True Italian comfort food with these beef and pork homemade meatballs along with pillowy gnocchi. Everything is covered in homemade tomato sauce , smothered with cheese, and baked! Easier than it looks, and an instant family favorite that everyone will beg you to make again!
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time50 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr20 minutesmins
Course: Pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: cheesy gnocchi bake, gnocchi and meatballs, gnocchi bake, gnocchi with meatballs
Servings: 8
Calories: 730kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
Homemade Meatballs
1poundground beef
1poundground pork sausage
½cupwhite or yellow oniondiced small
3 to 4clovesgarlicfinely minced
1cupbreadcrumbs
2large eggslightly whisked
½cupparmesan cheeseshredded
1teaspoondried basil
1teaspoondried oregano
1teaspoondried parsley
1teaspoonItalian seasoning
½cupmilk
1teaspoonfreshly ground pepperor to taste
½teaspoonkosher saltor to taste
2tablespoonsolive oilor as needed
Tomato Sauce
2tablespoonsolive oil
½medium white or yellow oniondiced small
3 to 4clovesgarlicfinely minced
2tablespoonstomato paste
28ouncesdiced or crushed tomatoes
1tablespoonfresh basil
1teaspoonItalian seasoning
1teaspoonred chili flakes
½teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonground pepper
½teaspoongranulated sugar
1poundgnocchirefrigerated, dry, or homemade
Assembly
2cupsshredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Meatballs
To a large bowl, add all the ingredients (except the oil), and using a wooden spoon or a gloved hand, mix together all ingredients. Don't overmix.
Using a large cookie scoop or ice cream scoop, form the meatballs. If desired, add a bit of oil to your hands and then roll the meatballs into nice round balls, although straight off the cookie or ice cream scoop is fine too.* (See Notes)
To a large skillet, add the oil, meatballs, and cook over medium-high heat until browned on all sides, flipping as necessary to ensure even cooking.** (See Notes) Tip - Do not overcrowd the pan. If necessary, cook the meatballs in batches.
Set cooked meatballs aside on a plate.
Tomato Sauce
To a large skillet or saucepan, add the oil, onion, garlic, and saute over medium heat for 3 minutes, stir nearly constantly.
Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
Add all remaining ingredients (except gnocchi) and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the browned meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes to ensure they are fully cooked through.
Add the gnocchi (refrigerated, dry, or homemade) and cook for 5 minutes or until tender and done.
Assembly
Preheat your broiler to high (or 400F) and place an oven rack on the top or second to the top rung.
To a spayed or greased oven-safe casserole or baking dish, transfer the meatballs, sauce, and gnocchi into it.
Evenly top with shredded cheese.
Broil until the cheese is lightly golden browned and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Tip - As always when broiling anything, keep a very close eye on it, don't leave the kitchen, and set an alarm. Food can go from underdone to burnt when under a broiler in a matter of one minute and the last thing you want to do now is burn it!
Serve immediately with French bread, garlic bread, or a salad.
Notes
*Cooked meatballs often don't stay perfectly round anyway and may flatten on one side as they cook which is why rolling them between your palms before browning them isn't truly essential. Plus, they will be covered up with sauce and cheese so it will be hard to tell anyway later on if they are "perfectly" round.**The meatballs may not be completely cooked through in the center after they've been browned in step 3 and this is okay because they will continue to cook when they're in the tomato sauce (step 8).Storage: Extra will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. For make-ahead and freezing suggestions, please read the blog post section addressing this in detail.