Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 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 beef mince/ground beef
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 800 g canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp beef stock powder
- 1 tsp caster sugar/superfine sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 sprigs fresh oregano or thyme (can be substituted with 1 tsp of dried oregano or thyme)
- 1 bay leaf
- 500 g fresh gnocchi (see note 1)
- 50 g mozzarella cheese, sliced into bite-sized pieces or freshly shredded
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based skillet on medium-low heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Cook for 3-5 minutes until softened and fragrant.
- Increase the heat to high. Add the beef mince, 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 and then add the crushed tomatoes, beef stock powder, caster sugar, water, oregano or thyme and bay leaf to the pan. Simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on. Remove the herb sprigs and bay leaf.
- Stir through the gnocchi and cook with the lid on for 2 minutes or until the gnocchi has softened (note 2).
- Top with the mozzarella cheese, 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 on 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 of water, or enough to reach your desired consistency. If it is too thin, cook on 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