Few things are more comforting than a big ol’ bowl of pasta with lots of cheese on top, and of course some crusty bread for mopping up that red sauce. Since it’s officially the start of my favorite season—the season where you can cozy up on the couch under blankets eating comfort food in front of the tv—I thought it would be the best time to share the recipe for this Baked Chicken Parmesan Gnocchi. It’s got all of the flavors and components of chicken parmesan but in casserole form. It’s quick and delicious, thanks to some help from the grocery store. Sometimes we don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen cooking up dinner, so it’s times like that where dishes like this are a necessity.
Set a large (oven-safe) shallow skillet over moderate heat. Once hot, drizzle in the oil and add the chicken. Use a wooden spoon to break it up and cook until browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the granulated garlic, granulated onion, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, oregano, dried basil, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, giving it a good stir.
**Note: I couldn’t find chicken sausage at my grocery store, so I’m seasoning the ground chicken with flavors typically found in sausage. If you use chicken sausage for this recipe, you can omit the seasonings and spices since it’s already flavored. Also, you can easily make this dish with ground turkey, pork or beef!**
Stir in the onion and garlic and cook for a minute or two to soften, and just begin to brown. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds or so to develop the flavor. Add the pasta sauce, lower the heat and bring to a simmer.
**Note: You can totally make your own marinara sauce for this recipe, if you have a favorite or you just refuse to use store-bought sauce. I’m not going to lie, I really like Rao’s sauce (not sponsored) and so I always just use that because I simply don’t have the time or patience to make my own.**
Stir in the gnocchi and fresh basil and cook over low heat, stirring often, until the gnocchi have become soft and tender, about 10 minutes.
**Note: Again, you can make your own gnocchi, but this is meant to be an easy weeknight recipe and we don’t always have the time to make everything 100% from scratch.**
Turn off the heat and then sprinkle the top evenly with mozzarella and bread crumbs. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.
**Tip: You can also place it under the broiler for the last minute or two to brown the top. If you want a deeper crust on the dish.**
Carefully remove the pan from the oven, and sprinkle with a bit more fresh basil, either torn or cut into strips. Or if the leaves are small enough, you can just sprinkle them on whole.
Serve it with a green salad on the side and of course, you can’t forget some sliced crusty French bread for sopping up all that delicious sauce. Make sure you have lots of bread. So what if there’s already a carb overload. It’s comfort food after all.
Random note: But if you don’t have a large enough oven-safe skillet you can transfer everything to a casserole dish, top with cheese and bread crumbs and bake as directed. I have this enamel casserole braiser from Amazon. It’s sturdy, shallow and I use it all the time. Plus it won’t break the bank (compared to other dutch ovens).
If we’re talking comfort food, which we all should be right now because it’s officially comfort food season, then this recipe is the one to make. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s delicious. You can’t beat that. Let me know what you think below. As always, thank you so much for following along and reading. It means the world to me.
Baked Parmesan Chicken Gnocchi
Equipment
- skillet
- wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken or chicken sausage*
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 small brown onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 (32oz) jar marinara sauce
- 1 (17.5oz) package gnocchi
- 1/4 cup fresh basil torn or sliced, plus more for topping
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup Panko or Italian breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Set a large (oven-safe) shallow skillet over moderate heat. Once hot, drizzle in the oil and add the chicken. Use a wooden spoon to break it up and cook until browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the granulated garlic, granulated onion, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, oregano, dried basil, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, giving it a good stir.
- Stir in the onion and garlic and cook for a minute or two to soften, and just begin to brown. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds or so to develop the flavor. Add the pasta sauce, lower the heat and bring to a simmer. Stir in the gnocchi and fresh basil and cook over low heat, stirring often, until the gnocchi have become soft and tender, about 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and then sprinkle the top evenly with mozzarella and bread crumbs. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. You can also place under the broiler for the last minute or two to brown the top. Remove from the oven and top with fresh basil before serving. Enjoy!
This looks amazing. Two delicious things in one… how can you not love it?!
we enjoyed this tonight – perfect comfort food for a chilly fall evening! Thanks for another great recipe!
This was delicious, easy to make, and even my 2 year old told me it was good (and that is very high praise). I see this joining the regular rotation of weeknight meals throughout the fall and winter.
Absolutely delicious! And quite easy to make as well. I personally loved using ground chicken here instead of chicken breasts — such a great idea!