Gnocchi Lasagna Bake
The following recipe and photography were provided by local blogger Abby Thome of The Thome Home.
As soon as the temperature starts to drop, I gravitate toward comforting meals for my family.
Lasagna is one of the top requested recipes in my home, but it is a labor of love. My family barely has enough time to enjoy dinner around the table together, and I certainly don’t have endless hours to spend in the kitchen during the day, so I was determined to find a way to simplify this dish so it can be made in advance and baked in a snap! That’s how this Gnocchi Lasagna Bake was born.
Heinen’s potato gnocchi is key to shaving time off of this dish because it allows you to skip the step of boiling lasagna sheets.
Paired with layers of ground beef and Italian sausage, marinara, BelGioioso mozzarella and ricotta, this belly-warming one-pan bake becomes a bubbly, cheesy masterpiece in no time at all!
Gnocchi Lasagna Bake
Servings: 6-8
Ingredients
For the Meat
- 1 lb. Heinen’s CARE Certified ground beef
- 1 lb. Heinen’s CARE Certified mild Italian sausage
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1/2 Tbsp. Heinen’s olive oil
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
For the Ricotta Cheese
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
Additional Ingredients
- 8 oz. BelGioioso mozzarella log
- Heinen’s shredded mozzarella
- 28 oz. marinara sauce
- 2 9 oz. packages Heinen’s gnocchi
- Dried oregano
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
- In a pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, sauté the diced onion with olive oil until translucent.
- Add the ground beef, Italian sausage, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Mix well. Continue to cook over medium-high heat until the meat is browned and cooked through.
- While the meat is cooking, stir together the ricotta cheese, lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, garlic powder and parsley. Set aside.
- Once the meat is done cooking, it’s time to assemble. Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of a cast-iron skillet or 9×13 baking dish.
- Spread half of the meat mixture on top of the marinara.
- Dollop half of the ricotta over the meat.
- Break apart pieces of the mozzarella log and space them out on top of the ricotta.
- Add a good sprinkle of mozzarella.
- Add one package of Heinen’s gnocchi over the cheese.
- Add another thin layer of marinara sauce.
- Repeat steps 5-10 and finish with a final layer of the cheeses.
- Sprinkle oregano on top.
- Bake at 400˚F for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
- Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
