Do you want dinner quickly on your table? Well, you can whip up something delicious in no time using refrigerated pasta and gnocchi from the supermarket. Add some veggies and a tasty sauce, and you’ve got everything you need. This Gnocchi Skillet with Bell Peppers & Minced Meat is the perfect example of such a delicious after-work meal. It requires little effort and is ready quickly. After all, when the workday ends, you want to work to end too at some point, right?
We love gnocchi dishes. They’re simple, easy to prepare, and usually really tasty. After all, what else would you expect from a generous amount of carbs? We like making a quick sauce with ground meat and veggies for our gnocchi – like in this recipe. But there are plenty of other things you can do – whether you want to make something with or without meat.
If you want to make this recipe exactly as written but leave out the meat, you can simply use a plant-based alternative for the ground meat and leave the rest of the recipe as is. There are countless products available these days that come remarkably close to the real thing.
You can often find ground meat alternatives in the supermarket right near the “real” meat in the refrigerated section, although there are plenty of other options, too. Dried soy granules*, for example, or alternatives made from pea protein and jackfruit* have the advantage of being shelf-stable. You can store those products in your pantry for a long time without any issues. In contrast, real meat or ready-to-cook meat alternatives need to be used up relatively quickly.
Of course, you can also skip both meat and meat alternatives entirely. If you’d prefer a sauce made only with veggies, that works perfectly well, too. For this recipe, you can simply use a bit more of the veggies and perhaps season it more boldly to make up for the missing (meat) flavors.
Preparing this dish is really simple. Basically, you just sauté everything one after another. Start with the meat (or an alternative), then add the veggies and spices. You want to make sure everything develops those nice roasting flavors – that’s the secret to a really tasty sauce. Once that’s done, deglaze everything with veggie broth and add the chopped tomatoes, then let the sauce simmer for a few minutes.
In theory, you could just toss the gnocchi into the sauce and let them simmer in the sauce for a few minutes to warm up, but we prefer sautéing the gnocchi separately in a pan. This adds extra flavor to the dish without requiring much extra effort. You’re already at the stove anyway, so keeping an eye on a second frying pan for the gnocchi is no trouble at all.
Since we love cooking with gnocchi, we’ve shared quite a few recipes here on the blog already. Whether with or without meat, with plenty of veggies or just a few for flavor or texture, in tomato-based sauces or creamy sauces – there are plenty of delicious options!
One of our favorite gnocchi dishes and one we make quite often are Gnocchi with Chorizo, Sun-dried Tomatoes & Spinach. It packs a real punch when it comes to flavor and aroma. Thanks to the heavy cream added, the sauce is wonderfully rich and velvety…
If you prefer dishes with more veggies, you might want to check our One-Pot Summer Veggie Gnocchi. It’s inspired by classic ratatouille, only with the addition of gnocchi aka. potato dumplings. It’s a truly delicious dish that’s also easy on the wallet in summer, when those veggies are in season and much cheaper..
INGREDIENTS / INGREDIENTS
(4 servings)
For the sauce:
some olive oil for frying
14 oz. (400g) ground meat (beef & pork mixed)
1 large onion, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 bell peppers (red & yellow)
1 tbsp. bell pepper paste (hot or mild)*
1 tsp. cayenne pepper*
1 tsp. smoked paprika powder*
1 tsp. dried oregano*
some chili flakes* (optional)
1 1/2 cups (360ml) veggie broth
1 can (14 oz./400g) chunky tomatoes
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce*
salt, pepper
For the gnocchi:
some olive oil for frying
28 oz. (800g) gnocchi (refrigerated)
some chopped chives for decorations (optional)
some grated Parmesan cheese for decorations (optional)
(4 people)
For the sauce:
some olive oil for frying
400g minced meat (mixed)
1 large onion, finely diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 peppers (red & yellow)
1 tbsp paprika paste (hot or mild)*
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper*
1 tsp smoked paprika powder*
1 tsp oregano*
some chili flakes* (optional)
360ml vegetable broth
1 can (400g) diced tomatoes
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce*
Salt, pepper
For the gnocchi:
some olive oil for frying
800g gnocchi (refrigerated counter)
some chopped chives for decoration (optional)
some grated Parmesan for decoration (optional)
DIRECTIONS / PREPARATION
1. Start with the veggies – peel the onion and garlic and dice/chop finely. Wash and dry the bell peppers, remove the seeds and cut them into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
2. Heat up a large Dutch oven with some olive oil. Add the ground meat and fry it for a few minutes until nicely browned – takes about 4-5 minutes. Take it out and put it aside in a bowl.
