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One Pot Tomato Gnocchi with Spinach

This One Pot Tomato Gnocchi with Spinach is an incredibly easy one pot dinner recipe full of flavor with a simple homemade tomato sauce. The gnocchi are cooked right in the sauce, then it’s all baked together to deepen the flavors and melt mozzarella cheese on top.

Close up image of cooked final dish in the skillet.

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Ingredients

This easy recipe is great because not only does it use ingredients you very likely have on hand, but it also uses a ton of shelf stable ingredients. Full quantities are listed in the recipe card below.

Gnocchi: One package of shelf stable gnocchi works great for this tomato gnocchi recipe. You can choose whatever kind you like – potato gnocchi, spinach gnocchi, etc.
Crushed tomatoes: One big 28oz can of crushed tomatoes. This serves as the base for the sauce.
Vegetable stock or vegetable broth: This thins out the crushed tomatoes a bit so that there’s enough liquid for the gnocchi to cook in the sauce. You could use chicken broth or chicken stock if you have it / prefer it.
Tomato paste: Since we are thinning out the crushed tomatoes, we want to make sure enough of the tomato flavor still comes through, so adding tomato paste (concentrated tomatoes), helps ensure that.
Yellow onion: Just a half of a yellow onion gets sautéd to bring a ton of flavor to the sauce.
Garlic: I like a prominent garlic flavor, so I recommend 5 cloves. You can reduce or add to that based on your preference.
Butter: Unsalted butter is used to sauté the onion and garlic, just adding another layer of flavor.
Spinach: Fresh spinach is best here - as the gnocchi cooks it’ll wilt down into the sauce. Regular or baby spinach are both fine.
Fresh mozzarella: I like to use the mini mozzarella balls and cut them in half. They’ll get broiled to melt and become nice and browned. You could also use a large ball of mozzarella and tear it.
Basil: To finish the dish before serving, adding some torn fresh basil leaves lightens it all up and is not only pretty but rounds out the Italian flavors. Chopped parsley would also be great.

Step by step instructions

This one pan gnocchi with spinach is easily whipped up and great for a busy weeknight. It's perfect if you’re trying to eat vegetarian, but so good the meat lovers will enjoy it too. instructions can be found below with reference images.

1. Cook the onion and garlic. Warm a large skillet or cast iron pan (with an oven safe lid) over medium heat. Add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the onion. Sauté the onion for 5 minutes until lightly translucent. Then add in the sliced garlic cloves and cook for 2 minutes.

2. Add the tomato paste. To the onion and garlic mixture, add in the 1 tablespoon of tomato paste. Stir this to get it incorporated and cook for 2-3 minutes to deepen in color and flavor.

Side by side images of cooked garlic and onions, and then adding tomato paste.

3. Add the tomatoes, stock, and seasoning. To the pan, add the crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, and salt and black pepper. Stir together and bring it to a gentle simmer.

4. Add the gnocchi and spinach. To the pot add the uncooked gnocchi and fresh spinach. Mix it in as best you can, submerging all of the gnocchi.

Side by side images of making the sauce and adding the gnocchi and spinach.

5. Bake. Cover the pot and bake for 20 minutes, stirring every 5-ish minutes.

6. Broil. Top with mozzarella cheese and broil for 5 minutes on high until melted and lightly browned. Serve with fresh basil and a drizzle of a little extra virgin olive oil if desired.

Side by side images of the cooked dish and then adding mozzarella to be broiled.

Recipe customizations

If you want to add protein into this, some chicken cutlets on top would be great. You could also add ground meat (such as Italian sausage) into the sauce directly.
Make it a little bit spicy by adding red pepper flakes or crushed Calabrian chili peppers when you add the garlic.
Make it dairy free by simply skipping the mozzarella cheese or use a dairy free parmesan cheese in its place.
Feel free to add some halved cherry tomatoes or chopped sun-dried tomatoes in there as well if you want the additional texture.
Add a dollop of pesto into the sauce if you want.
Swirl in some heavy cream before you add the gnocchi to the pot if you want to make it a creamy tomato sauce.

Tips and tricks

This is maybe one of the easiest gnocchi recipes you'll come across and is a great quick meal. Below are some tips and tricks to nail it, and some variations should you want them.

