Baked Gnocchi in Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

With pillow-soft gnocchi and a rich creamy sauce, this Baked Gnocchi in Sun Dried Tomato Sauce is an instant classic. Add it to your dinner rotation and you'll enjoy a saucy casserole flavored with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, spinach, and basil. Fresh tomatoes and an Italian breadcrumb topping add texture and the whole thing takes about 25 minutes to prep before baking. It's indulgent and savory and makes a delicious side dish or hearty main with a green salad.

We make this baked gnocchi all year round. It feels right at the peak of summer with the basil and tomato highlights, but also has a hearty richness that's right at home in winter. The gnocchi casserole can be made a day in advance, too, so you can check a side dish off your list for busy weeknights. 

If you love gnocchi, try this veggie-packed Chicken Gnocchi Soup next! It has all the cozy comfort food vibes.

Ingredients

I include ingredient notes here when I think they'll be helpful, including ways to source, any preparation tips, or why I've chosen a particular ingredient. Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and their quantities!

• Salted Butter - Butter is used for both the sun dried tomato sauce and the breadcrumb topping. If you have only unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt to both the sauce and the topping mixture.
• Flour - All-purpose flour is half of the roux that will help build a base for the creamy sauce. 
• Milk - This recipe was developed using 2% milk. You can use whole milk or 1% milk, but nonfat or skim milk will result in a sauce that doesn't stay creamy.
• Mozzarella - Mozzarella cheese is used in both the creamy sun dried tomato sauce and the breadcrumb topping. I use pre-shredded cheese here with no issue.
• Parmesan - Use real Parmesan cheese, either grated or shredded. Measure the cheese by weight instead of volume, because shredded cheese takes up a lot more space than the same amount of grated cheese.
• Sun Dried Tomatoes - This recipe was developed using sun dried tomatoes that are packed in oil. Strain the oil from the tomatoes before measuring them. Don't toss that oil, you can put it right back in the jar and use it in dressings and caprese salads.
• Dried Spices - A combination of dried garlic powder, oregano, and thyme are used to season the sauce. 
• Baby Spinach - Four ounces seems like a lot of spinach, but it wilts in the sauce. 
• Gnocchi - Dried gnocchi is shelf stable and a great thing to have stocked in your pantry. I find it easily at Trader Joe's and my local supermarket.
• Tomatoes - Use small cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, or even the small Sprinkles tomatoes that are now available.
• Basil - Basil is cut into ribbons and added to the baked gnocchi, but save a few leaves for garnishing the final dish.
• Italian Breadcrumbs - This classic pantry staple adds flavor to the breadcrumb topping with just one ingredient.

Prepare the Sun Dried Tomato Sauce

Preheat your oven to 375°F before starting so that you're ready to bake once the gnocchi is prepared.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.

Add the flour and stir it into the butter until the mixture is smooth.

Cook the roux for 30 seconds to one minute to cook the flour flavor away.

Stream the milk in slowly, stirring or whisking constantly to remove any lumps. Go slow at first, as you add more milk you can incorporate it more quickly. Cook the milk and roux together until the mixture comes to a boil.

This bechamel has a large proportion of milk to roux, so once it comes to a boil it only lightly coats the back of a spoon.

Remove the pot from the heat. Add the sun dried tomatoes, 3 ounces of shredded mozzarella, Parmesan, salt, garlic powder, oregano, and thyme. Stir until the cheese is melted.

Use an immersion blender to blend the sauce, stopping a few times to make sure the tomatoes aren't stuck in the blender blades. Alternatively, transfer the sauce to a regular blender. Be careful of blending hot liquids, I always cover the top with a kitchen towel for insurance. Transfer the sauce back to the pot if you are using a blender.

The sun dried tomato sauce is a bright orange color and deeply flavorful. The sauce is responsible for seasoning all of the additions, so it is rich in flavor.

Prepare the Baked Gnocchi

Remove the stems from the spinach leaves and cut the leaves into thin strips. Cut the basil leaves into thin ribbons.

Add the spinach, basil, gnocchi, and tomatoes to the sun dried tomato sauce.

Prepare a 9" x 13" casserole dish by spraying it with cooking spray or spreading a thin coat of butter over the inside.

Transfer the gnocchi mixture to a baking dish and spread it in an even layer.

In a medium bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of melted butter, the breadcrumbs, and 2 ounces of shredded mozzarella.

