Oven Baked Gnocchi

byBeth Le Manach Published:
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This oven-baked gnocchi with truffle oil is the perfect fall comfort food recipe. It’s tossed in a Parmesan cream sauce, topped with more Italian blend cheese, and popped under the broiler until golden brown and bubbly. The finishing touch is a generous drizzle of truffle oil and fresh thyme. It’s almost like a mash up between a grown-up Mac & Cheese and truffle oil pasta.

In Italy I had it as a main course but it’s so rich I think nit works better as a side dish. It pairs beautifully with my Steak and Peppercorn Sauce, Beef Tenderloin, or Roast Chicken, or it would also be an easy side dish for Thanksgiving.

a spoonful of baked gnocchi and cheese on a plate with a fork.
This recipe is sort of like a grown-up version of mac & cheese.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • The combination of the cheese sauce, pillowy gnocchi, and crispy cheese is so delicious. The truffle oil finish makes it a bit unexpected and more sophisticated than a basic mac and cheese.
  • The gnocchi cooks in the sauce while baking in the oven, eliminating the need to boil it first.
  • This cheesy gnocchi bake is ready in under 30 minutes, making it a quick and easy side dish for entertaining or a hectic weeknight.

shelf stable gnocchi, parmesan cheese, fresh thyme, seasonings and milk on a counter.
This recipe requires minimal ingredients, most of which you may even have on hand! When baking it in the oven, be sure to use shelf-stable gnocchi. Fresh or homemade gnocchi would be too fragile for this recipe.

The Ingredients:

  • Potato Gnocchi: Shelf-stable, store-bought gnocchi works best for this recipe. Fresh gnocchi or homemade gnocchi would be too fragile. Or you could use pasta, but I would boil the pasta first since the 10 minutes in the oven wouldn’t be long enough to cook the pasta, and any longer in the oven, the sauce would become to think.
  • Unsalted Butter: This will form the base for the roux which will create with the flour for the cream sauce. You’ll add salt to taste once the sauce is done.
  • All-Purpose Flour: This will help the cream sauce thicken.
  • Whole Milk: Whole milk will work better than skim milk or non-fat.
  • Garlic: Use fresh garlic, you mince yourself. The pre-crushed garlic does not have the same flavor.
  • Kosher Salt and Freshly Cracked Black Pepper: Added to taste
  • Fresh Thyme: Adds a lovely additional flavor to the cream sauce and looks pretty as a garnish on top once the gnocchi is baked. You could also serve some red pepper flakes on the side for a little spicy kick.
  • Parmesan Cheese: For the sauce I prefer the freshly grated parmesean because you’ll get the best flavor from it.
  • Italian Blend Cheese: The pre-shredded Italian Blend cheese is OK for the top since we are looking for a cheese that is both gooey and flavorful. The Italian Blends usually have a mix of Mozzarella, Provolone, Asaigo, and Parmesean.
  • White Truffle Oil: I prefer the flavor of the White Truffle Oil, which is light and garlicky with a slight onion flavor, over the Black Truffle Oil which can be a bit strong and earthy. But you could buy a set that includes both on Amazon decide for yourself.
Brownie cake scooped into a mug with ice cream

Step#1: Make the Cream Sauce

  • In a large 12-inch non-stick skillet, you’ll create a cream sauce.
  • To make the sauce, you’ll melt the butter and the flour in the skillet to create a roux, allow it to cook for at least 1 minute, then slowly add the milk, whisking all the while until combined.
  • Then you’ll add the seasonings of salt, pepper, garlic, and thyme.
  • The last step is to add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Step#2: Add the Gnocchi

  • The best part about oven-baked gnocchi is the fact that it cooks in the sauce while baking in the oven! You do not need to boil it first. Just stir the shelf-stable gnocchi in the sauce until coated and then level out as a single layer.
  • If you have an oven-safe skillet (meaning no plastic handles), you could bake it directly in your skillet.
  • But my little oven in France is too small for this, I can’t close the door with the handle of the skillet! So I transfer the sauce and gnocchi to a 12-inch casserole dish to bake instead.
gnocchi tossed in a cream sauce in a large non-stick skillet.
The best part about cooking gnocchi in the oven, is that it will cook in the sauce, eliminating the need to boil it first.

