This Vegetarian Gnocchi Bake is easy, healthy, and delicious! Gnocchi gets tossed in a pan together with fresh vegetables, capers, and ricotta and then baked in the oven to bubbly perfection. Easily made vegan or gluten-free, baked gnocchi is a meal the whole family will love!
Here on Hey Nutrition Lady we're big fans of one pan / one pot / low effort dinners.
We've got these One-Pan Vegetarian Burrito Bowls, for example, or the ultra-simple Creamy One-Pot Pasta with Peas.
And then there is this: a Vegetarian Gnocchi Bake that could not be more straightforward. If you can chop up your favourite fresh, seasonal vegetables and sling them into a roasting pan together with store-bought gnocchi, then you can make this meal.
Add a good glug of olive oil, and some briny capers - and once the vegetables are half way through their roasting, ricotta cheese is dotted over the top to bake up into golden domes of creamy goodness. And you don't even need to boil the gnocchi first! Just in it goes, and off it bakes, soaking up the flavourful vegetable juices along the way.
What's in this recipe?
You'll find a detailed ingredients list with specific quantities in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. But here's quick overview of what you'll need:
- Gnocchi --> A pound of store bought gnocchi and you're in business.
- Vegetables --> I used zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, and onion.
- Ricotta --> Bringing the protein game to town.
- Capers --> Or olives if you prefer.
- Olive oil --> I like using my good stuff for this recipe.
Equipment:
Nothing special needed to make this recipe. Just a big old roasting pan or sheet pan with high edges.
Tips for making this recipe:
- Do I need to cook the gnocchi before adding it to the baking pan? Nope! This is a one-pan meal, done and dusted. The gnocchi will cook in the juices released by the vegetables.
- Can I make this gnocchi bake gluten-free? Yes - it's easy to find gluten-free gnocchi, so just start with that and you're good to go.
- Can I make this gnocchi bake vegan? Yep! You've got two options: 1. leave the ricotta out, or 2. use a vegan ricotta like this cashew ricotta recipe or this version made from a blend of cashews and tofu.
- Can I use different vegetables? The world is your vegetarian gnocchi bake oyster, my friend. I don't see any reason why you couldn't toss in whole cloves of garlic, handfuls of baby greens, cubes of eggplant, or whatever else you've got on hand.
Hey Nutrition Lady, what's good about this dish?
You guys, there is so much goodness jammed into one simple baked gnocchi dish1!
Zucchini is a starchy summer squash that not only provides a good amount of dietary fiber (2.5 grams per cup), but it also provides polysaccharide fibers like pectin that have special benefits for blood sugar regulation. Zucchini is a very strong source of key antioxidant nutrients, including the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin.
Since the skin of this food is particularly antioxidant-rich, it's worth leaving the skin intact. The fat in zucchini's edible seeds includes omega-3s (alpha-linolenic acid), making it a heart healthy choice. Zucchini is a very good source of vitamin C, magnesium, dietary fiber, phosphorus, potassium, folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin K. Additionally, it has a notable amount of vitamin B1, omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, iron, and protein.
Other one-pan / one-pot dishes you might enjoy:
Tortellini Pasta Salad with Green Beans and Burst Tomatoes
Vegan Sheet Pan Fajita Bowls with Spicy Chickpeas and Cauliflower
Sheet Pan Hallouim Tacos with Cauliflower and Black Beans
One-Pot Lemony Kale Noodles
Vegetarian Gnocchi Bake with Ricotta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb gnocchi fresh or vacuum-sealed
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 small yellow zucchini diced
- 1 medium green zucchini diced
- 1 medium red pepper diced
- 1 medium yellow pepper diced
- 1 medium red onion diced
- ¼ cup capers drained
- 8 oz ricotta
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C / 400°F.
- Chop all of the vegetables into chunks roughly the same size as the gnocchi.
- In a large roasting dish or sheet pan, toss the gnocchi, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, onion, and capers together. Add a few good glugs of olive oil, and shake the pan to distribute evenly.
- Cover the pan with foil, place into the oven and roast for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are just beginning to brown.
- Remove the tray from the oven, remove the foil, and give it a stir. Add the ricotta, dropping spoonfuls over the top of the vegetables.
- Put the tray back into the oven (without foil) and roast for another 20 minutes, until the vegetables are saucy and the ricotta is golden brown.
