One-pot Gnocchi bake

One-pot gnocchi bake with beet root gnocchi and a creamy topping.

An easy recipe for a vegan gnocchi bake with tomato sauce and a creamy topping – one of our cold-weather classics by now !

We've made it for ourselves at the end of tired work nights and we've served it to friends (hi Maiju!) – this dish can do anything. Most ingredients can be substituted as long as it contains gnocchi, tomato sauce and a plant-based cream.

Vegan One-Pot Gnocchi Bake

(3-4 servings)

1 onion (can be substituted with 1/3 large leek)
2 cloves of garlic
50 g (about 8-10 pieces) sun-dried tomatoes (try substituting with 100 g pitted kalamata olives)
1-2 tbsp vegetable oil suited for frying
200 g vegan meatballs (substitute with diced vegan burgers, plant-based chicken alternative, tofu...)

400 g tomato passata (can be substituted with 1 tin chopped tomatoes + 2 tbsp tomato puree)
1 tbsp vegetable stock concentrate (can be replaced with soy sauce)
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
Black pepper to taste
500 g vegan gnocchi
3-4 tbsp chopped fresh or frozen basil

Creamy top layer:
250 ml soy or oat cream
50 ml nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp powdered paprika

Set the oven to 200° C.

Chop the onion (in case you're using leek: make sure you rinse out all the grime between the leaves), slice the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes.

Heat the oil in an oven-proof pot or skillet large enough to fit the whole dish. If you don't have one, start with a regular pot, and transfer the gnocchi mixture into an oven-proof dish for baking it in the oven. 

Gently fry the onions for a few minutes, add the sun-dried tomatoes and meat balls, and give them a toss in the pan before pouring in the tomato passata. Stir in the spices: vegetable stock, sugar, lemon juice and black pepper – the amounts may vary depending on the acidity/sweetness of the tomato passata, so taste and adjust if needed.

Turn off your hotplate and add gnocchis and basil to the pot.

Measure soy cream into a small-ish bowl and mix in all the spices. Pour the mixture over the gnocchis, don't stir it in.

Plop the skillet into the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until the creamy top has set and gotten some colour.
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The recipe an adapted version of Elina Innanen's Vegan Gnocchi and Meatballs recipe for Helsingin Sanomat (January 2, 2020): hs.fi/ruoka/reseptit/art-2000006357707.html