Make sure that the pot you use has a lid that is oven safe to high temperatures.
Stirring a few times while it’s in the oven ensures everything cooks evenly, the spinach wilts into the sauce, and nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.
If you don't want to bake the dish, you can bring the sauce up to a simmer on the stovetop and add the gnocchi and spinach in. Continue simmering on medium-low heat until the gnocchi are cooked through and the spinach is wilted. Option to add the mozzarella cheese and broil if you'd like.
Serve with homemade garlic bread.

Serving of gnocchi in a bowl with basil.

Storage and reheating

This easy baked gnocchi recipe holds up pretty well when stored because there’s plenty of sauce to keep it moist.

Storage: let it cool to room temperature then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating: reheat in the microwave in intervals, stirring between, until warmed through.
Freezing: Once the tomato gnocchi dish is cooked and cooled, you could freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. To reheat from frozen, warm it on low heat on the stovetop until heated through. Add a little stock as needed to thin out the sauce.

FAQs

What is gnocchi?

Gnocchi is a type of pasta, originating in Italy, that’s made mostly of potato and flour. They are soft, chewy, and almost dumpling-esque. More on this here.

Can I use frozen spinach?

You can, but defrost it and squeeze out all the excess liquid before you add it in. You can add it at the same step.

Can I use gluten free gnocchi?

Sure if needed!

More red sauce pasta recipes

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📖 Recipe

Close up image of finished one pot gnocchi with basil on top.

Ingredients

16 oz shelf stable gnocchi
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ yellow onion diced
5 cloves garlic sliced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1.5 cups fresh spinach
½ cup vegetable stock
4 oz fresh mozzarella
2 tablespoon fresh basil chopped

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400℉
Warm a large skillet or cast iron pan (with an oven safe lid) over medium heat. Add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the onion. Sauté the onion for 5 minutes until lightly translucent. Then add in the sliced garlic cloves and cook for 2 minutes.
To the onion and garlic mixture, add in the 1 tablespoon of tomato paste. Stir this to get it incorporated and cook for 2-3 minutes to deepen in color and flavor.
To the pan, add the crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, and salt and black pepper. Stir together and bring it to a gentle simmer.
To the pan, add the uncooked gnocchi and fresh spinach. Mix it in as best you can, submerging all of the gnocchi.
Cover and bake for 20 minutes, stirring every 5-ish minutes.
Top with mozzarella cheese and broil for 5 minutes on high until melted and lightly browned. Serve with fresh basil and a drizzle of a little extra virgin olive oil if desired.

Video

Notes

One-pot if using stovetop-to-oven safe cookware.

Nutrition Estimate

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Italian, Italian/American

Keyword: gnocchi, one pot, one skillet, Pasta, Vegetarian

Author: Haley

Refried Bean Nachos

These Refried Bean Nachos are super easy made right on a sheet pan. Refried beans spread on crispy tortilla chips topped with tons of melty cheese, onions, tomatoes, fresh cilantro, avocado, and a limey sour cream. It’s a great vegetarian nacho appetizer that even meat eaters will love.

Baked nachos with toppings on a sheet pan.

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Ingredients

A list of the ingredients needed to make refried beans nachos and some context for each of them is below. When it comes to the toppings, the best toppings for nachos are your favorite toppings, so take what I provide as a base and add/remove based on what you love.

Tortilla chips: Grab your favorite tortilla chips! I do not recommend using thin chips, though, as they struggle to hold up with all the toppings. I like to use corn tortilla chips.
Refried beans: Store-bought or homemade are both great. For an easier option I definitely recommend store-bought. If you want to keep the nachos vegetarian make sure you’re buying vegetarian refried beans. Sometimes they’re made with meat products so you’ll want to avoid that.
Salsa: Similar to beans, keep it easy and grab your favorite store-bought salsa. This gets mixed in with the beans so it should be good but doesn’t have to be anything fancy.
Cheese: Cheesy nachos is a must. This recipe calls for a mix of sharp cheddar cheese and monterey jack cheese. Buying the cheese in a brick and shredding it yourself is always the best option when you’re melting cheese because it means there’s no additives and the cheese will melt seamlessly.
If you’re in a pinch or can’t be bothered, the pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend will work just fine.
Onion: A little red onion for topping on the nachos at the end.
Tomatoes: Whatever tomatoes you like work well here. If you’re going for a larger variety, try to remove the liquid and seeds from the inside so they don’t make the nachos soggy.
Cilantro: Fresh cilantro adds a nice fresh flavor to the nachos which helps balance them out from all the heavier ingredients.
Avocado: Some nice creamy chunks of avocado help bring a bit of textural variety.
Lime: You can either give a nice squeeze of lime juice over the top of the nachos right before serving to add some acidity and balance, or you can mix the lime with the sour cream to make a quick crema-like topping.
Sour cream: Some people are adverse to sour cream so leave it out if you wish. But if you’d like, it’s ideal to stir in some lime juice to thin it out and drizzle it over the nachos. Full fat sour cream is best.

