There’s absolutely no prep work necessary for this easy dinner recipe that cooks entirely in one dish! Just stir together all of the ingredients and you’ll have a delicious Dump-and-Bake Chicken Marinara Gnocchi in about 30 minutes!
Is gnocchi a staple in your kitchen?
It’s one of those easy, quick-prep meal options that most folks really love, but for some reason it’s just not on my radar screen very often. Instead, I wind up preparing pasta, rice, bread and other starches and carbs instead. But why?!
Gnocchi deserves some love and attention, too!
So today I’m bringing it back in the simplest way I know how: the dump-and-bake method!
There’s no need to make our lives harder than necessary. If you’re like me and you’re juggling a lot (or you just don’t feel like cooking at the end of a busy day), then this meal will come in very handy. Best of all, it’s a fast option that appeals to just about everyone!
I use a package of mini potato gnocchi for this recipe, which I purchase at my local Walmart. You can buy similar products in almost any grocery store, and if you can’t find the mini version, just go with a standard-size gnocchi instead.
The minis have two benefits: (1) they’re the perfect size for my boys to eat without cutting; and (2) they cook even faster than their larger counterparts. The larger gnocchi will totally work, though! You just might need to add a few minutes to the baking time in order to make sure that they’re soft, tender, and fluffy at the end!
I combined the uncooked potato dumplings with cooked, shredded chicken, marinara sauce, chicken broth, and garlic. The gnocchi cooks in the sauce as everything bakes together in the oven, which eliminates the usual step of boiling the gnocchi separately first.
You know I love a good shortcut, and I bet you will too!
The next time you reach for your basic pasta with marinara sauce, I hope that you’ll try this easier, cheesier twist instead. With a quick green salad on the side, you’ll have a perfectly delicious, family-friendly dinner on the table in about 30 minutes! Hoo-rah!
DUMP-AND-BAKE CHICKEN MARINARA GNOCCHI
Dump-and-Bake Chicken Marinara Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups 23 ounce jar marinara sauce
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups cooked diced chicken (about ½ of a rotisserie chicken)*
- 1 16 ounce package mini gnocchi (about 3 cups)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic**
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Garnish: chopped fresh parsley or basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray an 8- or 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together marinara sauce and chicken broth until smooth. Stir in chicken, gnocchi, and garlic.
- Transfer to prepared baking dish.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove dish from the oven, stir, and taste one of the gnocchi. It should be tender and just about done (if it’s still too hard, put the dish back in the oven for a few more minutes). Sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan over top of the dish, and return to the oven for 5 more minutes, or until gnocchi is tender and cheese is browned on top.
Recipe Notes
* For a shortcut, I like to use Tyson Grilled & Ready Shredded Chicken (which you can find in the freezer section), or other similar cooked chicken strips.
** For another shortcut, try using a squeeze bottle of fresh minced garlic, which you can find in the produce section at your grocery store.
Cooking Just for Two? You can cut all of the ingredients in half and bake the gnocchi in a small (1-quart) casserole dish.
Do you find the gnocchi in the pasta aisle or freezer section?
Hi, J! It’s not a frozen product, so you will usually find it near the pasta or rice in just about any regular grocery store. 🙂 Enjoy!
I do love gnocchi, but you’re right, it’s not something that I think to cook too often with! This bake sounds so good, Blair! I love that marinara and easy ingredients in here. Definitely sounds like a winner for dinner!
This looks heavenly! What an awesome and easy dinner!
Yesssss! So easy! 🙂
I just served you delicious recipe with one slight shift, I baked it in four large zucchini “boats.” The kids and my husband loved it , and they all asked me to add it to our right rotation.
Thank you so much!
(I’m trying to give this recipe a 5 stars, but it won’t let me.)
Great idea to serve it in the “boats,” Christy! Thanks for that tip — I bet my kids would love it that way, too. 🙂
What i do not realize is in reality how you’re now not actually a lot more
well-preferred than you might be now. You’re so intelligent.
You know therefore considerably in the case of this
subject, made me in my view imagine it from a
lot of varied angles. Its like women and men are not interested except it’s one thing to do with Woman gaga!
Your own stuffs excellent. At all times care for it up!