This easy gnocchi with marinara sauce is a quick and incredibly delicious comfort food meal. Ready in 10 minutes from start to finish!
Super simple gnocchi recipe
Some weeknights (or every weeknight?) you just need to get dinner on the table fast. This gnocchi with homemade marinara offers maximum flavors with the minimum of fuss. No chopping and sautéing onions and garlic, no blending ingredients. It’s probably the easiest homemade marinara sauce ever.
Shelf-stable vacuum-packed Gnocchi and crushed tomato cans are a go-to staple to keep in the pantry. They make meal planning a breeze.
Italian entrée at home
It's easy to turn store-bought gnocchi into a restaurant-worthy meal! There's nothing quite like soft, pillowy gnocchi drenched in a tasty marinara sauce. The tomato-based sauce is creamy, and the fresh basil takes the flavor to the next level. Total comfort food. It’s so easy to make an Italian restaurant entrée at home.
What kind of gnocchi to use in this recipe?
I use shelf-stable (dry) potato gnocchi that come in vacuum-sealed bags. You can find them in the dried-pasta aisle in most grocery stores.
You can also use refrigerated gnocchi from the produce aisle or frozen ones. Just make sure it’s enough for 2 servings.
Of course, if you have time to make potato gnocchi from scratch, please go ahead. They are delicious. But if it’s a weeknight, you are tired, and you want some gnocchi without devoting a lot of time to making gnocchi yourself, the store-bought stuff is really more than ok.
I hope you love this quick and easy gnocchi recipe. Please leave me a comment and rating if you do!
Easy Marinara Gnocchi – ready in 10 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 can (14 oz / 400 g) crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 bag (17.5 oz / 500 g) potato gnocchi (see notes)
- ¼ cup (20 g) freshly grated parmesan (see notes)
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Leaves from 3 large basil sprigs, plus more for garnish
- Parmesan shaves for garnish
Instructions
- Add crushed tomatoes and olive oil to a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
- Add parmesan, salt, and black pepper to the slowly simmering tomato sauce. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil (an electric water kettle comes in handy). Add potato gnocchi and cook until they are floating, about 3 minutes (see package instructions).
- While gnocchi are cooking, add fresh basil, large leaves torn, to the sauce. Cook a few more minutes if you want to further reduce the sauce. Taste and season with salt as needed.
- Drain gnocchi, and add them to the marinara. Stir until combined.
- Top with fresh basil leaves and parmesan shaves, and enjoy.
Joanna says
Hey there,
I tried the recipe today for lunch. We loved it. Even my moody teenage daughter lol. THE BEST MARINARA GNOCCHI EVER. Thanks so much. It's so quick and easy. Btw, I'll try the marinara sauce for pizza the next time I'm making one.
-Joanna
Starlight says
Wonderful easy gnocchi recipe. Hubby and I loved it ❤️ Definitely make this again.
Gabriel says
Fantastic recipe, many thanks!
carlita says
Super quick weeknight dish. I doubled the recipe and used a can of diced tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce. Worked well.
BB says
Love the easy marinara sauce! Made it with penne - not gnocchi. Heavily topped it with freshly grated parmesan and served it with a green side salad. Everyone loved it.
Anne says
Super quick and easy. Bet it also tastes great with fire roasted tomatoes. Anne
Brigitte says
This is a very comforting meal. Exactly what I need right now. Merci!
Buddy_Lover says
New weekday favorite. I usually omit the Parmesan for a vegan version and also made potato gnocchi from scratch one time. Many thx!
Sophia says
My niece is vegetarian and stopped by for dinner the other night on short notice. So I searched for a quick recipe and rushed to the supermarket to buy gnocchi - everything else I had on hand. She was pleasantly surprised that I cooked such a lovely dinner (she phrased it politely). Thanks for the quick pasta idea. Will make it again, even though my fam is big on meat.
Sophia says
Oh, forgot the rating. Would give 6 stars if I could.
Erika Pe. says
Made this dish in Italy in our simple vacation home since it is easy to make and the facilities here are limited. Worked like a charm and my family liked it. Of course, I made this dish with canned tomatoes from Italy 🙂
Martine says
Merci beaucoup ! Très délicieux. Family loves it.
ANDRO says
Thanks, 5 ⭐! I make marinara gnocchi all the time.
oliver says
made the simple tomato sauce with homemade potato gnocchi, which was delicious. next time I'll use store-bought ones as u suggest, since making gnocchi is quite time-consuming...
B. says
Tastes awesome and is a very quick recipe. Thanks B.
Lalalala says
Simple but tasty marinara sauce, nice for weekdays. We all enjoyed it.
Carbgirl says
Hi,
So happy that you all like the marinara gnocchi 🙂
Jen says
I made it with a can of Italian Mutti tomatoes, crushed and with basil. Added an extra clove of garlic and some fresh thyme. My friend and I both enjoyed it very much. After that, we had chocolate mousse for dessert, which was also superb.
Carbgirl says
Sounds divine! Extra garlic is always a good idea - as well as chocolate mousse! Thanks so much for the comment, Jen!
Sha says
I made this with diced tomatoes - didn’t have crushed ones. I simply mashed them a little with the potato ricer. It tastes great.
Carbgirl says
So happy to hear that, Sha! Great to hear that diced tomatoes are also a good option. Improvisation is everything in the kitchen.