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Child Placing Basil Onto a Gnocchi Bake
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5 from 9 votes

Gnocchi Bake

This Gnocchi Bake is comforting, delicious and packed with a range of different veggies. Kid and parent-approved, it is a great alternative to a pasta bake. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Lunch / Main meal
Cuisine: Italian Inspired
Servings: 3
Calories: 533kcal
Author: Amy

Equipment

  • Large Deep Frying Pan
  • Frying Pan
  • Baking Dish

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon Olive Oil (split)
  • 1 Onion, finely chopped
  • 1 Celery Stalk, finely chopped
  • 1 Carrot, grated
  • 1 tsp Garlic, minced
  • 1 Capsicum (Bell Pepper), finely chopped
  • 1 Zucchini (Courgette), grated
  • 500ml (2 cups) Passata SEE NOTE 1
  • 2 tsp Dried Italian Herbs
  • 120ml (½ cup) Vegetable Stock SEE NOTE 2
  • 4 Basil leaves, torn
  • 500g (1.1lb) Gnocchi
  • 65g (¼ cup) Cheese (mozzarella, cheddar etc), grated SEE NOTE 3

Instructions

  • In a large frying pan, heat 1tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and capsicum (bell pepper). Saute until softened, around 5-6 minutes.
  • Add the zucchini and saute for a further 5 mins.
  • Add the passata, stock and Italian herbs. Allow simmering for 15 mins. Season to taste (do not season if serving to a baby/young child)
  • While the sauce is cooking, heat the remaining 1tbsp of oil in a large frying pan, over medium heat. Add the gnocchi and pan-fry for around 7 mins.
  • Preheat the grill (broiler) to high.
  • Add the fried gnocchi and torn basil leaves to the tomato sauce and mix together. Transfer to a baking dish and top with cheese. Grill until the cheese is melted and golden, around 5-10 minutes

Notes

  1. Passata - If you can not find passata you can replace with canned crushed tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of tomato paste. You may need to cook the sauce for longer to allow the tomatoes to break down. 
  2. Stock - Use homemade or reduced sodium stock (or replace with water) if cooking for a baby/toddler.
  3. Cheese - Use your family's favourite melting cheese (eg mozzarella, cheddar) or mix and match a range of cheeses. Mozzarella is probably most commonly used in a dish like this but my children like the sharp taste of a mature cheddar cheese. 
  4. Gnocchi - Use fresh or packaged gnocchi. We prefer to pan fry the gnocchi for this dish but if you prefer you can cook as per pack instructions. 
  5. Sauce - This is a chunky sauce, if this would be off putting for your children you could blend the sauce. 
Nutritional information is a ROUGH guide only, calculated using an online nutrition calculator. Facts based on using mozzarella cheese to top. 

Nutrition

Calories: 533kcal | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 941mg | Potassium: 1156mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 5939IU | Vitamin C: 85mg | Calcium: 204mg | Iron: 10mg