Baked Gnocchi with Cheese and French Onions
Level up your dinner game with this ultimate cheesy baked gnocchi recipe. Featuring rich caramelized onions topped with pillowy potato gnocchi and two types of cheeses, this french onion gnocchi bake takes the classic flavors of french onion soup and turns them into a deliciously easy, fork and knife weeknight meal. Best of all, you'll need just one sheet pan, 8 ingredients, and 10 minutes of hands-on preparation to make it.
Equipment
- 1 Large Rimmed Baking Sheet
- 1 Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 4 large Yellow Onions – thinly sliced (SEE NOTES)
- 4 cloves Garlic – smashed & peeled
- 4 sprigs Thyme Sprigs
- 1-2 TBS Light Brown Sugar (SEE NOTES)
- 6 TBS Olive Oil - DIVIDED
- To Taste Kosher Salt & Ground Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 (16 ounce) package Gnocchi
- ¼ Cup Parmesan – freshly grated, plus more for serving
- 1 ¼ Cup Mozzarella Cheese – freshly shredded
- Optional Garnishes: Balsamic Vinegar Reduction and Fresh Thyme
- Serving Suggestions: Garlic Bread
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Arrange the oven rack to the middle position and then preheat the oven to 375-degrees F.
- Season Onions: Place the onions, garlic, and thyme on a large, rimmed sheet pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar, drizzle with 5 tablespoons of oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Then use your hands or a kitchen spoon to toss everything together the onions are evenly coated with the oil and seasonings.
- Caramelize Onions in Oven: Cover the pan with foil and roast in the oven for 55 minutes – 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until softened and golden in color, removing onions from the oven and tossing the onions 3-4 times throughout roasting (SEE NOTES). Remove the pan from the oven and discard thyme sprigs (SEE NOTES). Drizzle onions with Worcestershire sauce and toss to combine.
- Increase Oven to 450 degrees F. Season Gnocchi: In a medium bowl toss the gnocchi with remaining tablespoon of oil and grated parmesan. Season generously with salt and pepper and then toss to evenly coat the gnocchi in the oil and cheese.
- Bake Gnocchi in Oven: Arrange the gnocchi evenly over the partially caramelized onions. Return the sheet pan to the oven and bake for 12-13 minutes, or until the gnocchi are almost tender.
- Add Cheese, Then Broil: Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly all over the top of the gnocchi. Switch the oven to broil, return pan to oven and cook until the cheese is melted and gnocchi are golden, about 4 minutes.
- Garnish and Serve: Drizzle the oven gnocchi with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle parmesan cheese and fresh thyme evenly over the top. Serve with garlic bread and enjoy immediately!
Notes
- Onions: While yellow onions are my preferred onion to use, you can use whatever variety of onion you prefer – red, sweet or white works as well!
- 4 onions will seem like a lot on the baking sheet, but do not be alarmed. Onions will cook down by a ton (they will shrink to about a 6th of the amount).
- The brown sugar is optional. I used 1 ½ tablespoons because I like the extra depth of sweetness it gives the caramelized onions.
- Roasting onions: I tossed my onions 4 times during baking. Please note, the more you toss the onions, the less likely the edges are to burn and the more evenly they will caramelize.
- If you don’t like roasted garlic, feel free to discard the cloves when you discard the thyme sprigs or you can keep them whole. I removed the cloves, thinly sliced them and then tossed them back in the onions before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 287kcal Carbohydrates: 18g Protein: 4g Fat: 22g Saturated Fat: 3g Cholesterol: 4mg Sodium: 123mg Potassium: 243mg Fiber: 2g Sugar: 9g Vitamin A: 50IU Vitamin C: 12mg Calcium: 114mg Iron: 0.6mg