- Remove from the oven, sprinkle with fresh herbs if desired, and serve immediately.
Notes
- If you'd prefer to use olives instead of capers, I recommend 1 cup of Castelvetrano olives. But really any olives you've got on hand will do!
- Nutrition values are an estimate only.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published August 2017. It was retested, edited and updated on August 12, 2021.
JoF
Made this tonight for the first time - amazing! I threw in a bit of broccolini and baby spinach at the halfway point. Also added capers and black olives. So delicious with the ricotta. Quick and so tasty with no salt or pepper needed. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks Katie!
Katie Trant
Adding spinach is such a great idea! Glad you enjoyed this one as much as I did.
Marilyn
This is definitely a go-to recipe for me and the reason I keep a package of gnocchi in the pantry at all times! In fact, it's the only thing I ever do with gnocchi. I use whatever veg I have on hand and often whip up a little tofu ricotta for the top (because the rest of the dish is super easy) for a dairy-free dinner that satisfies!
Allison
I’ve had this on repeat at our house for ages now. Works with basically whatever I have on hand. I use feta instead of ricotta (more often have it on hand) and it’s delicious with a bit of chorizo chopped up as well if you’re into eating meat!
Christelle
One of the regular meal in the household now. Thanks Katie!
Jessica
I have some gnocchi in my pantry I need to use, and this sounds good in theory, but half my household are allergic to bell peppers. Any ideas on substitutions? I feel like cauliflower might be a good addition if the florets are broken up pretty small...
Katie Trant
I think cauliflower is a great idea! Or even broccoli chopped up small as well. You can use pretty well any vegetable you like here. I hate mushrooms, but if you like 'em, throw 'em in!
Sue
Hi Katie. I love following your recipes blog. You give me a lot of informative and useful nutrition food and recipes. With my honest, I never think about nutrition foods before until I'm older and I face with illness. Wow! Amazing tomatoes! which is an excellent source of vitamin K and other useful vitamins. I have taken Vitamin K some. Because I have been facing with excessive bleeding so it works very well under my condition. However, I also need Vitamin K from nutrition foods as well. Thank you very much for your sharing .
Katie Trant
Thanks Sue! I'm actually an avoider of excess vitamin K due to a genetic blood clotting disorder, so we're completely the opposite. It really is an incredible nutrient!
Andrea
Love love love this recipe! Easy and delicious, double win. It has become part of our regular rotation since we first tried it.
Katie Trant
Yay! This makes me so happy, Andrea! I love when a recipe is so simple and soooooo delicious at the same time, and this one definitely hits the ball out of the park on all fronts. So glad it's in your regular rotation now!
Kris
I used gluten free gnocchi, some eggplant instead of onion, and since I had mozzarella, I used that instead of ricotta. Yes, lots of changes, but it was so good! I loved the capers in it.
Katie Trant
That's what's so great about this recipe - it's totally versatile, and you can just chuck in whatever you've got on hand and what works for you. Glad you enjoyed it!
Cammy
This is truly one of he easiest and most delicious ways to eat up late season veggies. Everyone in the family loves it.
Christa G
I made this last night with vacuum-sealed gnocchi, a ton of the slightly oversized pattypan squash I keep missing in my garden, plus beets, carrots, a pepper, cherry and Roma tomatoes (all from my garden, woot!) and then store bought mushrooms and capers!
Prep was easy, and after 30 minutes in the second bake, I broiled the top for a few more minutes to add a bit more browning to the ricotta. My father and I loved it, and I'm looking forward to reheating the leftovers for lunch!
This will definitely be repeated 🙂
Katie Trant
Yay! I'm glad this worked for you and that you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do! A little extra time under the broiler is pretty much always a good thing in my books.
Maude
What kind of gnocchi do you use? Dried? Vacuum sealed? Fresh? Frozen?
Thank you!
Katie Trant
Hi Maude! I've made this recipe with both fresh and vacuum-sealed gnocchi. Not dried! Thanks for asking, I'll update the recipe accordingly.
Sustainable Cooks - Sarah
This is so good and I love all the veggies in it!
Anne Titcomb
Hi Katie: I have made this a few times since Emily told me about it - always a big hit. It is pretty empty here now with everyone gone. Just know how wonderful it was to have you all here and having such a great time. Can't wait until next year to watch them all the "littles" running across the grass with Niko out in front!!!