Mix this together until the butter evenly coats the breadcrumbs.

Sprinkle the breadcrumb topping evenly over the gnocchi mixture.

Bake the casserole for 45 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden and the sauce is bubbling along the edges.

Béchamel Technique

Making the base for the sun dried tomato sauce is actually practice in making a béchamel. A béchamel is one of the "mother" sauces. These sauces, including a hollandaise, are the basics used to make all varieties of daughter sauces (like cheese sauce, marinara, and gravies).

Many mother sauces, like this bechamel, start with a roux: a combination of fats and flour cooked to varying degrees. The fat is cooked and then flour is added and cooked until the desired shade of blonde, tan, or brown. This cooks out the raw flour flavor and adds deep caramelized notes. Milk or other liquids are added in a slow steam, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Once all of the milk is incorporated, the sauce has to come to a boil to thicken completely.

Equipment

Here are the kitchen tools that we use to make this tasty gnocchi:

• Dutch Oven - An enameled cast iron Dutch oven is a great pot to have in your kitchen for all sorts of recipes.  They can go from stove top to oven, are good for deep frying, and are perfect for stews, braises, and soups. This one is large enough to prepare the sauce and mix in all of the other ingredients before transferring the gnocchi to the casserole dish.
• Immersion Blender - An immersion blender or stick blender and break down the sun dried tomatoes and create a smooth sauce. Immersion blenders save you the step of transferring your hot soup or sauce to a blender and back again to the pot. They are also great for smoothies, dressings, marinades, and making homemade aioli. No immersion blender? Transfer the sauce to a standard blender.
• 3 ½ Quart Casserole Dish (9" x 13" Baking Pan) - This standard-sized baking pan is a workhorse in the kitchen. It is a common size for casseroles, cakes, lasagnas, brownies, and more. This size of baking pan can be a standard depth, 2 inches, or deep-dish, but a standard depth pan holds roughly the equivalent of two 9-inch round pans or two 8-inch square pans. In this recipe I'm using a ceramic baking dish that can go from the oven to the table for serving.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the gnocchi in that dreamy sun dried tomato sauce right warm right from the baking dish. The fresh tomatoes are piping hot, so give the casserole a few minutes to cool. If you love sun dried tomatoes, try this red pesto pasta, next! Just like this baked gnocchi, it's works as a vegetarian main or as side with grilled chicken, steak, or a green salad.

Make This Recipe Kid Friendly

If your kids are fans of tomato sauce or baked Italian pastas, bets are good that they'll enjoy this baked gnocchi. Watch out for what my kids call the "nuclear tomatoes"! The whole cherry or grape tomatoes hold a lot of heat right from the oven and they can burst open screaming hot.

As always, if this is an unfamiliar food for your eater, provide safe food options alongside the new dish. You are much more likely to get buy-in if the baked gnocchi isn't the only thing on the plate. Get more ideas like this in my picky eaters post.

Storage

Store any leftovers in individual portions in the refrigerator. You can store these for 3-4 days. This makes a great option for lunches throughout the week! Reheat the baked gnocchi in the microwave until it is hot throughout.

Make-Ahead Options

This baked gnocchi casserole can be prepared all the way through adding the breadcrumb topping and stored in the refrigerator for baking off the following day. Wrap it in plastic wrap to avoid any transfer of flavors from the refrigerator. When you are ready to bake it, remove the plastic wrap and bring it to room temperature. Preheat the oven and bake the gnocchi as directed in the recipe card below.

FAQ

Casserole Dish Treats

Pull out that casserole dish or 9" x 13" pan and put it to work! Here are some tasty recipes you can make using a casserole dish:

More Tomato Recipes

Tomatoes are the star of this baked gnocchi (behind the tender gnocchi, of course). Try out any of the recipes below if you want to feature tomatoes in your meal:

Try It and Share

I hope you try this Baked Gnocchi in Sun Dried Tomato Sauce and enjoy the recipe as much as we do. I want to see your results! Tag your photo with #planeatpostrepeat and mention me @planeatpostrepeat on Instagram or Facebook. I can give you a virtual high five and thank you for cooking one of my recipes! Comment below with any questions and please leave a review so others can find this recipe more easily.

This post was originally titled Baked Gnocchi with Sun Dried Tomato Cream. The post was updated in July 2026 to change the title, add extensive preparation details and step-by-step photos, and add additional post structure for easy navigation. The recipe was not changed from the original March 2022 version.