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More Gnocchi Recipes
Gnocchi Bake with 'Nduja
Gnocchi bake with 'nduja is one of my go-to comfort meals – rich, spicy, and gloriously cheesy. I bake pillowy gnocchi in a tomato and cream sauce laced with fiery 'nduja, then top it all with mozzarella until bubbling and golden. It’s bold, satisfying, and comes together with very little fuss. This easy pasta bake is perfect for cosy nights, lazy weekends, or whenever you need something indulgent and utterly delicious.
Ingredients
- 500g gnocchi
- 90g 'nduja pesto
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 400g tin diced tomatoes
- 1 cup passata
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp Italian mixed herbs
- 1 tbsp parmesan
- 1 cup mozarella
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (fan) or 200°C (conventional).
- Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onions for 10 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste and 'nduja pesto and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until sizzling.
- Stir through the diced tomatoes, passata, Parmesan, bay leaf, and Italian mixed herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the sauce has started to thicken.
- Add the gnocchi and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
- Transfer the gnocchi and sauce to a baking dish and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbling.
Notes
- 'Nduja is a spicy, spreadable Calabrian salami that adds incredible depth and heat to this dish. You can usually find it in the deli section or with the antipasti. If you can't find 'nduja paste specifically, regular 'nduja works just as well.
- I often use this cast iron skillet for cooking the sauce, which can then go straight into the oven if you skip the transfer to a baking dish. It's brilliant for one-pan meals.
- Fresh gnocchi works best here, but shelf-stable gnocchi is perfectly fine. Just check the packet instructions as cooking times can vary slightly.
- This Le Creuset baking dish is my go-to for gratins and bakes like this. It holds heat beautifull and goes from oven to table looking gorgeous.
- For a creamier bake, stir through a few tablespoons of cream or mascarpone before topping with mozzarella.
- If you prefer less heat, reduce the 'nduja to 60g and add an extra tablespoon of tomato paste.
- For extra richness, tear a ball of burrata over the top just before serving instead of using mozzarella.
- If you want more heat, add a pinch of chilli flakes when cooking the onions.
- This microplane grater is perfect for grating Parmesan fresh over the top before baking.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 160°C for 15-20 minutes, or in the microwave until heated through.
- You can also freeze portions in freezer-safe containers for up to 2 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat as above.Serve with a simple green salad and crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
What I Cook With
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 364Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 356mgCarbohydrates: 43gNet Carbohydrates: 0gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gSugar Alcohols: 0gProtein: 13g
Please note, this nutrition information is to be used as a guide only. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
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Gnocchi Bake with ‘Nduja
I Like My Friday’s a Little Bit… Spicey.
If you’ve read my Risotto alla Milanese post, you’ll know that pasta doesn’t really take centre stage in our house. But living in Scotland, where the winters are long and the heating bills are rude, you need proper comfort food to keep you going. And this Gnocchi Bake with ‘Nduja has absolutely earned its spot in our regular rotation. It’s hearty, a bit spicy, rich and saucy – just how I like my Friday nights. The first time I made a gnocchi bake, I was inspired by one of my favourite bloggers, Half Baked Harvest. She’d done a baked gnocchi Bolognese and it got me thinking – why not try a twist with ‘nduja?
If you’ve never tried ‘nduja before, just imagine chorizo that went on a spa retreat and came back extra melty and flavourful. It’s a spicy, soft pork sausage from Italy that melts straight into your sauces, and it brings such an incredible depth to whatever it touches. As it cooks, it releases a spicy, paprika-laced oil that transforms a simple tomato sauce into something you’d want to eat straight from the pan with a spoon – and believe me, I’ve done it. There’s something so satisfying about throwing everything into one pan and letting the oven work its magic while you curl up on the couch with a glass of red.
Unlike pasta, there’s no pre-boiling needed when you’re working with gnocchi. You just toss it straight into the sauce and bake. Honestly, it makes you question why you ever bothered with pasta bakes in the first place. This is the dish we pull out most Friday nights because it’s quick, easy, and makes me feel like I’ve actually accomplished something – even if the week’s been a bit of a shambles. And let’s be real, most weeks are a bit of a shambles. This bake is warm, filling, and just spicy enough to make you feel a little smug and satisfied without blowing your head off.
Friday Night Favourite
Our Friday night dinners tend to fall into two categories: things we can eat on the sofa, and things that require minimal clean-up, and this gnocchi bake ticks both. It’s one of those recipes that looks like you’ve gone to loads of effort, when really you’ve just stirred a few things together and let the oven do the work. That’s my kind of cooking. The ‘nduja adds this rich, warming heat that cuts through the sweetness of the tomato, and the gnocchi soaks it all up like a little flavour sponge.
