Feeling hungry but short on time to make dinner? Gnocchi may be the answer you’re looking for! I’ve put together a roundup of my favorite sauces for gnocchi. Rose, cheesy mushroom, one-pot meat, pumpkin, pesto alfredo, and even Thai sauces for gnocchi can transform your simple package of potato gnocchi into a quick and delicious meal.
What’s gnocchi, did I hear you ask? Maybe you’ve seen it in the store. You’ve seen it on menus. You’ve probably mispronounced it once or twice. You may have even seen videos of how to make it and thought, “That looks easy, I should really try that.” No? Just me?
Gnocchi are small Italian dumplings, often made from potato though sometimes from ricotta cheese as well. (Wondering how to pronounce gnocchi? It’s “nyo-kee”. The ‘g’ is silent. If you’ve been mispronouncing it — no judgment.) Luckily for me, I don’t have to resort to making my own. Potato gnocchi are easy to find in almost any supermarket.
Personally, I enjoy using the kosherBartenura brand gnocchi since they don’t require freezing or refrigerating. Plus, they taste great and if you want somethinga little different than the plain one, they also come in a spinach variety, which adds even more flavor and versatility.
But what do you do once you follow the package directions? How are you supposed to eat gnocchi? Well, friends. That’s where the fun begins! Gnocchi are a great vehicle for any number of sauces. The possibilities are endless. Here are enough recipes for you to have a different gnocchi sauce every day of the week.
Take a look below at the recipes I’ve gathered for you and choose your favorite ones! I think these are the best sauces for gnocchi- try them andcomment below if you agree with me.
1. Rosé Sauce for Gnocchi
Recipe by Susie Fishbein
What a great way to “rosé all day,” am I right? This sauce is insanely flavorful and will go amazingly with your gnocchi.
Ingredients
3 tablespoonsunsalted butter
2 tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil
1small onion, minced
4large cloves garlic, each cut in half
1/4 teaspoondried oregano
1/4 teaspoondried basil
1/4 teaspooncrushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cuprosé (you can also use white wine)
1 (28-ounce) canwhole plum tomatoes, with their liquid
1 cup heavywhipping cream
1/2 teaspoonsalt
1 cupgrated Parmesan cheese
black pepper, to taste
You can find the full recipehere!
2. One Pot Meat Sauce
Recipe by Esty Wolbe
This is one of a few meat-based sauces on this list. Gnocchi isn’t just about the dairy! One of the recipes Esty is most well known for is her Faked Ziti—this is the meat version of that. The sauce, the meat, and the gnocchi cook all in one pot together. And if you forgetit on the stove for a bit, it just keeps getting better. The name “Faux-lognese” was rejected (like Bolognese? Get it?), but I would never reject a bowl of this.
Ingredients
1large onion
6clovesgarlic
2 poundsground beef
1 jarTonnelli Marinara Sauce
4 tablespoons Tuscanini Tomato Paste
1/2 tspsugar
salt and pepper to taste
Find the full time-saving recipe here!
3. Cheesy Mushroom Gnocchi
Recipe by Michal Frischman
I don’t know about you but this one had me at cheesy. And then again at mushroom. Because I like to try things out for you I have to let you know that sticking a fork at your computer screen will not, in fact, get you a bite of this dish. I guess I’ll just have to make it.
Ingredients
4 quartswater
10 ounces (280 grams)cremini mushrooms
10 ounces (280 grams)wild mushrooms (oyster, shiitake, or beech)
Gefen Olive Oil Cooking Spray
1 tablespoonsalt
1 tablespoonbutter
1/3 cupmilk
4 slicesHaolam American cheese
4 slicesHaolam mozzarella cheese
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
Find the full recipehere!
4. Tomato Cream Sauce
Recipe by Sam Adler
Sure, you could buy a jar of marinara sauce and call it a day, but wouldn’t you rather doctor it up into something amazing? This sweet and savory tomato cream sauce is the kind of dairy indulgence we can definitely get into.
Ingredients
1medium onion, diced small
1/2 teaspoonsalt
1 and 1/2 cupsTuscanini Marinara Sauce
2 tablespoonsbrown sugar
3/4 cuphalf and half
Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Get the full recipe here!
5. Hearty Vegetable Sauce
Recipe by Raghavan Iyer
This recipe developer literally wrote the book on potatoes,so you can probably take his word when he recommends a sauce for gnocchi. This one is hearty, warm, and is the kind of comfort food you can feel good about.
Ingredients
2 tablespoonsGefen Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
4 medium-size clovesgarlic, finely chopped
1/2 cupshelled pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
1 can (14 to 15 ounces)diced tomatoes (including juices)
1 can (15 ounces)white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
8 ouncesfresh baby spinach, thoroughly rinsed and dried
1 teaspooncoarse sea or Haddar Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspooncoarsely cracked black peppercorns
1/2 teaspooncrushed red pepper flakes
Get the full recipe here!
6. Gnocchi Pumpkin Sauce
Recipe by Joodie the Foodie
This is a good one to have in your pocket come Fall. But if you’re like me, you like to get a head start on pumpkin season. Hey, they wouldn’t sellcanned pumpkin in the stores year-round if you weren’t supposed to use it!
Ingredients
1 tablespoonolive oil
2shallots sliced thinly
2cloves garlic, minced
1 (15-oz.) canpumpkin
1 and 1/4 cupmilk
1/4 cupheavy cream
1/4 cupsemi-dry white wine
1/2 cupshredded mozzarella
1 teaspoonsalt
1/8 teaspoonnutmeg
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tablespooncut up fresh sage
Get the directions (and an awesome recipe for making gnocchi from scratch, if you’re up for it) here!
