Gnocchi Au Gratin (Shortcut)

Pillowy gnocchi, bathed in a velvety white cheese sauce, transforms into a heavenly Gnocchi Au Gratin appetizer, side or main. Mmm.

I served this dish to my guests the other night as an appetizer. Some used the toothpicks I set out, but most scooped a few gnocchi onto their plates with a spoon and then proceeded to use the cut up bread from another appetizer as a tool to mop up any remaining sauce. I found the bowl scraped clean when I went to check how things were going about 10 minutes after I planted the dish on the coffee table. So I guess I’d call that a success. Oddly enough, this is the one dish I stressed over that night as I wasn’t sure it was going to work as an appetizer. It definitely does!

I loved being able to make the whole gnocchi with cheese sauce a few hours ahead and bake/broil it when the guests arrived. And the dish was easy to make. It’s just a simple white cheese sauce with a few seasonings.  Using pre-made fresh potato gnocchi, of course, cuts the time and effort way down.  A great shortcut in my opinion. I find the vacuum sealed packages of handmade gnocchi or even the more common Olivieri brand work really well. They have few if any additives and cook in just a few minutes.

When you wrap a yummy, cheesy sauce around the soft plump gnocchi  – which, by the way, are small dumplings made from potato, semolina, or flour – the dish becomes real comfort food – sort of like upscale mac and cheese. Delish.

Tailor To Your Taste

• I use gruyere or emmanthal cheese.  Fontina, provolone or other melty cheeses would work as well.
• I use poultry seasoning as the key flavour booster. It’s a combination of sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram and pepper. If you don’t have any, try combining sage and one or more of the others. I’m going to try basil instead in a summer version.
• If you’re making this dish as a main or side, you can add chopped fresh baby spinach at the same time you add the gnocchi to the sauce.
• For the sauce, I use 2% milk and a splash of half and half cream for added richness. Feel free to use whole milk or a lighter combination if you prefer.

Shortcut

• As noted, the big shortcut is using packaged potato gnocchi.
• One blog I read said it’s not necessary to boil the gnocchi before adding it to the sauce. If you want to try this, I suggest trying it if you are baking the gnocchi the next day as the bake time increases substantially.

Make Ahead Gnocchi With Cheese Sauce

• Instructions for make ahead are in the recipe. The amount of time for baking will need to increase.

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Gnocchi Au Gratin (Shortcut) Recipe

Pillowy gnocchi, bathed in a velvety white cheese sauce, transforms into a heavenly Gnocchi Au Gratin appetizer, side or main. 

Prep Time12 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time22 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 3 mains (see note 2)

Author: Two Kooks In The Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 package fresh potato gnocchi (375-500 g or 13-16 ounces)
• 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• garnish: 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

White Cheese Sauce

• 1 1/2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp minced garlic (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
• pinch nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cup milk (1/4 cup of this can be cream for extra richness)
• 1 cup grated white cheese e.g. Gruyere, Fontina, Emmenthal, Monterey Jack, Provolone
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion

Instructions

• To make ahead, see Note 1
• PREHEAT OVEN to 400F. Spray a small 7-8 inch round or square ovenproof dish with oil.
• BOIL GNOCCHI: Bring salted water to boil in medium saucepan. Put in gnocchi, bring to boil, and lower heat to medium. Gently boil for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• MAKE CHEESE SAUCE: Heat butter on medium in a medium saucepan. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add flour and seasonings, stirring for 2 minutes. Add milk (and cream if using), whisking until slightly thickened, about 4-5 minutes. Turn off heat. Stir in cheese until smooth sauce is formed. If too thick, add a bit more milk (sauce will thicken further with baking and standing). Taste and adjust seasonings. Stir in gnocchi and green onions.
• BAKE/BROIL: Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley over the surface. Bake for 7 minutes, then broil for 3 minutes to brown, watching to ensure it doesn't burn. Let stand for a few minutes (sauce will thicken more) and serve with toothpicks as an appetizer or as a side or main dish.

Notes

1. Make Ahead: Follow instructions above to boil gnocchi and make cheese sauce, including mixing in gnocchi and green onions. Pour mixture into prepared dish. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When ready to use, sprinkle Parmesan and chopped parsley over surface. Bake in preheated 400F oven for 20-25 minutes. Broil for 2-3 minutes if further browning is needed.
2. Servings: Makes 6-8 appetizer servings, 2-3 mains, 4-5 sides.

Here’s another potato gnocchi dish you might like:

Indian Butter Gnocchi with Spinach get the recipe