Pan-fried golden gnocchi in a lentil and tomato ragù, topped with Parmesan and basil

“Happy 29th in Uruguay, with gnocchi” by Vince Alongi, CC BY 2.0, Source – cropped and recompressed

Gnocchi with Lentil Ragù

with Parmesan

30 min (20 min active) · Easy

You'll need: Stovetop · Frying Pan

Text written with AI assistance and reviewed by our editors

A ragù that tastes like it's been cooking for hours but doesn't even need half of one. The gnocchi come out of the frying pan instead of the pot – golden brown outside, fluffy inside.

Ingredients for 2 servings

2 servings

Hide conversionAmounts also in grams, ounces and cups; the steps show oven temperatures for fan, conventional and gas too.

  • For the ragù
  • 2 tbspOlive oil (≈ 20 g · ≈ ¾ oz)
  • 1Onion (≈ 80 g · ≈ 3 oz)
  • 1Carrot (≈ 80 g · ≈ 3 oz)
  • 2 clovesGarlic (≈ 8 g · ≈ ¼ oz)
  • 1 tbspTomato paste (≈ 15 g · ≈ ½ oz)
  • 100 gBrown lentils (≈ 4 oz)
  • 1 canChopped tomatoes (canned), 400 g (≈ 400 g · ≈ 14 oz)
  • 250 mlVegetable stock (≈ 1 cup)
  • 1 sprigRosemary (≈ 2 g · ≈ ¼ oz)
  • 1 pinchSalt (≈ 0.5 g · ≈ ¼ oz)
  • 2 pinchesPepper (≈ 0.6 g · ≈ ¼ oz)
  • For the gnocchi
  • 500 gGnocchi (chilled) (≈ 1 lb 2 oz)
  • 1 tbspButter (≈ 12 g · ≈ ½ oz)
  • To serve
  • 40 gParmesan, freshly grated (≈ 1½ oz)
  • 1 handfulBasil (≈ 10 g · ≈ ¼ oz)

Contains: Gluten, Milk, Celery

Method

  1. Step 1: Finely dice the onion, carrot and garlic.

  2. Step 2: Heat the oil in a pot and sweat the vegetables for 4 minutes. Add the tomato purée and toast for 1 minute.

    Timer: 5 min

  3. Step 3: Rinse the lentils and add them to the pot with the tomatoes, stock and rosemary. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the lentils are tender. Add a splash of water if needed.

    Timer: 15 min

  4. Step 4: Meanwhile, heat the butter in a frying pan and fry the gnocchi for 7 minutes until golden brown all over.

    Timer: 7 min

  5. Step 5: Remove the rosemary sprig and season the ragù with salt and pepper.

  6. Step 6: Fold the gnocchi into the ragù and serve with Parmesan and basil.

Tips

  • Taste a lentil after 15 minutes – depending on the variety and age, they may need a few minutes longer.
  • Don't boil gnocchi from the chilled aisle – fry them straight away. It saves a pot and gives them a crust.

Swaps

  • Vegan: replace the butter with olive oil and the Parmesan with nutritional yeast.
  • Instead of brown lentils: red lentils, which are cooked in just 10 minutes.

Storage

The ragù keeps for 3 days in the fridge; the gnocchi are best fried fresh.

Nutrition per serving

Nutrition per serving
Calories857 kcal
Protein32 g
Carbohydrates118 g
Fat25 g

Approximate values per serving. Calculated with BLS 4.0.

All recipes in “Main dishes”

You'll also find this recipe in: Dinner in 20 Minutes

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Shopping list

To tick off while shopping; pantry items such as salt and oil come last.

  • 2 tbsp Olive oil
  • 1 Onion
  • 1 Carrot
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 1 tbsp Tomato paste
  • 100 g Brown lentils
  • 1 can Chopped tomatoes (canned)
  • 250 ml Vegetable stock
  • 1 sprig Rosemary
  • 500 g Gnocchi (chilled)
  • 1 tbsp Butter
  • 40 g Parmesan
  • 1 handful Basil

Check the pantry

  • 1 pinch Salt
  • 2 pinches Pepper

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Image credits

Image credits:

  • Cover image: “Happy 29th in Uruguay, with gnocchi” by Vince Alongi, CC BY 2.0, Source – cropped and recompressed
  • Falafel bowl with hummus and herby tabbouleh: “Mixed Plate (3186676853)” by Charles Haynes from Hobart, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, Source – cropped and recompressed
  • Tray of roast vegetables and baby potatoes topped with golden chunks of feta and oregano: “Roasted Vegetables (2897937502)” by Mack Male from Edmonton, AB, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0, Source – cropped and recompressed
  • Shakshuka with eggs, feta and coriander in a frying pan: “Shakshuka by Calliopejen1” by Calliopejen1, CC BY-SA 3.0, Source – cropped and recompressed
  • Spaghetti aglio e olio with chilli and parsley: “Spaghetti aglio e olio (La Mirada Restaurant Richardstraße Berlin)” by IgorCalzone1, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source – cropped and recompressed
  • Tagliatelle in a creamy mushroom sauce with thyme and Parmesan: “주식회사 엔아이에프앤씨 닐리 파스타 음식 사진2-Spaghetti ai funghi” by 최광모, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source – cropped and recompressed
  • Pumpkin curry with chickpeas and lime: “Pumpkin curry (1861461547)” by Upendra Kanda, CC BY 2.0, Source – cropped and recompressed

All image credits