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Cheesy Gnocchi and Meatballs

🧀🍅🎉 Beef and pork homemade meatballs along with pillowy gnocchi are true Italian comfort food. 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 Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 706 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Homemade Meatballs
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound ground pork sausage
  • ½ cup white or yellow onion diced small
  • 3 to 4 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 2 large eggs lightly whisked
  • ½ cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or as needed
Tomato Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ medium white or yellow onion diced small
  • 3 to 4 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 28 ounces diced or crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground pepper
  • ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 pound gnocchi refrigerated, dry, or homemade
Assembly
  • 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Meatballs
    Cup of Yum
  1. 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.
  2. 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)
  3. 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.
  4. Set cooked meatballs aside on a plate.
Tomato Sauce
  1. To a large skillet or saucepan, add the oil, onion, garlic, and saute over medium heat for 3 minutes, stir nearly constantly.
  2. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Add all remaining ingredients (except gnocchi) and simmer for 15 minutes.
  4. Add the browned meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes to ensure they are fully cooked through.
  5. Add the gnocchi (refrigerated, dry, or homemade) and cook for 5 minutes or until tender and done.
Assembly
  1. Preheat your broiler to high (or 400F) and place an oven rack on the top or second to the top rung.
  2. To a spayed or greased oven-safe casserole or baking dish, transfer the meatballs, sauce, and gnocchi into it.
  3. Evenly top with shredded cheese.
  4. 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!
  5. 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.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 706kcal (35%) Carbohydrates 43g (14%) Protein 35g (70%) Fat 44g (68%) Saturated Fat 16g (80%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g Monounsaturated Fat 20g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 150mg (50%) Sodium 1446mg (60%) Potassium 771mg (22%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 8g (16%) Vitamin A 742IU (15%) Vitamin C 12mg (13%) Calcium 352mg (35%) Iron 7mg (39%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 706

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 706kcal 35%
Carbohydrates 43g 14%
Protein 35g 70%
Fat 44g 68%
Saturated Fat 16g 80%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g 24%
Monounsaturated Fat 20g 100%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 150mg 50%
Sodium 1446mg 60%
Potassium 771mg 16%
Fiber 5g 20%
Sugar 8g 16%
Vitamin A 742IU 15%
Vitamin C 12mg 13%
Calcium 352mg 35%
Iron 7mg 39%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.