Baked Four Cheese Gnocchi w/ Broccoli

I’ve only cooked gnocchi (little potato dumplings) a few times, and always topped them with a simple marinara sauce. They were good, but tonight’s Baked Four Cheese Gnocchi w/Broccoli were pretty amazing!  A food blogger friend of mine wanted needed a few more recipes for a round-up post that she was doing, so I thought I’d cook some up. I knew I needed something a bit more than a simple red sauce and wasn’t quite ready to attempt to make them homemade, so I decided on a “grown up mac & cheese type gnocchi.”  And, I’m sure glad I did! Just imagine soft little potatoes dumplings and tender fresh broccoli, baked in a creamy four cheese sauce. It’s gets a little better when you top it with a sprinkling of bread crumbs and more parmesan before baking.

I wish I could take credit for making homemade gnocchi, but honestly, it felt a little too time consuming. I went with a packaged gnocchi and they were delicious! To elevate the flavor from just a simple “mac & cheese” sauce, I used four cheeses (cheddar, gruyere, fontina, and parmesan), added fresh garlic, and fresh broccoli. Enjoy this Baked Four Cheese Gnocchi as a main course with a simple salad or as a delicious side dish.

If you’re a fan of a good mac & cheese, you need to give this Baked Four Cheese Gnocchi w/Broccoli a try!! Don’t forget to pin this recipe 🙂

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5 from 5 votes

Baked Four Cheese Gnocchi w/ Broccoli

Author Joy in Every Season

Ingredients

• 2 lbs Gnocchi sotre bought or homemade
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 6 TBSP butter
• 3 cloves garlic crushed
• 3 1/2 TBSP flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk I used 2%
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
• 3/4 cup gruyere cheese grated
• 3/4 cup fontina cheese grated
• 1 1/2 cup med sharp cheddar cheese grated
• 1 1/2 cup parmesan cheese reserve 1 cup for sprinkling on top
• 2-3 TBSP Italian bread crumbs

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400*
• Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain. Set aside.
• Steam broccoli florets until just al-dente. Drain and set aside.
• In medium sauce pan, melt butter over low heat. Add crushed garlic and cook for a couple minutes.
• Whisk in flour and cook for 3 minutes, whisking consistently.
• Raise heat to med. Whisk in milk, nutmeg, and pepper. Bring to a boil, whisking regularly.
• Once milk is at a low boil, reduce heat to simmer and whisk in cheeses (add about 1/3 at a time until melted).
• Place cooked gnocchi in glass baking dish (9x13).
• Pour cheese sauce over gnocchi (I had a little sauce left over as my dish was a little smaller. Use as much as you can. It will seem very saucy, but will thicken after baking).
• Nestled cooked broccoli into gnocchi.
• Top with remaining parmesan and bread crumbs.
• Bake for approx 20 minutes or until hot, bubbly, and light golden brown.

You can find this and many more delicious recipes over at Christy Jordan’s Southern Plate!

You can never have too many simple dinner recipes, here’s a few more you might enjoy!

Cacio e Pepe 

Caprese Avocado Pesto Pasta 

Turkey Chili Spaghetti