Recipe: Tomato, mince and Parmesan baked gnocchi

The trick to making this knockout meal is to get the seasoning just right, otherwise the mince will lack flavour – so don’t be shy when adding salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Ingredients

Olive oil, to fry
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
Leaves of 3 fresh rosemary sprigs, finely chopped
Small handful fresh thyme leaves
250ml (1 cup) red wine
500g beef mince
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
375ml (1½ cups) beef stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 x 500g store-bought gnocchi
2 handfuls grated Parmesan
Charred vine tomatoes, to serve (optional)

Method

1. To a large pot, add a drizzle of olive oil. Fry the minced garlic over low heat, 1 minute, before adding the rosemary and thym

2. Cook, a further 2 minutes, before adding the red wine. Increase the heat to high and reduce the wine, about 10 minutes, until barely any liquid remains.

3. Add the beef mince and stir, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon. Cook the mince, 5 minutes, before adding the tomatoes and beef stock. Simmer the mixture over medium heat, about 20 minutes. Taste and season generously.

4. Add the gnocchi to the mince mixture and mix to combine, then simmer, 3 minutes. Taste a piece of gnocchi to check that it’s cooked. If the gnocchi isn’t tender, simmer, a further 1 – 2 minutes.

5. Preheat the grill to very hot and add the mince-gnocchi mixture to a medium casserole dish (about 25cm², although it doesn’t need to be exactly that size).

6. Sprinkle the grated Parmesan over the mixture in the casserole dish and place under the hot grill, about 3 – 4 minutes. Keep a close eye as you don’t want the cheese to burn – you want it to be bubbly and golden. Serve immediately, topped with charred vine tomatoes, if desired.

Brought to you by Food and Home

For more news your way, follow The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter.