Loretta Sebastiani

Loretta Sebastiani
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Gnocchi (potato dumplings) with meat sauce
( Gnocchi con sugo di carne )

Our original home cooking

The best way to eat fresh potato dumplings is combining them with a meat sauce. I'm used to prepare a very simple sauce that can be cooked quickly. In other words it isn't necessary to cook it for long time as it happens with our Italian ragù, well known all over the world. Compare this gnocchi sauce with Bolognese sauce. Link below!

difficulty: easy

time: preparation: 15 minutes
gnocchi preparation excluded
cooking: 40 minutes
total: 55 minutes

calories: 689 (kCal)

Ingredients / Serves 4

  • For gnocchi sauce
  • 200g (7 ounces) minced beef meat
  • 100g (3 1/2 ounces) raw ham in a piece
  • 400g (14 ounces) puréed tomatoes
  • 1 dried bay leaf
  • 2 tablespoons dried chives
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 60g (2.1 ounces) onion, chopped
  • 100ml (3 1/3 fluid ounces) red wine
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt
  •  
  • For potato gnocchi
  • 1kg (2.2 pounds) potatoes
  • 300g (10 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
  • Salt
Difficulty:
easy recipe
Time:
preparation: 15 minutes
gnocchi preparation excluded
cooking: 40 minutes
total: 55 minutes
How many calories in a serving?
Calories: 689 (kcal) 35 % - 2883 (kJ)
Protein: 29.8 (g) 60 % GDA
Total fat: 22.1 (g) 32 % GDA
Total carbohydrate: 99.0 (g) 37 % GDA
Sugars: 5.8 (g) 7 % GDA

Download free PDF version (341 download).

Recipe for Italian gnocchi with meat sauce

Preparation and cooking

  • - Steam potatoes.
  • - Meanwhile ...
    ... Cook your sauce.
    Prepare ham. Pass ham in a meat grinder. If you haven't a meat grinder at home, ask your butcher to make it. Put ham apart.
    Put olive oil in a pan together with onion and bay leaf.
    Let all fry slightly on very low heat, stirring frequently.
    Add beef meat and stir to flavor, about 2 minutes.
    Pour in wine, increase heat, and let it evaporate.
    Add puréed tomatoes and a ladle of hot water.
    Continue cooking, on medium heat, about 10 to 15 minutes.
    Just before turning off the stove, add ham and other aromatic herbs too.
    Stir and season to taste. Your sauce is ready!
  • - Meanwhile ...
    ... prepare potato gnocchi. Follow your favorite recipe or my directions. Link below!
    Remember gnocchi have to be prepared just before cooking them.

Just before serving

  • - Bring abundant salt water to a boil. Cook gnocchi and remove them with a skimmer ladle.
    Transfer them to the pan with the sauce, kept hot. Remember to stir with delicacy every time you add them.
    Serve at once, accompanied by a bowl with grated Parmesan.

Note

Tips

  • - I use fresh aromatic herbs for a better taste in summer.
  • - Now I want to tell you about another cooking technique, ideal to preserve the nutritional properties of my sauce ingredients that I use from time to time when I have to eat light!
    Here's the recipe!. Put minced meat, puréed tomatoes, onion and wine in a pan. Add 100ml (3 1/3 fluid ounces) water too and bring to a boil. Continue cooking, half-covered, on low heat, stirring now and then, about 20 minute. Turn off the stove, add olive oil, ham and aromatic herbs, Season to taste with salt and stir.
  • - You can prepare this meat sauce in advance.

Menu planning

  • - Gnocchi is a typical dish on Italian table. Once, people had the habit to eat gnocchi on Thursdays, at lunch. 4 servings refer to this case.
  • - On the contrary if you serve gnocchi in a full menu, you can consider 8 servings if not more.
    Open your full menu with an Italian antipasto with cold meats and prepare a second course based on meat.

Useful links for this recipe

Healthy eating

  • - Gnocchi with meat sauce is a dish rich in calories and fat and so you have to consider it as one-plate meal if prepared for your family menu.

Loretta

What's the right wine for " Gnocchi (potato dumplings) with meat sauce "?

My husband and I pair Dolcetto d'Asti (red wine of Piedmont) to gnocchi with meat sauce.