Step#3: Top with Cheese and Bake

  • Top with the remaining shredded cheese blend. Don’t be stingy! You want to make sure the whole thing is covered with the cheese so everyone gets a little bit of the crispy part.
  • Then bake at 375°F for 15 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and thickened, and the cheese has melted.
  • Then place it under the broiler for at least 1-2 minutes (depending on the strength of your broiler) until golden brown and crispy on top.
  • You may need to rotate it halfway through to ensure it is evenly browning on all sides.
a casserole of oven baked gnocchi just out of the oven.
The sauce should be thickened, and the cheese golden brown and crispy.

Step#4: Add the Truffle Oil

  • Truffle oil is essentially olive oil that has been infused with the flavor of either white or black truffles.
  • Black truffle oil is more earthy in flavor, whereas white truffle oil is lighter and more garlicky in flavor. It’s also yummy drizzled over pizza or egss too!
  • For this recipe, I prefer using the white truffle oil. You only need a dizzle, but be sure you run it over the whole dish so everyone gets a little taste of truffle oil in each bite.
  • I like to garnish this dish with some roughly chopped thyme as well.
two bottles on truffle oil on a counter, white truffle oil and black truffle oil.
I prefer the flavor of white truffle oil over black truffle oil, but you can taste both and see what you like best.

The Game Plan

1 DAY AHEAD

  • To make this dish ahead of time, here’s the plan.
  • Make the sauce a day ahead, place in an air tight container, cover and place in the refrigerator.
  • Then right before serving, reheat the sauce in the skillet, add the gnocchi, top with the cheese and proceed as directed.
  • This makes a fantastic side dish for Thanksgiving. If your sauce is premade it can be easily assembled and baked while you are waiting for your turkey to rest.

More Thanksgiving Recipes

Oven baked gnocchi on a plate

Oven Baked Gnocchi

Yield: serves 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 28 minutes

This oven baked gnocchi makes for a fantastic side dish to chicken or beef. The gnocchi bakes in the oven, eliminating the need to boil kit first. Dione in less than 30 minutes!

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs (1 kg) shelf-stable gnocchi
  • 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter
  • 2 tablespoons (18 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 3/4 cup (650 ml) whole milk
  • 1 garlic glove, minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup (30 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) fresh thyme + more for garnish
  • 1 cup (112 g) Italian blend cheese
  • A drizzle of white truffle oil

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 375F (190C)
  2. In a large, non-stick 12-inch skillet, melt the butter. Once foamy add the flour, whisk together until a paste forms, cook for one minute.
  3. Slowly add the milk, whisking all the while until combined.Increase the heat until thickened slightly.
  4. Then add the garlic, salt and pepper, and grated Parmesan cheese. Then add the thyme.
  5. Gently add the gnocchi to the sauce, tossing to coat. If your skillet can fit in your oven and is oven safe (no plastic handles) you could bake it in the skillet, otherwise transfer to a 12-inch round or sqaure oven-safe casserole dish.
  6. Top with the Italian blend cheese.
  7. Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling.
  8. Then place it under the broiler for 1-2 minutes ort until golden brown and crispy on top, rotating halfway through to ensure even browning.
  9. Remove from the oven, drizzle the top with the truffle oil, and garnish with roughly chopped thyme leaves.
  10. Serve immediately.

Notes

Make Ahead Notes:

  • To make this dish ahead of time, here's the plan.
  • Make the sauce a day ahead, cover and refrigerate.
  • Then right before serving, reheat the sauce in the skillet, add the gnocchi, top with the cheese and proceed as directed.
  • This makes a fantastic side dish for Thanksgiving and if your sauce is premade it can be easily assembled and baked while you are waiting for your turkey to rest.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 539Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 931mgCarbohydrates: 70gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 19g
© Beth Le Manach
Cuisine: Italian / Category: Pasta
Brownie cake scooped into a mug with ice cream

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