This gorgeous one-pot baked gnocchi with vodka sauce is one of my new go-to simple, easy, and deliciously creamy vegetarian dinners. It’s ready in less than 30 minutes, contains just nine ingredients, and requires just one pan to make! 

One-pot dinners are a top-tier weeknight recipe in my book. At the end of a long day, the last thing any of us wants to be doing is washing up a million dishes or loading the dishwasher. Other one-pot recipes I’ve published previously include my viral French onion pasta, this creamy mushroom pasta, baked orzo with meatballs, and this gorgeous vegan butterbean and chorizo stew.

This easy gnocchi with vodka sauce is such a dreamy recipe, finished with melty golden mozzarella and fresh basil. Plus, it takes less than 30 minutes to make with minimal ingredients – so you can have dinner on the table in no time (and just one dish to wash up at the end of the night!)

Let’s dive into how to make this gorgeous baked gnocchi recipe.

Ingredient Notes & Possible Substitutions

The exact quantities of the ingredients you need for this recipe are included in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here, I’ve added a few notes on the ingredients you need, plus a few potential substitutions you could make if you can’t eat/find a certain ingredient.

• Gnocchi: Fresh gnocchi works best for this recipe, giving a soft, pillowy texture. If you can’t find fresh, the shelf-stable or frozen varieties are good alternatives. Just make sure you bake the gnocchi for long enough to cook it through. 
  
• Garlic: I used a (very) large clove of freshly minced garlic for this recipe. 2 medium, average-sized cloves will work too.
  
• Tomato paste: Tomato paste, or tomato puree, gives the vodka sauce that important deep, tomato flavor.

• Vodka: Essential for the unique flavor of the sauce, but if you prefer a non-alcoholic version, you can omit it.
  
• Heavy Cream: If you’re from the UK or other parts of the world, this is double cream. Do not substitute for single cream, it will not work.
  
• Vegetable stock: I use a vegetable stock cube and mix it with the correct amount of water for this recipe. You could also use a pre-made stock, or use chicken stock if you are not vegetarian.
  
• Cheeses: We use a mix of pecorino and mozzarella for this recipe. Pecorino can be replaced with Parmesan if you don’t follow a vegetarian diet, and if you’re not a fan of mozzarella, feel free to use any good melting cheese.

Substitutions & Variations

• To Make This Recipe Vegan: Use coconut cream or a plant-based double cream alternative instead of heavy cream. You could either omit the Pecorino and mozzarella entirely and just serve the gnocchi with vodka sauce topped with fresh basil and black pepper. Or, you could top the gnocchi with a vegan mozzarella alternative – it may not melt the same, though.
  
• To Make This Recipe Gluten-Free: Opt for gluten-free gnocchi. All other ingredients listed should be suitable for a gluten-free diet.
  
• To Make This Recipe Alcohol-Free: Simply skip the vodka for a delicious tomato cream sauce without the alcohol.

How To Make This Cheesy Gnocchi in Vodka Sauce Recipe

Again, the exact step-by-step instructions and ingredient quantities will be in the recipe card at the bottom of this page. 

Below is an overview of making this recipe, plus some process shots to help you visualize how this recipe should turn out.

Step 1) Saute Your Garlic in Butter

Start by heating your butter in a casserole dish. Once it’s melted, add your minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Take care not to overcook the garlic and let it brown here.

Step 2) Add tomato paste and vodka

Stir in the tomato paste, followed by the vodka, letting the alcohol cook off for a couple of minutes. Make sure you’ve fully combined the butter, garlic, tomato paste, and vodka.

Step 3) Add heavy cream, stock, and seasoning

Pour the heavy cream, vegetable stock, and seasoning into the pan and stir to fully combine everything. Allow the sauce to simmer (not boil) and thicken for a few minutes.

Once the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of your spoon, you can add the gnocchi.

Step 4) Add gnocchi

Add pecorino and gnocchi, ensuring they are well-coated in the sauce. Top with mozzarella and basil, and finish with a sprinkle of black pepper before baking.

Step 5) Bake until golden and bubbling

Bake the cheesy gnocchi with vodka sauce until the mozzarella has melted and the sauce is bubbling. The top parts of the gnocchi may also have turned golden and slightly crispy, which makes them even more delicious!

Expert Tips

• Sauce Consistency: If your sauce isn’t thickening, simmer it over low heat for a couple more minutes. You could also remove some of the sauce if you feel you have too much Avoid boiling as it might separate the cream.
  
• Gnocchi Texture: For the best texture, bake until the mozzarella is golden. The gnocchi should be soft but slightly crispy on the outside, especially at the top of the dish. If you prefer a softer gnocchi, simmer in the sauce instead of baking.
  
• Creaminess: Don’t substitute the heavy cream (double cream) for single cream! I accidentally did this the first time I tested this recipe and the sauce was extremely watery and did not thicken at all. Heavy cream is a must for the vodka sauce to be thick and creamy.
  

What To Serve With This Dish

This baked gnocchi with vodka sauce is a complete dish in itself, and you could serve it up in one pot and call it a day!

However, if you wanted to introduce some variety to the table, you could pair it with some crispy green beans, quick air-fryer crispy cauliflower, or some beautifully roasted honey butter carrots.

Storing

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Simply reheat before serving in the microwave or the oven (provided your container is oven-proof).

If you are planning on freezing this dish, I would recommend freezing it before you’ve added the mozzarella, as mozzarella’s texture can begin to suffer after being frozen. You could also make the vodka sauce and freeze it. When you’re ready to make the gnocchi, simply defrost the vodka sauce completely before reheating and stirring the fresh gnocchi through.

FAQs

Other Recipes You’ll Like:

• Vegan Creamy Sausage Pasta
• Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
• Marry Me Chicken Pasta (Vegan)