Instead of onions/tomatoes/cilantro separately, you could just buy some pico de gallo and use that instead.

Step by step instructions

Sheet pan vegetarian nachos are notoriously easy to put together and that stays true with this variety as well. Just a few quick steps.

1. Thin out the refried beans. You want to get the beans to a smooth, easily spreadable consistency, so in a small bowl mix together the refried beans and salsa.

2. Assemble. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread small spoonfuls of the refried bean mixture onto individual chips and place on the baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle cheese overtop. Repeat for a second layer of chips and cheese.

Side by side images of the bean mixture and layering the chips.

3. Bake. Bake the chips at 425°F for 10 minutes or just until the cheese melts.

4. Add toppings. Right out of the oven sprinkle the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and avocado evenly around. Then combine sour cream and lime juice and drizzle all over as desired.

Side by side of pre and post bake with toppings.

Tips and tricks

Homemade nachos are relatively straightforward to make and anything you might do that doesn’t exactly follow this recipe just makes them ~customized. But regardless, below are some tips to nail these refried bean nachos.

Work in layers. Don’t you hate it when you eat nachos and once that first layer is eaten the second is completely bare and you’re basically just eating plain chips? Same. To avoid that, work in layers of chips, beans, and cheese. A single layer of chips - beans - cheese - repeat layers.
To avoid soggy nachos, eat them once they’re fresh out of the oven! What usually makes them soggy is letting them sit for a while and the chips absorb the moisture of all the toppings.
The best cheese for nachos – I like to use a blend of cheese for nachos, specifically ones with rather sharper/distinct flavor as opposed to mellow. So monterey jack and sharp cheddar are a perfect pairing. Avoid cheeses like mozzarella and provolone.
The easiest way to spread refried beans on nachos is to simply take a butter knife, back of a spoon, or small spatula and spread gently.
You can make your own refried beans, this recipe here is a great simple option.
If you want to skip using refried beans and simply sprinkle a can of beans all over the nachos that’s totally fine - the best kind of beans for nachos are black beans or pinto beans. Drain and rinse them before putting them on the nachos. I like to do chip-bean-cheese-bake that way the melted cheese kind of holds them in place.
If you don't want any chunks of bean, pulse the canned refried beans and salsa together in a food processor.

More nacho topping ideas

Beyond what’s included in this recipe, below are some more ideas for nacho toppings. Toppings are totally personal preference, so use what you love!

Guacamole
Jalapeño slices
Pickled jalapeños
Canned green chilies
Corn
Shredded iceberg lettuce
Pickled red onions
Pico de gallo
Cotija cheese
Black olives
Green onions
To skew outside of the vegetarian space: pulled pork, pulled chicken, ground beef.

Storage and reheating

I’ll be honest with ya, storing and reheating nachos is not ideal. They are best served warm right out of the oven and gobbled all up in one serving. BUT if you don’t finish them and want to save them, the below is the best bet:

Storage: transfer what’s left to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheating: to get the crispiest result, put the leftovers on a parchment lined baking sheet and warm in the oven on 350°F until the cheese is melty again. For a quicker option, warm them in the microwave for a few minutes, but they’ll likely turn out a little soggy this way.

FAQs

Can I use dairy free cheese?

I don’t really ever use this kind of cheese so I’m not sure how well it melts, but if you need to, no harm in trying.

Can I use gluten free chips?

They’re likely a bit more flimsy, so that’s something to consider, but you definitely can.

What can I do with the leftover refried beans?

One of my favorite things to do is use them in a quesadilla. Spread an even layer then top with cheese and warm on the stovetop. You can also use them in tostadas – use them in place of black beans in this bean and avocado tostada recipe.

What do I do if my beans aren’t spreading easily?

To thin out refried beans add a little more salsa.

Can I make these in the air fryer?

You can, but there's really no difference! Follow the same instructions but heat the air fryer to 325°F and air fry for 3-5 minutes until the cheese is melted.

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