Gnocchi Bolognese Bake
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4
- 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
- 2 carrots, cut into rough chunks
- 2 sticks celery, cut into rough chunks
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 50ml/1.7flozs olive oil
- 500g/1.1lbs beef mince
- 100g/3.5ozs speck or pancetta, cut into cubes
- 150ml/5flozs/ beef stock
- 125ml/4flozs. red wine
- 2 beef stock cubes extra
- 400ml/14ozs diced tomatoes
- 125ml/4ozs. tomato paste
- To season: salt, pepper and sugar
- 350g/12ozs. gnocchi
- 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup/25g/1oz. parmesan cheese
Step 1 - Add half of the oil to a large pot and saute the onion, carrots, celery and garlic on medium high heat. Add the beef (breaking it up), speck or pancetta cubes, stock, red wine, crumbled stock cubes, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook for 30 minutes until beef is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
Step 2 - Season with salt and pepper and a teaspoon of sugar (taste to see how much sugar you need, it depends on how sweet the tinned tomatoes are).
Step 3 - Preheat oven to 190C/374F. Cook the gnocchi in plenty of salted, boiling water. When they float to the top (it only takes a few minutes) drain well and add to the Bolognese mixture and stir gently to coat. Place in an oven proof dish and sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden on top. Serve while hot so that the cheese is still melty.