and reheat in the oven. Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake in the oven until piping hot. There may be some texture difference due to the mozzarella.

More Tasty Comfort Food Inspiration

If you love gnocchi then you'll love my Pan-Fried Gnocchi with Spinach and Tomatoes, this is a really tasty dinner and always goes down so well in my house. If you prefer a lighter gnocchi dish try my Pesto Gnocchi with Peas and Courgettes. And if you fancy something totally different, try my Tofu Tikka Masala another great comfort food recipe.

Have you made this Gnocchi Bolognese Bake Recipe? Rate it and leave me a comment below to let me know what you think!