Gnocchi Bolognese

Gnocchi bolognese is the third dinner from this week's shop, and it is the one that uses up whatever is left. A simple mince and tomato sauce, a packet of gnocchi, and whatever odd jar you find at the back of the fridge stirred in for depth. It is not the richest bolognese you will ever make, but on a cold night with a packet of gnocchi it is exactly right. Let's cook!

Why This Gnocchi Bolognese Works

Gnocchi cooks in two minutes. While a bolognese wants twenty minutes of simmering, the carbohydrate part of this dinner takes almost no time at all, so the sauce is the only thing you are waiting on.

Browning the mince properly is the whole flavour. With this few ingredients there is nowhere to hide, so the colour you get on the meat is where the depth comes from. Push the veg aside and give the mince the hot pan to itself.

The odd jar at the back of the fridge earns its place. I used a half-finished tomato relish because it was there. Tomato paste, sun-dried tomato paste, a spoon of chutney, they all add a concentrated sweetness that a tin of tomatoes on its own does not have.

Two tins of tomatoes make it stretch. It is a generous amount of sauce for 350g of mince, which is deliberate. The sauce is doing the filling up, not the meat.

It is better the next day. Like any bolognese, it deepens overnight, so the leftovers are the good bit.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Serves: 4
• Difficulty: Easy
• Special Equipment: Large sauté pan with a lid

Two things make the difference in a bolognese this simple. The first is how far you take the mince. Do not stir it about the moment it hits the pan. Let it sit and catch, get proper brown crust on it, and only then break it up. That browning is most of the flavour in a dish with five main ingredients. The second is the starchy water from the gnocchi. Save a spoonful or two before you drain, and stir it into the sauce at the end. It emulsifies the fat and the tomato into something glossy that clings to the gnocchi rather than sliding off it into a puddle at the bottom of the bowl. It costs nothing and it is the difference between a good bowl and a great one.

Ingredients

• 350g to 400g beef or pork mince, or a mix of both
• 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 2 x 400g cans of tomatoes, whole or diced
• 1 packet of gnocchi
• Olive oil, for cooking
• Salt and pepper

Optional Extras, Use What You Have

• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp tomato paste or relish
• 1 1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs
• Cheese, to serve

How to Make Gnocchi Bolognese

1. Soften the veg: Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the diced onion and carrot, and the garlic if you are using it, with a pinch of salt. Cook until soft and lightly golden.
2. Brown the mince: Push the veg to one side or lift it out of the pan. Add the mince and let it sit and catch before you break it up. Cook until it is well browned and caramelised, because this is where the flavour comes from.
3. Add the paste and herbs: Stir in the tomato paste or relish if you have it, then the dried herbs, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes: Tip in both cans. If you are using whole tomatoes, break them up with your spoon. Return the veg to the pan if you set it aside and stir everything together.
5. Simmer: Turn the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened and rich. Taste and season.
6. Cook the gnocchi: Cook it according to the packet, which will be about 2 minutes. Save a spoonful of the starchy cooking water before you drain.
7. Bring it together: Stir the reserved starchy water into the sauce, then spoon the bolognese over the gnocchi, or stir the gnocchi straight into the pan. Top with cheese if you have some.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Five main ingredients: Mince, onion, carrot, tomatoes, gnocchi
• Gnocchi is faster than pasta: Two minutes in the water and it is done
• Cheap comfort food: Feels like a night out and costs almost nothing
• Better tomorrow: The sauce deepens overnight, so leftovers are a bonus
• A home for odd jars: That half-used relish finally has somewhere to go

Chef's Tips for Gnocchi Bolognese

Let the mince catch: Resist stirring. Let it sit in the hot pan and develop a brown crust before you break it up. In a recipe this simple that browning is most of your flavour.

Give the mince the pan to itself: Push the softened veg to the side or take it out. Mince crowded in with wet vegetables steams instead of browning.

Save the starchy water: A spoonful stirred into the sauce at the end makes it glossy and helps it cling to the gnocchi.

Raid the fridge for a jar: Tomato paste, relish, chutney, sun-dried tomato paste. Anything concentrated and sweet adds depth that tinned tomatoes alone do not have.

Do not overcook the gnocchi: It is ready when it floats, and a minute past that it goes gluey. Drain it the moment it comes up.

Simmer with the lid on: Twenty minutes covered keeps the sauce from reducing too far and going tight.

Substitutions & Variations

• The mince: Beef, pork, chicken or a mix, whatever is on special
• The gnocchi: Any short pasta works, and so does mash if you are really scraping
• No carrot: Grated courgette or a stick of celery does a similar job
• Add greens: A handful of frozen spinach or peas in the last 5 minutes
• Make it richer: A splash of milk or cream at the end softens the acidity
• Bake it: Stir the gnocchi through, top with cheese and grill until bubbling

Storage

Best eaten fresh: The gnocchi is at its best straight from the pan, before it softens in the sauce.

Fridge: Store the sauce and gnocchi separately for up to 3 days if you can. Together is fine for 2 days, the gnocchi just goes softer.

Freezer: The sauce freezes brilliantly on its own for up to 3 months. Freeze it without the gnocchi and cook fresh gnocchi when you reheat.

Avoid: Freezing cooked gnocchi in the sauce. It turns to mush on defrosting and there is no bringing it back.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use pasta instead of gnocchi? Yes, any short pasta works. Gnocchi is here because it cooks in about two minutes and it makes a cheap dinner feel more substantial.

Do I need to brown the mince that much? Yes, and it is the single thing I would not skip. With this few ingredients the browning is where the flavour lives.

What can I use instead of tomato relish? Tomato paste is the obvious one. Sun-dried tomato paste, a spoon of chutney or even a squeeze of ketchup all add the same concentrated sweetness.

Why is my sauce watery? Either it needed longer, or the lid trapped too much steam. Take the lid off for the last 5 minutes and let it reduce.

How do I know when gnocchi is cooked? It floats. Drain it as soon as it comes to the surface, because a minute longer and it goes gluey.

Can I make the sauce ahead? Yes, and you should. It is better the next day, and it freezes for up to 3 months without the gnocchi in it.

Is this a proper bolognese? No, and it does not pretend to be. A real ragu takes hours and has milk and wine in it. This is a fast weeknight tomato and mince sauce that scratches the same itch.

What do I serve with it? A green salad or some steamed greens, and bread if you have it. Cheese on top if there is any left in the fridge.

You Might Also Like

3 Budget Dinners Under $50 NZD with Mince - The full episode this came from, with the shopping list and all three dinners.

Asian Rissoles with Rice and Slaw - Dinner one from the same shop, and a completely different direction for the same mince.

Gozleme, Crispy Stuffed Flatbreads - Dinner two, and the one worth making first.

Gnocchi Parisienne - Gnocchi made from choux pastry rather than potato, for when you want to make it yourself.

Tomato and Lentil Ragu with Creamy Polenta - The meat free version of this kind of comfort, and cheaper again.

This is the dinner at the end of the week when the shop is nearly gone and you are working with whatever is left. A bit of mince, two tins of tomatoes and a packet of gnocchi, and half an hour later there is a bowl of something genuinely comforting on the table. It might not be the richest bolognese you have ever made, but that was never the point.

Enjoy!

Del x

A fast mince and tomato sauce over pillowy gnocchi, made rich with a spoonful of whatever jar is at the back of the fridge.