7. Pesto Alfredo Sauce
Recipe by Esther Deutsch
I have a family friend with a crazy amazing garden in her backyard. In the summer, she brings over entire shopping bags filled with basil, and my family is absolutely swimming in it. Needless to say, I’m always looking for recipes like this one.
Ingredients
Pesto
1 cupfresh basil leaves
1/2 cuppine nuts or walnuts, toasted
4cloves garlic
1/4 cupolive oil
1 teaspoonfresh ground black pepper
1/4 cupgrated parmesan cheese
Sauce
1 cupheavy cream
Haddar Kosher Salt, to taste
Find out how to make ithere!
8.Summer Corn Ragu
Recipe by Ashira Mirsky
This summery gnocchi dish has rich flavors that will keep you going back for seconds and thirds!
Ingredients
1 largeonion, chopped into very fine pieces
2 stalkscelery, chopped into very fine pieces
1 canyellow corn
1 cubeGefen Frozen Garlic
salt
pepper
1 and 1/2 poundsground meat
1 and 1/2 packetsKnorr Corn Soup Mix
6 ounces Tuscanini Tomato Paste
2 cupswater
1 teaspoonoregano
2 packagesBartenura Gnocchi
olive oil
parsley, for garnish
Find the full recipe here!
9. Jalapeño Cream Sauce
Recipe by Raghavan Iyer
If you like your cream sauce with a little (Okay a lot) of spice, this one is probably already calling your name. Just imagine the cream cutting some of that spice, and the pillowy gnocchi bites carrying this sauce for you.
Ingredients
1 or 2fresh green jalapeño chiles
1/2 teaspooncumin seeds
1/4 cupheavy (whipping) cream
1 medium-sizetomato, cored and coarsely diced
1/2 teaspooncoarse sea or Haddar Kosher Salt
You can find the full recipe here!
10. Thai-Style Peanut Sauce
Recipe by Raghavan Iyer
If you’re looking for something a little different to go with your gnocchi tonight, considerthis Thai-style sauce. This sauce is described as “addictive enough to sip with a spoon,” but adding the nutty, spicy, sweet flavor to a warm bowl of gnocchi might be just the thing.
Ingredients
4fresh or dried red Thai chiles
boiling water (optional)
1 tablespooncoriander seeds
1 teaspooncumin seeds
1 cup Gefen Unsweetened Coconut Milk
1/4 cupfirmly packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
2 tablespoonsfinely chopped fresh lemongrass
4 slicesfresh ginger (each about the size and thickness of a quarter; no need to peel first)
2 largelime leaves or1 tablespoonlime rind
1 tablespoonchunky or smooth natural peanut butter
1 teaspoonfish sauce or1 tablespoonsoy sauce
1/4 teaspooncoarse sea or Haddar Kosher Salt
Find the full recipe here!
11. Pesto Sauce
Recipe by Yussi Weisz
If you’re not into cream sauces, apparently I’m not supposed to send you away. I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt though and assume you’ve just had too much cream sauce recently and need a break. This more traditional pesto is a perfect option if you’re looking for someting a little lighter, but still packed with flavor. Does fresh basil make this amazing and make your kitchen smell like you’re a professional? Yes. Do it work with a few frozen basil cubes? Between you and me, also yes.
Ingredients
2 cupsfresh basil, washed and dried
5 tablespoonsGefen Olive Oil
5 clovesfresh garlic
1/2 teaspooncrushed red pepper or chili pepper
1 teaspoonsalt
Find out how to make it here!
12. Mornay Cheese Sauce
Recipe by Gabe Garcia
As someone who has eaten Chef Gabe‘s food at the legendary Tierra Sur, I can tell you: his talent is not overstated. So when we tasked him with creating some dairy recipes for our series Under the Hood, we knew the results were going to be amazing. This “Sauce Mornay” as the French call it (thankfully, you can’t hear me trying to pronounce it in front of my computer with an accent) is actually two sauces in one—Gabe makes a blue cheese mornayanda gruyére and parmesan version. Either of these would make for a deliciously indulgent gnocchi experience.
Ingredients
1 cupbéchamel (recipe in link below)
1egg yolk
1 ounceblue cheese
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
Findboth recipesand a recipe for béchamel sauce here!
13. Oxtail Ragu
Recipe by Sara and Yossi Goldstein
This is for those times when you’re really looking for something fancy to impress company. If the rest of these recipes are weekdays, this one is Shabbat. It’s got rich, deep flavors that develop slowly and will get you nice and ready for that afternoon nap.
Ingredients
1/2 cupolive oil
1 pound(5-6 pieces)oxtail(about)
salt, for sprinkling
coarse black pepper, for sprinkling
all-purpose flour, for sprinkling
5large celery stalks, coarsely chopped
2large carrots, peeled and chopped
1large onion, very coarsely chopped
2 cupsdry red wine
1 (15-ounce) candiced tomatoes
4garlic cloves, chopped
4fresh parsley sprigs
2fresh rosemary sprigs
1bay leaf
2 cups beef broth or Tabatchnick Chicken Broth
To find out how to make gnocchi from scratch using mashed potatoes rather than whole potatoes, check out the full recipe here.
BONUS—have room for dessert?
Caramelized Gnocchi
That’s right, gnocchi can also be made sweet. Take for example this caramelized gnocchi dessert. The gnocchi is soft and chewy on the inside and crunchy and sweet on the outside!
Recipe by Batsheva Kanter
For all the carb lovers out there, this one’s for you!Let us know in the comments how you like to eat your gnocchi, and send us pictures if you try these recipes!
This article was originally published on August 9, 2017, and was updated and improved in November 2020.
