Vegan Gnocchi Bake with Bolognese Sauce
Vegan gnocchi bake with a lentil bolognese sauce and creamy bechamel sauce! This baked gnocchi is easy to make and the perfect vegan comfort food.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Vegan Lentil Bolognese Sauce
- 2 medium-size carrots, finely diced
- extra virgin olive oil, as needed
- 1 medium-size brown onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano, or to taste
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme, or to taste (note 1)
- ½ cup (60g) walnuts, any type of nut or seeds, finely chopped (optional)
- 400 g (14 oz) canned brown lentils, drained (note 2)
- 400 g (14 oz) canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, sugar or coconut sugar, to taste
- 1 tablespoon miso paste, optional
- 1 ½ cups (360g) vegetable broth (stock), or water, as needed
- 500g gnocchi, uncooked (note 3)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Bechamel sauce (note 4)
- ¼ cup (30g) all-purpose plain flour, or gluten-free flour blend
- 2 tablespoons (30g) extra virgin olive oil, vegan butter, or water
- 1 cup (250g) soy milk, or other dairy free milk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, to taste (note 5)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
To prepare the vegan bolognese sauce:
- Add the carrot, onion, garlic and oil to a large saucepan over high heat. Saute for 5 minutes or until the ingredients are fragrant.
- Add the herbs and nuts and saute for 1 minute or until fragrant. If any ingredients are sticking to the bottom of the saucepan, add a generous dash of vegetable stock/water and stir.
- Add the lentils, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and miso paste. Cook for 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the gnocchi and around 1 cup of vegetable stock/water. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until the gnocchi is tender. Add more vegetable stock if needed.
- Season the bolognese sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
To prepare the vegan bechamel:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Add the oil/butter, flour and a dash of milk to a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook and whisk continously for 2-5 minutes until a thick paste forms.
- Add all of the remaining milk and nutritional yeast. Vigorously whisk the mixture to disperse the paste. After around 5 minutes, the mixture should thicken into a sauce consistency.
- Season the bechamel sauce to taste. If any lumps are remaining, whisk vigourously or blend with an immersion blenerd until smooth.
To assemble the vegan gnocchi bake:
- Scoop the gnocchi and bolognese sauce into a large casserole dish (the capacity of my dish was 3.5 L or 120 oz). Drizzle or pour the bechamel sauce on top.
- Bake the gnocchi for 10-15 minutes or until the surface is slightly golden brown.
- Serve the baked gnocchi hot or warm with vegan parmesan on top and with salad or vegetables! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days and enjoy warm. Alternatively, divide the gnocchi bake into individual containers and freeze for up to 1 month.
Notes
- You may add additional herbs/spices such as dried basil, ground sage or red pepper flakes.
- Alternatively, you can use canned chickpeas or red kidney beans. For a finer textured bolognese, you may want to mash some of the chickpeas or beans.
- Some gnocchi contains egg so make sure you check the ingredients! I used shelf-stable gnocchi but fresh chilled gnocchi or homemade vegan gnocchi will also work. You can also use pre-cooked gnocchi but you won't need to cook it in your bolognese sauce for as long (step 4 in 'To prepare your vegan bolognese sauce').
- Alternatively, you can just top your gnocchi casserole with ½ cup vegan mozzarella. After you've assembled the casserole, bake it in the oven to melt the cheese.
- For extra flavor, you may also add a ¼ cup vegan cheese, 1 tablespoon of white miso paste and/or a pinch of nutmeg to your bechamel sauce. I'd recommend adding them at the same time as the nutritional yeast.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serve | Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 13g | Sodium: 648mg | Potassium: 706mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 3718IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 5mg
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