3. Add some more oil, if needed, then add the onion and sauté until soft and glossy. Next, add the garlic and bell pepper pieces and let everything cook until the bell peppers are softer – about 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the bell pepper paste, cayenne pepper, paprika powder, dried oregano, and some chili flakes (optional) and mix until well combined. Let everything roast/cook for a moment, then deglaze with the veggie broth. Add the chunky tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, as well as the cooked meat, reduce the heat slightly and let everything simmer for about 10-12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
5. While the meat and veggies are cooking, heat up a large frying pan with some olive oil, add the gnocchi and fry them for 7-8 minutes or until cooked through and nicely browned here and there. Add the gnocchi to the sauce and mix it in. Serve the gnocchi, veggies, and meat in bowls with some chopped chives and grated Parmesan on top (optional).
1. Start with the vegetables by peeling the onion and garlic and then dicing or chopping them finely. Wash the peppers, dry them, remove the innards and then cut them into bite-sized pieces. Put everything aside.
2. Heat a large (cast iron) pot with a little olive oil. Fry the minced meat in the hot oil. The meat can get a little color – takes about 4-5 minutes. Remove the fried meat and put it aside in a bowl, for example.
3. If necessary, add a little more olive oil and then sauté the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and peppers and Fry everything for about 3-4 minutes – the pepper pieces should become a little softer.
4. Add the paprika paste, cayenne pepper, paprika powder, oregano and chili flakes (optional) and mix in. Sauté everything briefly so that a few roasted aromas can develop, then deglaze with the vegetable broth. Put the chopped tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and the meat back into the pot, reduce the heat slightly and then Let everything simmer for about 10-12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
5. While the meat and vegetables are cooking, heat a large pan with a little olive oil. Fry the gnocchi in the hot oil for about 7-8 minutes – the potato balls may have gotten some color here and there. Arrange the gnocchi, meat and vegetables in bowls, sprinkle with chive rolls and grated Parmesan (optional) and serve.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Description
Still looking for the perfect weeknight dinner? Try this delicious Gnocchi Skillet with Bell Peppers & Minced Meat – easy to prepare and really tasty!
For the sauce:
some olive oil for frying
14 oz. (400g) ground meat (beef & pork mixed)
1 large onion, finely diced
2–3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 bell peppers (red & yellow)
1 tbsp. bell pepper paste (hot or mild)*
1 tsp. cayenne pepper*
1 tsp. smoked paprika powder*
1 tsp. dried oregano*
some chili flakes* (optional)
1 1/2 cups (360ml) veggie broth
1 can (14 oz./400g) chunky tomatoes
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce*
salt, pepper
For the gnocchi:
some olive oil for frying
28 oz. (800g) gnocchi (refrigerated)
some chopped chives for decorations (optional)
some grated Parmesan cheese for decorations (optional)
1. Start with the veggies – peel the onion and garlic and dice/chop finely. Wash and dry the bell peppers, remove the seeds and cut them into bite-size pieces. Set aside.
2. Heat up a large Dutch oven with some olive oil. Add the ground meat and fry it for a few minutes until nicely browned – takes about 4-5 minutes. Take it out and put it aside in a bowl.
3. Add some more oil, if needed, then add the onion and sauté until soft and glossy. Next, add the garlic and bell pepper pieces and let everything cook until the bell peppers are softer – about 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the bell pepper paste, cayenne pepper, paprika powder, dried oregano, and some chili flakes (optional) and mix until well combined. Let everything roast/cook for a moment, then deglaze with the veggie broth. Add the chunky tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, as well as the cooked meat, reduce the heat slightly and let everything simmer for about 10-12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
5. While the meat and veggies are cooking, heat up a large frying pan with some olive oil, add the gnocchi and fry them for 7-8 minutes or until cooked through and nicely browned here and there. Add the gnocchi to the sauce and mix it in. Serve the gnocchi, veggies, and meat in bowls with some chopped chives and grated Parmesan on top (optional).
Notes
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