Recipe Background
Ah the simple pleasure of Gnocchi Casserole! The gnocchi are pillowy, tender, adorable little bites of goodness when coated in a rich marinara sauce with notes of sharp parmesan and spicy red pepper. But then there's also bits of juicy ground chicken and a topping of multiple melty, creamy cheeses to make Gnocchi Casserole pure comfort food! Mmmm, make sure to save us some, too!
Ah the simple pleasure of Gnocchi Casserole! The gnocchi are pillowy, tender, adorable little bites of goodness when coated in a rich marinara sauce with notes of sharp parmesan and spicy red pepper. But then there's also bits of juicy ground chicken and a topping of multiple melty, creamy cheeses to make Gnocchi Casserole pure comfort food! Mmmm, make sure to save us some, too!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces gnocchi
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground chicken
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 2 cups jarred marinara sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 (8-ounce) ball burrata
- fresh basil optional, to taste, for garnish
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a large pot of salted, boiling water, add the gnocchi and cook until they are tender, according to the package directions.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water and drain the remainder.
- In a large, nonstick, cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil.
- Add the onions and the garlic to the hot oil and cook, while stirring occasionally, until softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Add the ground chicken to the onion mixture and cook, while crumbling the meat, until the chicken is golden-brown and cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.
- Season the chicken mixture with the salt and the black pepper.
- Turn off the stovetop heat.
- Add the gnocchi, the reserved pasta water, the marinara sauce, the red pepper flakes, and the parmesan to the chicken mixture and stir to combine.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella on top of the chicken mixture.
- Bake the chicken mixture in the skillet on the top rack of the oven until it is hot and bubbling, about 15 minutes.
- Transfer the skillet to a wire rack.
- Break the burrata into pieces and scatter them on top of the bake.
- Allow the burrata pieces to soften and melt as the bake cools slightly.
- Season the top of the bake with the salt and the pepper.
- Serve garnished with the basil.
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