Baked Gnocchi Alfredo 🧀🥔 with tender potato gnocchi, a creamy Alfredo sauce, and a layer of baked cheese on top is the baked gnocchi casserole of your dreams! Homemade Alfredo sauce is quick and easy to make, and this comfort food pasta recipe is ready in 45 minutes, or you can prep it in advance. Serve it as either a hearty side dish or as the main course and watch it be devoured!
Easy Baked Gnocchi Alfredo Recipe
- Real homemade Alfredo sauce. This silky homemade sauce comes together in a saucepan in 10 minutes while the gnocchi boils separately and gives the creamy texture to this dish but you can use a jarred Alfredo sauce if you want to take that shortcut.
- Bubbly, lightly crisped, cheesy top. A generous blanket of Monterey Jack cheese bakes to perfection. Optionally, you can pop it under the broiler for an extra golden, spotted crust. There’s something about baked cheese like in Baked Crab Macaroni and Cheese that is just next-level for me compared to anything on the stovetop. You can even sprinkle on some buttery breadcrumbs for extra crispiness.
- Ready in 45 minutes. Boiling the gnocchi and making the sauce is fast and done in 10 minutes. Your oven does the rest, so this reads like a Sunday casserole but cooks like a busy weeknight dinner. You can prep it in advance, see the recipe card for details.
- Family friendly comfort food. Pillowy gnocchi, homemade cream sauce, and melty cheese is always picky eater approved and perfect for those nights you’re craving something heavier, hearty, and comforting.
- Hearty side dish OR the main dish. Based on you and your family and how you like to eat, this can be the main dish – or serve it alongside a main dish like you’d serve mashed potatoes or mac and cheese.
Ingredients in Gnocchi with Alfredo Sauce
- Gnocchi. Fresh refrigerated gnocchi from the refrigerated cases, shelf-stable potato gnocchi from the pasta aisle, or frozen gnocchi may be used. Cook it according to package directions.
- Alfredo Sauce: Unsalted butter, minced cloves garlic, heavy cream, and whole milk are key to a flavorful, creamy sauce. I do not recommend trying to go with nondairy milks nor lighter/lite milks because I haven’t tested those and am not sure how the sauce will taste or work. Add salt and black pepper to taste to the sauce.
- Cheese: Shredded or grated Parmesan cheese melts smoothly into the warm Alfredo sauce and lends the salty, nutty punch Alfredo is known for. Skip the shelf-stable green-can stuff and use the real deal. Shredded Monterey Jack goes on top before baking because it melts very well and forms the bubbly, golden crown of this casserole. You can sub with mozzarella if you need to.
- Garnishing. Freshly chopped parsley or chives at the end brightens the top and adds a nice pop of green.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
Want To Add Chicken?
If you’d like to amp up the protein and make a chicken Alfredo gnocchi bake, it’s easy to do so. Saute bite-sized pieces of chicken breasts (use about 1 pound) in a separate skillet and then combine them with the cooked gnocchi, transfer to the baking dish, and top it all with the Alfredo sauce and cheese. You can also use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken to save time.
How To Make Baked Gnocchi Alfredo Casserole
- Gnocchi: Boil according to package directions; drain when done. While it’s boiling, start the Alfredo sauce.
- Alfredo Sauce: To a large skillet, add the butter and heat to melt over medium heat before stirring in the garlic. Then add the heavy cream, whole milk, Parmesan, and whisk to melt the Parmesan into the mixture.
- Combine: To a sprayed 9×13-inch baking dish or casserole dish, add the cooked gnocchi and evenly pour the cheesy sauce over it. Stir lightly to combine.
- Cheese Topping: Evenly sprinkle the shredded Monterey Jack in an even layer over the top. If you’re making it in advance, stop now, cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking it off.
- Bake: Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top is turning golden brown. Optionally, broil it for 2-3 minutes at the end, making sure to watch it closely so it doesn’t burn. Garnish as desired and serve your delicious dinner!
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for step-by-step photos and process shots of the cooking process.
