One-Pan Cheesy Meatball & Gnocchi Bake

,

Family FoodRecipe extracted from Family Food by Sarah Pound, Plum, RRP $49.99, photography by Mark Roper.

My mum makes a pretty darn good meatball pasta bake. She usually does it with rigatoni, but I’m obsessed with gnocchi. Her little trick is to add grated cheese to the meatball mix – and the results speak for themselves. There are lots of veggies in here too, so it’s a great dinner option for the whole family.

One pan cheesy meatball and gnocchi bakePREP TIME 20 minutes
COOK TIME 1 hour
SERVES 6

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 zucchini, very finely diced
  • 1 red capsicum, very finely diced
  • 90 g (1 cup) sliced button mushrooms
  • 400 g can crushed tomatoes
  • 700 g passata with basil
  • 1 teaspoon beef stock powder or 1 beef stock cube
  • 500 g dried gnocchi (see Tip)
  • 300 g (2 cups) freshly grated mozzarella
  • 50 g (1/2 cup) freshly grated parmesan
  • 1 fresh buffalo mozzarella ball, torn (optional)
  • 1 large handful of basil leaves

BEEF MEATBALLS

  • 30 g (1/2 cup) panko or homemade breadcrumbs
  • 80 ml (1/3 cup) full-cream milk
  • 500 g beef mince
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
  • 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
  • 50 g (1/2 cup) freshly grated tasty or parmesan cheese
  • salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

TIP If you use fresh gnocchi, stir it through after the meatballs have cooked and before scattering on the cheese. (I prefer not to use fresh gnocchi, as it tends to disintegrate while baking.)

Method

Get started. Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan-forced).

Heat the olive oil in a large, ovenproof frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2–3 minutes until fragrant. Add the zucchini, capsicum and mushrooms and cook for 5–7 minutes until the vegetables are softened. Add the crushed tomatoes, passata and stock powder or cube, stir well. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the beef meatballs. Combine the breadcrumbs and milk in a small bowl and set aside to allow the breadcrumbs to soak up the milk. Combine the mince, egg, breadcrumbs/milk mixture, dried herbs, worcestershire sauce, cheese and salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix until just combined. Roll the mixture into small walnut-sized balls.

Add the gnocchi to the simmering sauce. Stir through, then nestle in the meatballs. Cover with the lid and bake for 25 minutes until the meatballs are just cooked. Remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle the grated mozzarella and parmesan over the top, then dot with the buffalo mozzarella, if using. Return, uncovered, to the oven for 10–15 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbling. Scatter on the basil and serve straight from the pan.

VEGGIE BOOSTER

• Stir 45 g (1 cup) baby spinach leaves or chopped kale through the sauce before adding the meatballs.

• Add 1 large finely diced eggplant with the zucchini, capsicum and mushrooms.

• Add 150 g (1 cup) halved cherry tomatoes with the crushed tomatoes.