25 Minute Vegan Cheesy Baked Gnocchi with Beans (No Boiling!)
This deliciously cheesy quick and easy baked gnocchi recipe is ready in just 25 minutes, and you don’t even need to boil the gnocchi beforehand! With loads of veggies, yet naturally vegan and vegetarian friendly, this baked gnocchi is an easy weeknight dinner that the whole family will love.
The Easiest “Dump & Bake” Cheesy Baked Gnocchi:
During the winter months, we all need that one comfort dish that’s nearly mindless to make. This quick and easy vegan baked gnocchi is that for me.
Along with this creamy gnocchi soup, this baked gnocchi is one of my favorite vegan dinner recipes to make during the week when I want to pack in the fresh veggies while also delivering on the flavor. And when I don’t want to spend more than 30 minutes in the kitchen prepping dinner!
We’re talking gooey, cheesy, and downright cozy yet fresh flavors bursting throughout this pasta bake dish.
AND you literally “dump and bake” everything together. Seriously. Mix everything together in a casserole dish and bake.
Basically, this cheesy vegan gnocchi bake is the real MVP of weeknight dinners (aside from my favorite creamy vegan risotto, easy vegan lasagna and vegan Mac and cheese!).
And if you really love this gnocchi dish, then you must try my Marry Me Tofu with gnocchi– I know that sounds strange to have tofu pasta but let me tell you, this is easily my Top 3 Favorite meals. And same for my family!
The Simplest Ingredients:
Here’s all that you need to make this easy baked gnocchi:
- Gnocchi: I used a store bought vegan gnocchi for this recipe, but I’ve also made it with my homemade gnocchi– it’s wonderful! If you want some variety, these gluten free sweet potato gnocchi and cauliflower gnocchi are also wonderful 🙂
- Marinara sauce: I love to use Lucini’s organic marinara sauce or Organico Bello. Both are really good! You can also make your own, like my easy homemade cherry tomato sauce!
- Basil: You can also swap in oregano, parsley, etc!
- Vegan cheese: There are a few different options that I recommend here. Forager Project and Violife shredded dairy free cheeses work really well on melting. I used Miyoko’s liquid mozzarella for the tomato sauce base, but you can also swap in my homemade 5 minute vegan mozzarella that’s made from beans.
- Cannellini beans: I love cannellini beans, but you can also use kidney beans, lentils, butter beans, chickpeas, or whichever is your favorite! If you want a more Italian-inspired baked gnocchi, you can also swap in a homemade vegan sausage as well!
- Greens: For this recipe, I used what I had on hand- mustard greens! Spinach also works really well, and broccoli!
- Vegan butter: You can also swap in a cooking oil, like coconut oil or olive oil!
How to Make Cheesy Baked Gnocchi in just under 30 minute (With Photos):
Here’s how to quickly make this deliciously flavorful baked gnocchi recipe:
Do I need to boil the gnocchi beforehand?
Absolutely not! Much like lasagna noodles, you don’t need to boil the gnocchi before baking them. The beauty of this baked gnocchi recipe is that you literally cook the gnocchi in the sauce while it’s baking in the oven.
No need to dirty more pots and pans!
What dairy free cheeses do you recommend?
Vegan cheese is expensive, so we want to make sure we’re choosing the right vegan cheeses that melt for our vegan baked gnocchi!
My favorite store bought brands to use are Forager Project and Violife for shredded cheese. It melts REALLY well (you can see on my vegan pizza photos!).
For liquid cheese, I love Miyoko’s liquid mozzarella. It truly does bubble, like the real deal!!
Can I make gluten free gnocchi?
Absolutely, you can make this baked gnocchi recipe gluten free. Simply swap in your favorite gluten free gnocchi that you purchase from the store. Or you can make your own homemade gluten free gnocchi (recipe is linked in the recipe card)! But keep in mind, then it doesn’t become a 25 minute recipe!
Storage & Reheating:
If you happen to have leftovers of this deliciously cheesy vegan baked gnocchi, you can easily store the leftovers in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To reheat, simply heat the oven to 300F. Portion out the desired amount into a baking dish, cover it, and bake for 5-7 minutes or until warm.
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
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30 Minute Vegan Cheesy Baked Gnocchi with Beans (No Boiling the Pasta!)
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This deliciously cheesy quick and easy baked gnocchi recipe is ready in just 25 minutes, and you don’t even need to boil the gnocchi beforehand! Packed with loads of fresh veggies, yet naturally vegan and vegetarian friendly, this baked gnocchi is an easy weeknight dinner that the whole family will love.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegan butter or cooking oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 25-ounce jar marinara sauce
- 1/4 cup store bought or homemade liquid vegan cheese, such as Miyoko’s, or coconut cream
- 1/2 cup chopped basil
- 1 package vegan gnocchi or 1 batch homemade vegan gnocchi
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans
- 1 cup chopped spinach, mustard greens, or leafy green
- 1 cup vegan cheese, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Prep: Make sure you use either an oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven. Organize your ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Sauté: On the stove top, heat the vegan butter in the Dutch oven on medium heat until melted. Add in the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant and lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
- Mix: Turn off the heat, but you can keep the Dutch oven or oven-safe skillet/pot on the stove top for the next steps. Add in the tomato sauce, vegan liquid cheese, and basil. Stir to combine. Then add in the gnocchi, beans, greens, and vegan cheese. Toss to combine.
- Bake: Sprinkle with additional vegan cheese on top and cover the pot with the Dutch oven lid or place a piece of tinfoil over the skillet. Place the pot into the oven to bake for 10 minutes with the lid on. Then remove the lid for the remaining 10-12 minutes for the gnocchi to finish cooking.
- Serve: Once the vegan cheese has melted and slightly browned on top, you can use oven mitts to remove the pot from the oven. Sprinkle with fresh black pepper and more basil if desired. Serve and enjoy!
- Storage: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. To reheat, simply heat the oven to 300F, and portion the amount desired into a baking dish. Bake for 5-7 minutes or until warm.
Notes
Gluten free: The vegan gnocchi recipe on my blog works wonderfully with gluten-free flour.
Gnocchi options: You can also swap in sweet potato gnocchi or cauliflower gnocchi! If you don’t want to do gnocchi, then swap in your favorite homemade vegan pasta too 🙂
Liquid vegan cheese: I have a quick and easy liquid vegan mozzarella cheese on the blog that’s bean based. It’s wonderful! Otherwise, you can use Miyoko’s liquid mozzarella, or swap in heavy coconut cream. Just add in some extra sea salt for flavor!
I made this and it was delicious and so easy! I used Rao’s marinara sauce and the Miyokos liquid cheese. However, I found that my gnocchi cooked unevenly. After ~22 minutes in the oven, some were soft while others were still hard and raw. I was able to cook the raw gnocchi by microwaving individual portions of the entire dish for about a minute. I’d love any tips you might have to prevent uneven cooking of the gnocchi in the future.
Hi Em! Oh I’m so sorry to hear that about the gnocchi! That can happen if the gnocchi aren’t fully covered in the sauce- make sure that they’re fully submerged in the sauce so that they cook evenly. Additionally, make sure that your oven is truly getting up to the desired temperature (some ovens run a bit lower!). I know for me, before we moved, our oven would run 20 degrees lower than the set temp, so I would always have to set it to 370F in order to get it to 350F!