Easy Gnocchi Skillet

Switch up your weekly pasta night with this easy gnocchi skillet recipe. With a short and sweet ingredient list of pantry staples, this one’s guaranteed to be on repeat. Your entire family will love this easy gnocchi dish.

We love our one pot meals around here. When we’re not making this one pot chili mac, sheet pan gnocchi, or this easy skillet lasagna, we’re making this delicious easy gnocchi skillet recipe. With a short ingredient list of plant-based pantry staples, you can easily make this dish even when running low on groceries.

This baked gnocchi is one of my favorite easy skillet dinners. Just sauté your veggies and plant-based beef before stirring in your favorite marinara sauce, vegan ground beef, and the soft, pillowy gnocchi. (No need to pre-cook the gnocchi!) Top with some cheese and bake until the cheese is melted. This high protein vegan meal has all the comfort food vibes we need this winter.

What is Gnocchi?

If you aren’t familiar with gnocchi (pronounced ‘n(y)oh-kee’), they are a type of pasta that is shaped like chewy little dumplings. It’s usually paired with a rich tomato or creamy sauce. Traditionally, gnocchi is made from mashed potatoes, wheat flour, and egg. You can usually find gnocchi in the pasta section or freezer section at the grocery store.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

• One Pot: who doesn’t love a one pan meal? With a toddler keeping me busy, I am all about one pot meals for simplicity and fewer dishes.
• Family Friendly: if there’s one thing our toddler reliably eats – it’s pasta. Although our toddler is still warming up to gnocchi, your kids will probably love this take on pasta night!
• Versatile: this easy dinner recipe is easily adaptable to different eaters in your house – whether vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free, or something else in between.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Potato Gnocchi: it hasn’t been too difficult to find brands of pre-made gnocchi that are vegan, but they occasionally include eggs so just double check the ingredient list. Both shelf stable and frozen gnocchi work well for this recipe.
• Plant-Based Ground “Beef”: to add more filling protein and heartiness to this vegan recipe, we added some frozen vegan meat crumbles. (I really like the plant based crumbles from Gardein.) You can use any plant-based ground meat you like such as Beyond Meat or substitute with 1 can of white beans (drained and rinsed).
• Veggies (onion, bell pepper, zucchini): we love this combo of veggies both to add flavor but also some fiber and texture to this baked gnocchi. Any color of bell pepper will work for this recipe.
• Dried Oregano: I like to add a bit more herby flavor with some dried oregano, but you could also use Italian seasoning. If you want to add a spicy kick, stir in some red pepper flakes too. 
• Marinara: since the ingredient list is pretty short for this easy gnocchi recipe, splurge on a nicer marinara sauce if you can because they are usually more flavorful. You could also use a homemade marinara sauce.
• Vegan Mozzarella: I liked the way this dish looked when I topped it with sliced mozzarella, but you can also use vegan cheese shreds. (I’ve made it both ways!) If you aren’t vegan or dairy free, use regular mozzarella.

Variations

Vegetarian: use regular mozzarella cheese on top of this skillet instead of a dairy-free cheese.

Gluten Free: use gluten free gnocchi or try with Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi. Double check that your plant-based ground “beef” doesn’t contain gluten. My favorite plant-based ground “beef” products that are also gluten-free are Gardein’s frozen ground be’f and Abbot’s ground “beef”.

How to Make this Easy Gnocchi Skillet

Tips for Making Skillet Gnocchi

• Switch up the Veggies: feel free to use different veggies in this baked gnocchi. I added bell pepper and zucchini, but you can add different ones depending on what your family likes or what is currently in your veggie drawer. Some other fresh vegetables that would be good in this recipe: summer squash, mushrooms, spinach, cherry tomatoes, kale, and chopped broccoli. Frozen greens are also a great option for this skillet gnocchi recipe.
• Swap Out the Protein: we used a vegan ground beef for this, but you could use a plant-based, flavorful Italian sausage instead. If you want to avoid plant-based meats, use canned white beans or crumbled tempeh instead.

What to Serve with Skillet Baked Gnocchi

This skillet baked gnocchi is a complete meal on its own, but if you want to serve something with it we recommend a bagged salad, coleslaw, or a simple cooked vegetable like green beans.

Here are a few salad recipes that would be delicious with this cheesy gnocchi skillet: lemon kale Caesar salad, pear arugula salad, or this citrus and fennel salad.

Recipe FAQs

Storage

Fridge: store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet on the stovetop.

Freezer: leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.