Gnocchi with Carrot and Peas Bolognese+ baby spinach salad
We love dressing up pre-made gnocchi with a hearty homemade sauce. Using frozen veggies, this is a great fall dish that comes together quickly.
Smarts: Don't knock frozen veggies - they can save prepping time and are usually very fresh and economical.
Ingredients
- Lean ground beef - 3/4 lb
- Garlic powder - 1 tsp
- Dried oregano - 1/2 tsp
- Salt - 1/2 tsp
- Black pepper - 1/4 tsp
- Garlic - 3 cloves, minced
- Onions - 1, diced
- Celery - 2 stalks, diced
- Gnocchi - 12 oz
- Cooking oil - 1 1/2 Tbsp
- Dried basil - 1/3 tsp
- Tomato paste - 2 Tbsp
- Crushed tomatoes (28 oz / 794 g can) - 1 can
- Red wine (opt) - 1/4 cup
- Frozen peas and carrots - 1 1/2 cups
- Parmesan cheese (opt) - for serving, grated
- Balsamic vinegar - 1 1/2 Tbsp
- Dijon mustard - 2 tsp
- Maple syrup - 2 tsp
- Cooking oil - 2 Tbsp
- Salt and pepper - to taste
- Baby spinach - 4 oz
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Ground beef - Season ground beef with garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead)
- Garlic / Onions / Celery - Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Make vinaigrette - Whisk together vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, and cooking oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Make
- Cook gnocchi according to package instructions.
- Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add cooking oil to pan and then garlic, onions, celery, and basil to heated oil and saute for ~5 minutes.
- Next add in ground beef and brown with veggies for ~5 minutes.
- Next add in tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and wine if you’re using it. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Fold in frozen veggies and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and sweetener if it’s too acidic.
- Fold gnocchi into bolognese.
- Toss baby spinach with vinaigrette. Divide up gnocchi and serve with parmesan cheese if using.
Reviews
This meal has 24 reviews
Very tasty and pretty simple. I would add a bit more spice next time, maybe a pinch of CRP.
I didn't have carrots so swapped for sweet potato and threw in some spinach rather than the side salad. Everyone from 1 years olds to 3 years olds and Daddy loved!
Loved this. Paleo version was really good. Tasty and filling.
Was a little sceptical, but this was actually pretty yummy. Liked the roasted sweet potatoes as a substitute for pasta.
We felt good about all the extra veggies compared to the normal meat sauce we make, and the gnocchi was a cool change of pace from spaghetti. We used too much celery though, might scale that back.
I wilted my spinach in the sauce instead of eating it as a salad. Just because.