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This ground beef gnocchi recipe has a creamy tomato sauce and turns store-bought gnocchi into pillowy deliciousness. This one pan meal is quick and tastes gourmet!

You may also enjoy my Italian Sausage Gnocchi, Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce, or Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Gnocchi next.

a bowl with ground beef gnocchi

Why you’ll love it

I have a ridiculous number of one pan gnocchi recipes on here, but this one might be my favorite. Beef and gnocchi is such a good combo! There’s also no need to pre-cook the gnocchi. It cooks right in the sauce, which is convenient and helps with cleanup.

This hamburger gnocchi recipe makes plenty of delicious sauce. The meaty tomato sauce sort of reminds me of a creamy Bolognese. Add in a splash of cream and freshly grated parmesan, and it’s a comforting yet simple meal that’s sure to go on repeat.

What you’ll need

  • Ground beef – we’re using lean
  • Onion and garlic – I like sweet (Vidalia) onions
  • Italian seasoning – it’s my favorite blend of dried herbs to infuse flavor and comes in a single jar
  • Canned diced tomatoes – they’re canned at the peak of ripeness for best taste
  • Broth – I use chicken broth, but beef works too
  • Heavy cream – to give the sauce that luxurious texture and taste
  • Gnocchi – I use the shelf stable gnocchi that you can find in the dry pasta aisle. You can use the refrigerated kind as well.
  • Parmesan – the final cheesy touch! Always freshly grate your own from a block.
ingredients for ground beef gnocchi in prep bowls

Helpful tips

  • Can I use homemade gnocchi? I don’t recommend it. The one pan method seems to be too much for the delicate pasta.
  • Do I cook the gnocchi first/separately? Nope! It cooks right in the sauce. In fact, the starch releases and thickens up the sauce.
  • Why isn’t the sauce thickening up? Just give it a little more time. On the other hand, if your stove runs hot, cook it over a lower heat.

How to make ground beef gnocchi

This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

cooking ground beef and onions in a pan and adding garlic and seasoning

Cook the onions and ground beef in a pan until browned, breaking it up with a spoon as you go along. Discard the excess fat if there’s a lot. Stir in the garlic and Italian seasoning, and cook until fragrant.

adding gnocchi and tomatoes and parmesan to a pan of ground beef gnocchi

Stir the tomatoes, broth, heavy cream, and gnocchi into the pan. Let it bubble, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Uncover, stir, then simmer until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the parmesan, and season with salt & pepper.

Tools for this recipe

Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!

  • I mince garlic easily with this garlic press (no need to peel the cloves first), and I store the rest in this cute garlic saver.
  • A Microplane zester is perfect to grate the parmesan. It comes in several colors!
  • Here’s my favorite cutting board for chopping the onion.

Substitutions and variations

  • I’d be cautious substituting the cream for something lower fat because the tomatoes and heat are likely to curdle the sauce or at least make it grainy if you don’t use cream.
  • Try swapping the chicken broth with white wine (e.g., sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio) for an elegant touch.
  • Many of my readers like adding spinach in at the end for some greens.
  • If you sub the parmesan with cheddar, you can give this dish Hamburger Helper vibes, or make my Homemade Hamburger Helper instead.

What to serve with ground beef gnocchi

Leftovers and storage

  • Store leftover gnocchi for 3-4 days in the fridge in a covered container.
  • Reheat over a low heat until warmed through. It’ll thicken up over time, so add a splash of broth or cream to revive the sauce if needed.
  • I don’t recommend freezing this one.
a pan with ground beef gnocchi and a serving spoon

If you made this one pan gnocchi with ground beef, please leave me a star rating and review below! You can also tag me on Instagram if you made any Salt & Lavender recipes.

a bowl with ground beef gnocchi
4.85 from 157 votes

Ground Beef Gnocchi

This ground beef gnocchi recipe has a creamy tomato sauce and turns store-bought gnocchi into pillowy deliciousness. This one pan meal is quick and tastes gourmet!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1/2 medium onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning or to taste
  • 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
  • 1/3 cup chicken or beef broth
  • 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
  • 1 pound uncooked potato gnocchi
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet over medium-high heat for 7-10 minutes. If there's lots of excess fat, spoon most of it out.
  • Stir in the garlic and Italian seasoning.
  • Add the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, cream, and gnocchi to the pan, and give it a good stir. Once the sauce starts to bubble again, cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes. 
  • Uncover the pan, stir it, and let it cook for another few minutes, or until the gnocchi has cooked through and is nice and soft and the sauce has thickened to your liking.
  • Stir in the parmesan cheese and salt & pepper as needed. Serve immediately. 

