I really enjoy a Bolognese, it’s a lovely, hearty and comforting dish, but I don’t always want to have it with pasta. So, as an alternative, I like to add gnocchi into the Bolognese. The gnocchi absorbs the sauce and all of the lovely flavour as well. While it’s not traditional I also like to wilt in some spinach at the end of the cooking to add a little more flavour, vitamins, plus a contribution to your 5 a day! But you could easily leave the spinach out if you feel like spinach in your bolognese is sacrilege.
Gnocchi Bolognese with Spinach
Print RecipeIngredients
- 500g Beef Mince
- 500g Gnocchi
- 100g Pancetta
- 150g Spinach
- 500g Passata
- 1 x Onion
- 1 x Carrot
- 1 x Celery
- 3 x Garlic Cloves
- 250ml White Wine (preferably Italian)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 2 tsp Oregano
- 1 x Beef Stock Cube or Pot
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
Instructions
Very finely dice the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic.
Place a large pan over a low heat and add in the olive oil and allow to heat up for a few minutes
Add in the diced vegetables and gently fry and soften them over a low heat for approximately 10 minutes.
Move the veggies over to one side of the pan, turn the heat up to a medium-high heat and add in the pancetta and fry for a few minutes.
Now add in the beef mince and cook it in the fat from the pancetta until it's browned nicely.
Pour in the glass of wine and cook for a minute or two to cook away the alcohol and then add in the passata and stir into all the meat and vegetables.
Add the salt, pepper, oregano and the beef stock pot to the sauce and stir in well and then bring to a gentle simmer, pop on the lid, and leave to bubble away for an hour over a low heat, stirring every 15 minutes or so.
After the hour is up, add the spinach to the bolognese and wilt it into the sauce.
Now add the gnocchi to the bolognese and stir it in making sure that the gnocchi is completely covered in sauce, put the lid back on the pan and leave to bubble away for a further 6 - 8 minutes.
Serve with bolognese with a generous grating of parmesan cheese.
