Baked Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Spinach
on Oct 07, 2021, Updated Mar 31, 2022
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This baked gnocchi with mushrooms and spinach is a vegetarian one-pan meal that ticks all the boxes for a healthier version of comfort food.
You can’t go wrong with a simple red sauce pasta dish. Even better when it’s so effortless that you can use a single pan for the pasta and the sauce. Way to save on cleanup!
My pantry is always stocked with different noodle shapes just for this kind of dinner, and that includes gnocchi too.
When I have the time, I love making those perfect potato dumplings from scratch, but more often I am using packaged gnocchi from the grocery.
Store-bought gnocchi is great because you can put all your energy into the vegetables and sauce to go with it rather than focusing only on the gnocchi.
An Easy Vegetarian Baked Gnocchi
One of the great things about this recipe is how you can easily add vegetables before the sauce and gnocchi even make it into the pan.
This gives you the chance to sauté mushrooms with the chopped onions. The cremini mushrooms caramelize and add so much flavor to the tomato sauce. And I love the bites of mushrooms to go with the gnocchi.
After the mushrooms, I add baby spinach because I never can resist the opportunity to include greens in any dish.
You can understand how this baked gnocchi recipe comes together to be healthy comfort food, a total win during the fall and winter months.
It’s another reason to love canned tomatoes, as if we needed any more.
The Ingredients
This is what you need to make this baked gnocchi recipe:
- Gnocchi: You can find packaged shelf-stable gnocchi in the pasta section of the grocery. Take advantage of this shortcut!
- Mushrooms: It will look like a lot of sliced cremini mushrooms when you first add them to the pan, but they will reduce as they sauté and brown.
- Spinach: I stir in a couple cups of baby spinach with the mushrooms to sneak in some leafy greens.
- Mozzarella: The recipe calls for an 8-ounce ball of fresh mozzarella. Half is grated and stirred into the sauce. I tear the rest into pieces, and put them on top right before the pan goes into the oven for the gnocchi to bake.
- Tomato Puree: The base of the sauce is a large can of tomato puree. With that I include onions, garlic and dried spices. It’s a quick version of homemade tomato sauce.
- Onions: The recipe starts with sautéing chopped onions in olive oil in the pan.
- Garlic: A few minced garlic cloves flavor the gnocchi and sauce.
- Dried Seasonings: I use a mix of dried thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
- Parmesan: Like most other pastas, I add grated Parmesan before serving.
- Parsley: Sprinkling on chopped fresh parsley is how I finish the dish with something fresh and herby.
How To Make Baked Gnocchi
- Sauté the onions. Heat the olive oil in the pan and then add the onions, cooking them until they start to soften and turn translucent.
- Add the mushrooms. You want to sauté the mushrooms giving them a chance to turn brown and caramelize.
- Stir in the garlic, thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. I wait to add the garlic until this step because I want to allow the onions and mushrooms enough time to cook without burning the garlic. The onions and mushrooms will get really fragrant fast once the aromatics are added.
- Sauté the spinach. The greens will wilt quickly from the heat.
- Pour in the tomato puree and stir it into the onions and mushrooms.
- Add the gnocchi and grated mozzarella. Stir together everything in the pan.
- Top the gnocchi with torn mozzarella.
- Bake the gnocchi in the oven until it is tender and the cheese is melted and golden.
- Top with Parmesan and chopped parsley and serve.
How To Serve Baked Gnocchi
Get out a big spoon! You can scoop the gnocchi onto a plate or in a bowl.
This baked gnocchi is perfect with a classic Italian chopped salad or an arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette.
Try These Store Bought Gnocchi Recipes
Skillet Red Pepper White Bean Gnocchi
Sheet Pan Cherry Tomato Gnocchi
Roasted Garlic Sheet Pan Gnocchi
Sheet Pan Mushroom Asparagus Gnocchi
Pesto Gnocchi with Sun Dried Tomatoes
Baked Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 white onion roughly chopped
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1-28 ounce can tomato puree
- 1 pound shelf-stable gnocchi
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella half grated and half torn
- Grated Parmesan and chopped parsley for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large ovenproof sauté pan or skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Sauté the onions until they become soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and sauté until they start to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Sauté for a few minutes until the mushrooms are caramelized and fragrant. Then stir in the spinach letting it wilt.
- Pour in the tomato puree and stir it with the onions and mushrooms. Add the gnocchi and grated mozzarella, stirring everything together.
- Top with torn mozzarella and bake for 25-30 minutes until the gnocchi is tender and the cheese is melted and golden.
- Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and chopped parsley before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