Notes

  • There is no need to pre-cook the gnocchi. It’ll cook right in the sauce. 
  • This dish would be excellent with fresh basil stirred in at the end. 

Nutrition

Calories: 574kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 36g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Cholesterol: 142mg, Sodium: 882mg, Potassium: 673mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 880IU, Vitamin C: 13mg, Calcium: 243mg, Iron: 8mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.

Leave a star rating and comment below!

This recipe was originally published on January 4, 2020. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!


Hi! Iโ€™m Natasha.

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4.85 from 157 votes (12 ratings without comment)

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455 Comments

  1. SHERRL says:

    This WAS AMAZING! I substitute d half n half for the heavy cream and it was perfect! Steamed broccoli, bread and red wine on the side…perfect and so simple!

    1. Natasha says:

      Yay! Thank you!

  2. Morgan Katz says:

    Is this with frozen gnocchi?

    1. Natasha says:

      Hi! It’s the shelf stable gnocchi found in the dry pasta aisle. Or use refrigerated gnocchi. Not sure about the frozen gnocchi!

  3. Mary Weaver says:

    5 stars
    Girlfriend, can we be BFFโ€™s? All your recipes I have tried have been excellent. My family has asked if the recipe comes from you lately when I have made something new. They are excited to come to the table now. Thank you.

    1. Natasha says:

      Awww I love that!! And yes we can be BFFs! ๐Ÿ˜€

  4. Tricia says:

    5 stars
    This was a hit with everyone except my son. It was his first gnocchi experience. The 2nd and 3rd time I made it I used shell pasta …. a hit with the whole family. Now my son wants to try gnocchi again! Next time I’ll try making my own. ๐Ÿ˜

    1. Natasha says:

      Haha that sounds like a win to me!

  5. Lisa says:

    Have you made it in a crockpot? Iโ€™m wondering about the time to cook on low.

    1. Natasha says:

      Hi Lisa! I haven’t. I’m not sure how this would work in a crockpot. You’d have to dirty up a pan browning the beef anyway, and it’s a super quick stovetop recipe. I am concerned the gnocchi may release too much starch and get kinda gloopy if it’s cooked for a long period of time, and you’d probably want to add the cream in later on. If you do decide to experiment, let us know how it went, though!

  6. Millea Punturo says:

    5 stars
    What do i do if the liquid wonโ€™t thicken up? so yummy the first time I made it was perfect but Itโ€™s not thickening this time, thanks!

    1. Natasha says:

      Hi! I’d cook it for a bit longer. Are you using potato gnocchi? Other varieties like cauliflower won’t release starch the same way.

  7. Kelly Leahey says:

    5 stars
    This was incredibly easy and came together in a flash. Perfect to have dinner on the table quickly after work!

    1. Natasha says:

      I’m so glad it was a hit, Kelly!! Thanks for your 5-star review!

  8. Sharon says:

    Could I use rice gnocchi in this recipe?

    1. Natasha says:

      Hi! I’ve never cooked with it but I think it’s worth a try. Rice is starchy so it should in theory thicken the sauce in the same way. Let me know!

  9. Lynne says:

    2 stars
    Next time I will precook the gnocchi a bit.
    Disappointing when I can’t trust a recipe.

    1. Natasha says:

      It’s a highly rated recipe, so I am not sure what went wrong in your kitchen.

  10. Kimmie Brown says:

    We had this for dinner tonight along with garlic bread and roasted squash….it was delicious!!!

    1. Natasha says:

      Thank you, Kimmie!

    2. Donna says:

      5 stars
      This was so good! Plus, it was fast & easy. Definitely going on my menu rotation. Thank you!

      1. Natasha says:

        You’re very welcome, Donna!