I’ve always leaned towards tomato-based sauces for gnocchi, but adding ‘nduja has turned it into something far more indulgent and crave-worthy. The sauce becomes almost glossy thanks to the spicy oil, and it clings to the gnocchi in all the right ways. It’s not fancy, but it feels like it could be if you threw on a scatter of fresh herbs or served it in a cast iron skillet with a drizzle of good olive oil. You know, if you were feeling showy.
It’s the kind of meal that makes you excited to finish work, get into your comfies, and eat something that makes you feel a bit spoilt without actually putting in the effort to spoil yourself. And if there’s leftovers? Even better. It reheats like a dream and somehow tastes even better the next day – that’s if you can stop yourself from going back for seconds.
Ingredient breakdown
Gnocchi
Gnocchi are soft Italian dumplings traditionally made from potato and flour, and they’re the heart of this dish. I use fresh gnocchi here because it has a better texture and a slightly pillowy bite that holds up beautifully in the sauce, but shelf-stable gnocchi from a packet works perfectly fine too. The gnocchi simmers in the sauce before going into the oven, which means it absorbs all those spicy, tomatoey flavours before the cheese goes on top.
‘Nduja pesto
‘Nduja (pronounced en-DOO-ya) is a soft, spreadable spicy sausage from Calabria in southern Italy, and the pesto version blends it with tomatoes and herbs into an intensely flavoured paste that melts into sauces like a dream. It’s the ingredient that makes this dish. It adds depth, richness, and a gentle background heat that builds as you eat. If you can’t find the pesto version, regular ‘nduja works just as well. Look for it at Italian delis, specialty grocers, or the deli section of a well-stocked supermarket.
Olive oil
Just your standard good-quality olive oil to get the base of the sauce going. Nothing fancy required here. You’re using it to soften the onions and build the flavour foundation, so go with whatever you’ve got in the pantry.
Onion
Diced onion is the backbone of the sauce. Cooking it low and slow for a full ten minutes is worth the patience because it becomes sweet and soft and disappears into the sauce in the best possible way. Don’t rush this step.
Garlic
Three cloves, minced, added after the onion has softened. Garlic and ‘nduja are a genuinely great combination and the aroma when these hit the pan together is something else. Cook it just until fragrant so it doesn’t catch and turn bitter.
Tomato paste
Tomato paste goes in with the ‘nduja and gets cooked off for a few minutes until it’s sizzling and slightly caramelised. This step is important because it deepens the tomato flavour and removes that raw, tinny edge. Don’t skip it.
Diced tomatoes
A tin of diced tomatoes forms the bulk of the sauce. Nothing complicated here. Just make sure you’re using a decent quality tin because it does make a difference when tomatoes are doing a lot of the heavy lifting.
Passata
Passata is smooth, uncooked tomato puree that has been strained to remove the seeds and skin. It’s basically the silkier, more refined cousin of tinned tomatoes. If you’re in the US and can’t find passata labelled as such, look for tomato puree in a jar or bottle at an Italian grocery store. It thins out the sauce slightly and gives it a smoother texture that coats the gnocchi really well.
Bay leaf
One bay leaf simmers in the sauce and adds a subtle, almost floral herbal note in the background. You won’t taste it directly but you’d notice if it wasn’t there. Just remember to fish it out before serving.
Italian mixed herbs
A teaspoon of dried Italian mixed herbs rounds out the sauce with oregano, basil, and whatever else is in the blend. It ties everything together and reinforces those southern Italian flavours you’ve already built with the ‘nduja.
Parmesan
A small amount of Parmesan goes directly into the sauce while it simmers, which adds a salty, savoury depth and helps the sauce thicken slightly. Freshly grated is always better if you have a microplane or fine grater on hand.
Mozzarella
Mozzarella goes on top before the whole dish goes into the oven, and it melts into those gorgeous golden, bubbling patches of cheese that make a bake like this completely irresistible. Low-moisture mozzarella (the block kind) melts better and gets more colour than fresh. If you want to go next level, tear a ball of burrata over the top just before serving instead.
Salt and pepper
Season to taste as you go. The ‘nduja and Parmesan both bring saltiness to the party, so taste before you add anything and adjust accordingly.
Serve This With…
- A simple rocket and parmesan salad dressed with lemon and olive oil
- Garlic bread or focaccia for mopping up the sauce
- Roasted Mediterranean vegetables like zucchini, eggplant, and capsicum
Never heard of Nduja, must give it a try.
It’s quite spicy but it has such a fabulous flavour!