Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red or brown onion, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, freshly minced
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 1 celery stalk, finely diced
- 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) minced (ground) beef
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes
- ½ tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp tomato paste (concentrated puree)
- 800 g (1 lb 12 oz) canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp beef stock (bouillon) powder
- 1 tsp caster (superfine) sugar
- 1 cup (250 ml) water
- 2 sprigs fresh oregano or thyme (can be substituted with 1 tsp of dried oregano or thyme)
- 1 bay leaf
- 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) fresh gnocchi (see note 1)
- 50 g (13/4 oz) mozzarella, sliced into bite-sized pieces or freshly shredded
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium–low heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Cook for 3–5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
- Increase the heat to high. Add the beef, salt and pepper. Cook the beef for 3–5 minutes until it changes colour from pink to brown, breaking it up with your spoon as you go.
- Stir through the tomato paste, then add the crushed tomatoes, beef stock powder, caster sugar, water, oregano or thyme and bay leaf. Simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on. Remove the herb sprigs and bay leaf.
- Stir the gnocchi through the sauce and cook with the lid on for 2 minutes or until the gnocchi has softened (see note 2).
- Top with the mozzarella, place the lid on and cook for a further 2 minutes until the cheese is soft and gooey. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Note 1 – Fresh gnocchi in the refrigerated section of the supermarket is required for this recipe, or any gnocchi that takes less than 5 minutes to cook, according to the packet instructions.
Note 2 – The gnocchi will release its starch as it cooks, which will thicken the sauce. It will also thicken as it sits. If the sauce is too thick, simply add 1/4 cup (60 ml) of water, or enough to reach your desired consistency. If it is too thin, cook over high heat with the lid off for an additional 2 minutes.
MAKE AHEAD
Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw completely in the fridge overnight before reheating in the microwave.
LEFTOVERS
Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw completely in the fridge overnight before reheating in the microwave.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 34 mins
- Category: bolognese
- Method: pan
- Cuisine: Italian