This rich and hearty gnocchi bolognese is the perfect comfort food special enough for date night or a quiet night in with a glass of wine. This easy sauce is made vegetarian (but you can also do beef if you prefer!) and it is so good over pieces of soft and tender gnocchi. This is bound to be a favourite recipe!
When I think of date night with a home cooked meal I automatically default to a pasta with a red sauce like my vegan vodka pasta. I am looking for something comforting, delicious and simple enough that it’s not going to be a stressful evening in the kitchen.
Wanting to keep things simple but also make it feel a bit special, this recipe is all about creating an easy bolognese sauce and then piling it over soft and tender pieces of gnocchi. And no I don’t think you need to make the gnocchi from scratch, you can absolutely use store bought here. But you know, if you want to go that extra mile, go for it!
Bolognese is a staple in most households, with each person having their own version or their own twist that they swear by. Now I am not here to tell you exactly what the best bolognese is, but this one is damn delicious and I am not going to ask you to spend hours cooking it.
My secret twist? I am not using real meat in my meat sauce. I am in a season of not eating beef as it’s been making me feel unwell, but I was still craving this classic meaty dish so I decided to create a bolognese that could stand up well to a plant-based mince.
Meat substitutes are usually more expensive, but I was surprised to find that the cost was comparable to a lean beef mince. If you prefer to not use a meat substitute, you can of course use regular beef mince (I’ve included that option in the recipe) or for another vegetarian variation you can replace the meat with diced mushrooms.
Key Ingredients
To make this gnocchi bolognese you’ll need a few simple ingredients that will come together to create a rich and flavourful sauce.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Celery, carrot and onion – known as ‘soffritto’; the holy trinity of Italian cooking. This finely minced combination of veggies forms the base of our sauce.
- Garlic – while a traditional bolognese may not contain garlic, mine does! The recipe calls for 2 cloves but I’m not mad if you measure this with your heart.
- Mince – I am making a vegetarian bolognese therefore I am using a plant-based mince such as Beyond Beef or V2 which is easily available at my local supermarket. If you’re looking for a traditional meat based dish, use a lean ground beef mince.
- Tomato paste – gives the sauce a deep, rich tomato flavour.
- Crushed tomatoes – I prefer the texture of crushed tomatoes vs diced tomatoes for the sauce but you can use either.
- Beef stock – the beef-style stock from Massel (which is an Australian company) is vegan making it a great option to add extra flavour to this sauce. You can substitute with vegetable stock if you prefer or if using beef mince use a regular beef stock.
- Mixed dried herbs – I like to use a combination of oregano, thyme and basil but you can also use parsley or rosemary.
- Red wine – red or white wine will work in this recipe and help give the sauce that depth of flavour. If you prefer to not use wine, you can substitute with extra stock.
- Salt and pepper to taste – always season to taste. Especially if using a plant-based mince, you may need to add extra salt.
- Gnocchi – using store bought gnocchi makes this dish simple enough for a weeknight, but of course you could make your own. I do find the gnocchi in the fresh pasta section much better quality than in the dried pasta aisle. Note that pre-packaged Gnocchi often contain eggs (sometimes even parmesan) so it’s important to check your ingredient labels and select one that suits your dietary needs.
Step-By-Step Instructions
To make this gnocchi bolognese you will need a couple of saucepans or cooking pots, a wooden spoon and I recommend a food processor however it’s not necessary, it just makes things easier!
You’ll start by preparing the soffritto which is what is made much easier with the support of the food processor. Unlike a mirepoix which is a diced combination of celery, carrot and onion, a soffrito is minced which is very simply achieved using the food processor to pulse the vegetables until the desired texture is achieved.
If you don’t have a food processor however, you can just chop the vegetables as finely as you can.
I also usually throw my garlic into the food processor as well, again just saving time and making things easier.
Once you have your soffrito prepared, you can heat the oil in a large frying pan or heavy baked pot and saute the vegetables until they are soft.
To this mixture, add the mince and break apart using the wooden spoon and continue to saute with the vegetables until browned.
Add in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, herbs, stock and wine and mix through until combined. Bring to the boil before turning down the heat and letting it simmer covered, for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and stir well and continue to simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
If you’re using regular beef mince, you have the option of continuing to gently simmer the sauce covered for up to 3 hours, but keep an eye on it to ensure there is enough liquid – you will likely need to add some additional stock. The plant-based mince however isn’t going to benefit from additional cooking time as it doesn’t need the time to tenderise the way beef does.
While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the gnocchi according to the packet instructions. Drain and return the gnocchi to the pot, reserving a little of the cooking water.
My preference of how to serve this is to spoon some of the bolognese sauce into the pot with the gnocchi and mix through, using a little of the reserved cooking water as needed, until the sauce coats the gnocchi.
Doing it this way I probably only use about half of the sauce for the 500 grams of gnocchi, meaning I can put the remaining half in a container in the freezer for another meal, and all I need to do is cook some fresh gnocchi.
To serve, you can top with fresh basil and black pepper, and even some parmesan if you like (but remember, Parmigiano Reggiano isn’t vegetarian but it is lactose free, so just use what you know you can eat or simply skip).
You can also serve the gnocchi bolognese alongside some garlic bread and a salad for a complete meal to feed a family.
Recipe FAQs
I’ve labelled this recipe as vegetarian even though the sauce itself is also vegan as the gnocchi I like to use does contain eggs. Make sure to check your labels to make sure any packaged foods are suitable for your diet and feel free to serve this bolognese sauce with any pasta instead of the gnocchi for a vegan option.
More date night dinner ideas:
Spaghetti Carbonara
Prawn Wontons with Chilli Oil
Creamy Salmon Tagliatelle (Dairy-Free)
Lemon and Garlic Chicken Tray Bake
Easy Pressure Cooker Mushroom Risotto
Gnocchi Bolognese
Ingredients
- 2 sticks celery
- 1 medium carrot
- 1 small brown onion
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 500 grams plant-based mince or beef mince
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 x 410 gram can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup beef stock plant-based or regular
- 1 tablespoon mixed dried herbs such as oregano, thyme, basil
- ½ cup red wine
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 500 grams gnocchi
Instructions
- Roughly chop the celery, carrot and onion and place into a food processor. Pulse on high until the vegetables are minced and even in texture.
- In a large heavy based pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the minced vegetables along with the crushed garlic. Using a wooden spoon to prevent them from sticking, saute the vegetables until soft.
- Add the mince and break apart using the wooden spoon and continue to saute with the vegetables until browned.
- Add in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, herbs, stock and wine and mix through until combined. Bring to the boil before turning down the heat and letting it simmer covered, for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and stir well and continue to simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the gnocchi according to the packet instructions. Drain and return the gnocchi to the pot, reserving a little of the cooking water.
- Spoon some of the bolognese sauce into the pot with the gnocchi and mix through, using a little of the reserved cooking water as needed, until the sauce coats the gnocchi.
- Serve with some additional sauce on top as desired and top with fresh basil and black pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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