This delicious one-pan meatball gnocchi recipe is destined to become your new comfort food go-to. Juicy meatballs simmer in a rich tomato sauce and paired with pillowy-soft gnocchi for the ultimate satisfying supper.
Topped with gooey, melted mozzarella and baked to perfection, it delivers that irresistible cheesy pull with every bite. Easy to make, satisfying, and full of flavour, this fuss-free recipe is perfect for cosy nights in with family or friends.
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Yields:
4 serving(s)
Prep Time:
30 mins
Cook Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
1 hr
Cal/Serv:
501
Ingredients
For the meatballs
1/2
small onion, finely chopped
1
garlic clove, crushed
1tsp.
dried mixed herbs
300g
beef mince, 5% fat
40g
dried breadcrumbs
1
medium egg
1/2Tbsp.
olive oil
For the tomato sauce
1/2
small onion, finely chopped
1
garlic clove, crushed
2
celery sticks, finely chopped
2tsp.
dried basil or mixed herbs
2
x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2Tbsp.
tomato purée
To finish
400g
fresh gnocchi
100g
frozen peas
125g
mozzarella, torn into small pieces
Directions
Step 1Preheat grill to high. For the meatballs, in a medium bowl mix all the ingredients with plenty of seasoning.
Step 2Heat a large, shallow casserole dish or non-stick frying pan (that has a lid) over medium heat. Using your hands, shape the beef mixture into walnut-sized balls and add to the pan. Brown all over.
Step 3Lower the heat. Make the tomato sauce in the same casserole/pan with the balls. Push all the meatballs to 1 side of the pan, and to the empty side add the onion, garlic and celery and cook for 5min. Add the dried herb(s), tomatoes, tomato purée and some seasoning and gently mix everything to combine. Bring up to a bubble.
Step 4To finish, carefully mix in the gnocchi. Cover and simmer gently for 5min. Uncover and cook for a few min to reduce the sauce slightly. Sprinkle over the peas and gently mix in. Scatter over the mozzarella.
Step 5Grill for 5min, or until golden and bubbling. Serve with a green salad.
GH TIPS
If you're really short on time, you could use store-bought meatballs and cut the prep time by almost half.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
