Gnocchi Bolognese with Slow-Simmered Meat Sauce

This Gnocchi Bolognese is my favorite way to serve a classic slow-simmered meat sauce. No tomatoes, no cream, just a rich, deeply savory bolognese built on meat, mirepoix, white wine, and time. I love gnocchi here because the hearty, chewy dumplings balance the sauce in a way that pappardelle just doesn’t. Get everything going in the early afternoon and by dinner time, you just need to cook the gnocchi.

Bolognese is one of my absolute favorite things to make and eat, and over the years I’ve developed quite a few versions of it. If you love a slow-cooked meat sauce as much as I do, my Short Rib Bolognese, White Bolognese, and Baked Bolognese are all worth adding to your rotation. This gnocchi bolognese is the one I come back to most — the no-tomato, no-cream approach lets the meat and mirepoix really shine, and the gnocchi makes it feel like a proper Sunday dinner.

Ingredients Notes

A Few Testing Notes:

A few things to know before you make this gnocchi bolognese. First, I like to buy store-bought gnocchi. I prefer to spend my time and energy on the sauce, and it’s easy to find delicious gnocchi without making it. Second, don’t skip the soffritto cook time. Let the onion, carrot, and celery soften completely before adding the meat. The low-and-slow cooking builds the entire flavor base of the sauce. Lastly, you can add garlic if you like! I had a bolognese without garlic in Italy once and loved the flavor, so I adapted that here!

How to Make Gnocchi Bolognese

1. Warm olive oil and butter in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until translucent, then add the carrot and celery and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes until completely soft.

2. Add the ground beef and break it into small pieces. Increase heat to medium-high and cook for about 10 minutes until browned all over.

3. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute until it deepens to a rich brick red.

4. Pour in the white wine and water, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine.

5. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1.5 hours. Add a splash of water if the sauce starts to dry out.

6. Boil the gnocchi until they float, drain, and add directly to the pot with the bolognese. Toss to coat and serve with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

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Gnocchi Bolognese with Slow-Simmered Meat Sauce

Allie Hagerty

This gnocchi bolognese pairs a classic slow-simmered meat sauce with pillowy potato gnocchi. No tomatoes, no cream, just meat, mirepoix, white wine, and time. Get it going in the afternoon and by dinner all you need to do is cook the gnocchi.

5 from 2 ratings

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Pasta

Servings 4

Equipment

• measuring cups
• measuring spoons
• Knife
• cutting board
• heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven
• pot
• wooden spoon
• Colander

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3.5 tablespoons olive oil
• 3.5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1.5 cups finely diced yellow onion
• 1 cup finely diced carrot
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 3 cloves garlic crushed
• 16 ounces ground beef
• 2 tablespoons double-concentrated tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup dry white wine scant, just under 1 cup
• 1 cup water scant, just under 1 cup
• 1 pound potato gnocchi

Instructions

 

• In a heavy-bottomed pan or dutch oven, heat olive oil and butter. Stir in the onion, cover, and cook over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes until the onion turns translucent. Stir occasionally.
  3.5 tablespoons olive oil, 3.5 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1.5 cups finely diced yellow onion
• Add celery and carrot, cover, and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until vegetables are soft and slightly browned. Stir in garlic, if using, and cook for an extra minute.
  1 cup finely diced carrot, 1 cup finely diced celery, 3 cloves garlic
• Add ground beef, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Increase heat to medium-high and cook for about 10 minutes until the meat loses its red color.
  16 ounces ground beef
• Stir in tomato paste, cooking until its color deepens to a rich, brick red, about another minute.
  2 tablespoons double-concentrated tomato paste
• Pour in white wine (3/4 to 1 cup) and water (3/4 to 1 cup OR just under 2 cups if you are not using wine). Season with salt and pepper, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1½ hours, adding ½ cup water if the sauce dries.
  1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, 1 cup dry white wine, 1 cup water
• Once done, boil 1 pound of gnocchi until they float (2-4 minutes), drain, and toss with bolognese sauce. Top with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and serve. Enjoy!
  1 pound potato gnocchi

Notes

Scant means an amount that’s just barely reaching. In the case of these liquids, its about .88 of a cup each of wine and water. 

This bolognese stores really well. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze the sauce for up to 3 months. Store the gnocchi and sauce separately if possible, as the gnocchi will absorb the sauce and soften overnight. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water to loosen.

Start the sauce in the early afternoon. Get everything going between meetings and let it simmer low and slow on the back burner. By dinner, all you need to do is cook the gnocchi.

Don’t rush the soffritto. The onion, carrot, and celery need to fully soften before anything else goes in. This is the flavor foundation of the entire dish — give it the time it needs.

Let the tomato paste cook until it turns brick red. This removes the raw taste and adds a deep, concentrated richness to the sauce. It only takes about a minute but makes a real difference.

The wine pairing for this one matters. A Chianti Classico, a Barolo, or a Brunello di Montalcino are all excellent choices, all Italian reds that can stand up to a rich, slow-simmered meat sauce.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 768kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 26gFat: 46gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 1158mgPotassium: 701mgFiber: 5gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 5890IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 96mgIron: 7mg

Keyword Gnocchi, Italian, Pasta, red meat

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