Ground Beef Gnocchi (2024)

Why you’ll love it

I have a ridiculous number of one pan gnocchi recipes on here, but this one might be my favorite. Beef and gnocchi is such a good combo! There’s also no need to pre-cook the gnocchi. It cooks right in the sauce, which is convenient and helps with cleanup.

This hamburger gnocchi recipe makes plenty of delicious sauce. The meaty tomato sauce sort of reminds me of a creamy Bolognese. Add in a splash of cream and freshly grated parmesan, and it’s a comforting yet simple meal that’s sure to go on repeat.

What you’ll need

• Ground beef – we’re using lean
• Onion and garlic – I like sweet (Vidalia) onions
• Italian seasoning – it’s my favorite blend of dried herbs to infuse flavor and comes in a single jar
• Canned diced tomatoes – they’re canned at the peak of ripeness for best taste
• Broth – I use chicken broth, but beef works too
• Heavy cream – to give the sauce that luxurious texture and taste
• Gnocchi – I use the shelf stable gnocchi that you can find in the dry pasta aisle. You can use the refrigerated kind as well.
• Parmesan – the final cheesy touch! Always freshly grate your own from a block.

How to make ground beef gnocchi

This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

Cook the onions and ground beef in a pan until browned, breaking it up with a spoon as you go along. Discard the excess fat if there’s a lot. Stir in the garlic and Italian seasoning, and cook until fragrant.

Stir the tomatoes, broth, heavy cream, and gnocchi into the pan. Let it bubble, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Uncover, stir, then simmer until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the parmesan, and season with salt & pepper.

Substitutions and variations

• I’d be cautious substituting the cream for something lower fat because the tomatoes and heat are likely to curdle the sauce or at least make it grainy if you don’t use cream.
• Try swapping the chicken broth with white wine (e.g., sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio) for an elegant touch.
• Many of my readers like adding spinach in at the end for some greens.
• If you sub the parmesan with cheddar, you can give this dish Hamburger Helper vibes, or make my Homemade Hamburger Helper instead.