Baked Gnocchi Alfredo
🧀🥔 Tender potato gnocchi, a creamy Alfredo sauce, and a layer of baked cheese on top is the baked gnocchi casserole of your dreams! Homemade Alfredo sauce is quick and easy to make, and this comfort food pasta recipe is ready in 45 minutes. Serve it as either a hearty side dish or as the main course. ⏰ You can prep it in advance, see step 10 below. 🍗 If you want to add chicken, see the Tip in the body of the blog post for making chicken; or use leftover diced chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken.
Equipment
- 9×13-inch baking dish or similar sized casserole dish
Ingredients
- 32 ounces gnocchi, (two 16-ounce packages or however yours is sold to reach 32 ounces; fresh refrigerated, dry shelf-stable, or frozen and thawed are all fine
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 cup heavy cream, do not substitute
- ½ cup whole milk, do not substitute
- 1 ½ cups Parmesan cheese, finely grated or shredded
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (mozzarella cheese may be substituted)
- Fresh parsley or fresh chives, finely minced; optional for garnishing to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and spray a 9×13-inch baking or casserole dish with cooking spray; set aside.
- Gnocchi: Cook according to package directions in a pot of boiling salted water. Drain and set aside. All brands and formats (fresh, dry, frozen) will vary a bit in how long it needs to cook.
- Alfredo Sauce: To a separate large skillet, add the butter, and heat over medium heat to melt; whisk or stir to encourage it to melt.Note – I recommend making your own Alfredo sauce but if you absolutely must use a jarred sauce, you can. I'd pick up two large glass jars of it and you'll likely use about 1 1/2 jars.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant; stir constantly.
- Slowly add the heavy cream, milk, and stir to combine.
- Add the Parmesan and stir constantly to encourage it to melt.Tip – You can turn the heat up to medium-high but make sure the milk doesn't start bubbling or boiling because it's bad for the dairy proteins to boil which can cause them to separate and your sauce will appear broken and unsightly.
- Taste the sauce and add the salt and pepper, to taste. You may want to add more than 1/2 teaspoon of each, but you may not, depending on how salty your cheese is and your personal preference for salt.
- Combine: Add the drained gnocchi to the Alfredo sauce (or vice versa depending on which pot is bigger) and stir to combine and coat evenly. If you want to add chicken, you can add it now – either freshly made, leftover chicken, or diced or shredded rotisserie chicken.
- Transfer: Turn the mixture out into the prepared baking dish.
- Topping: Evenly sprinkle the top with the Monterey Jack cheese. Make in Advance Tip – If you're making this in advance, stop now, cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking it off. Take the casserole dish out of the fridge for 1 hour before baking, set it on your counter, and let it come up to room temp. Do not bake with a fridge-cold baking dish because it could crack and you can end up with unevenly baked food. Extra Crispiness Tip – Toss 3/4 to 1 cup breadcrumbs or Panko breadcrumbs with 2 tablespoons melted butter and even sprinkle over the top of the Monterey Jack.
- Bake: Bake uncovered for about 30 mintues, or until the cheese on top has melted and has turned as golden browned as desired. Rotate pan once midway through baking for more even results.
- Broil, optional: For extra crispiness and dark spots on top, you can optionally broil for 2-3 minutes. Make sure to keep a very close eye on it because things can go from underdone to charred in less than 1 minute under the broiler; stand in front of it the whole time and watch it like a hawk!
- Garnishing, optional: As desired, evenly sprinkle with freshly minced parsley or chives, to taste.
- Serving: Serve warm and fresh as a hearty side dish or alongside another main course.
Notes
Storage: Recipe is best served warm and fresh. Leftovers will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 4-5 days or in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. Reheat gently in the microwave. Add a splash of water or milk to your leftovers before heating them so they don’t dry out.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 630cal, Carbohydrates: 57g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 36g, Saturated Fat: 23g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 101mg, Sodium: 1240mg, Potassium: 118mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 1195IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 524mg, Iron: 6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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