So this is the kind of dinner where you don’t need to measure too precisely, don’t need to think too much, and can just throw a bunch of things in a pan, including all the veggies that are almost past their best. Is that the kind of dinner you need today?

This Gnocchi Wants to Help You Clean out Your Fridge

This recipe is the reason I will forevermore keep a pack of gnocchi, a can of beans, and a jar of pesto in the pantry at all times. Because from these three staples we can add whatever veggies and whatever cheeses are available to create the most delicious family sized tray bake!

I tested this six times with so. many. things. And it’s always good! What I am showing you today is my absolute favorite combo: gnocchi, cannellini beans, purple broccoli, sweet potato, asparagus, pepper, onion and cherry tomatoes + green basil pesto + feta and mozzarella for cheese… this is just perfect for me. But yours could be different! I will give you all the info you need to customize this to your heart’s content.

Since it’s all cooking in one pan, and we only add things in two stages, you are going to end up with a little inconsistency in how things roast – for me that is OK! My purple broccoli could be considered overdone but I still love it, while the sweet potato is soft and melty but doesn’t cook long enough to get a crispy edge, hey, I’m cool with that too. Sometimes you’ll include more liquidy veggies and things won’t get so crispy but will be juicier – this is also good. No matter what I include, I get lots of fun textures, colors, and flavors, and I am always happy. I hope you will be too!

If you regularly find yourself needing to use up a ton of veggies in a one-pot dinner, you may also be interested in my Pesto Chickpea Bake, Roasted Vegetable Enchilada Casserole and Easy Roasted Vegetable Pasta Bake recipes!

Choosing Your Veggies

  • You want veggies that will roast well in about 25 minutes. Peppers, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, sweet potato or squash, asparagus, zucchini, and eggplant have all worked for me here.
  • Asparagus gets very soft, and purple broccoli or broccolini gets very crisp in that time so you could say they’re overdone, but I love them overdone! You can choose for yourself whether to include those.
  • If you’re using mushrooms, zucchini, or a watery squash, just note that liquid will leach out as they cook, and your veggies may not end up crisping so much, but they will get juicy and that’s good too!
  • I personally don’t roast the cherry tomatoes with the other veggies – I add them in raw alongside the cheeses to avoid them leaching liquid during the roasting process.
  • Fresh leafy greens can be added alongside the pesto and cheese. This is great with kale, which really bulks it up too.
  • If you’re using sweet potato or butternut squash, you need to chop it really small or it won’t cook all the way through in time. I made pieces that were similar in size to the gnocchi but sliced thinner. It isn’t going to get super crispy, but it will get melty and creamy, and I love it.

Choosing Your Gnocchi

I use shelf stable dried potato gnocchi for this, which does not need to be pre-boiled. It goes in the pan from the beginning to roast alongside the veggies.

If you want to swap in fresh gnocchi, sweet potato gnocchi or cauliflower gnocchi – go for it! But in this instance, I would suggest you pre-boil the gnocchi and only add it in Step 4.

If shelf stable gnocchi is a pantry staple in your home, you may also be interested in my recipes for One Pot Gnocchi Caprese, Easy Baked Gnocchi with Frozen Vegetables and Easy One Pan Kale Gnocchi – all easy one pan dinners!

Choosing Your Pesto

I use green pesto, and honestly, I rarely say this but jarred pesto is your best bet for this recipe! Fresh pesto is so delicate that you don’t want to cook it – the bright basil flavor dies out when it’s exposed to heat for too long. Jarred pesto has generally been heat treated and its flavor sustains.

Feel free to use basil pesto, red pesto, or roasted pepper pesto; they would all work here.

Choosing Your Cheese

Crumbled feta adds creaminess and flavor throughout the dish, and I highly recommend it. I did try this with dollops of ricotta instead, and while it was tasty enough, it was all round a bit less flavorful, but a worthwhile sub if that’s all you have. Goat cheese would also work.

For topping, I use torn fresh mozzarella which crisps up and adds pockets of melty gooey cheese but does not entirely cover the dish. If you’d rather use grated cheese, go ahead.

The Best Pan for the Job

  • We want to go as LARGE as possible – I use a 42cm / 16 inch roasting tin. The more surface area we have in the pan, the more effectively the veggies can roast, and the more we can fit in! My pan is high sided. A lower sided half sheet pan will work too, but not a flat one.
  • I recommend using a metal pan if possible, because it conducts heat more quickly and will give the veggies a crisper roast. If you need to use glass or ceramic, that is OK – just note that glass and ceramic conduct heat more slowly, so you may therefore need a slightly longer oven time than the recipe states.

Veggie Gnocchi Pesto Tray Bake (Sheet Pan Dinner)

This flexible vegetarian gnocchi dish is a breeze to put together with whatever roasting veggies you have to hand! With pesto, cheese, and beans to add some protein, every bite is a little different. It comes together in one hour, in one pan, and it's a mostly hands off process.
6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 18 oz (500 g) dried packaged gnocchi
  • 1 small sweet potato, cubed
  • 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and sliced
  • 1 bunch purple broccoli or broccolini (tenderstem broccoli), trimmed
  • 1 red pepper, sliced
  • 1 small red onion, cut into wedges
  • 4 tbsp jarred basil pesto, you may want more if using fresh or homemade
  • 14 oz (400 g) canned white beans, drained
  • 8 oz (200 g) feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1-2 cups (225 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 ball fresh mozzarella , stored in water
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • olive oil, for roasting

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 430F / 220C / 200C Fan.
  • Toss the gnocchi plus all of your roasting veggies into a large roasting dish (a metal dish is my preference but if your largest available is glass or ceramic, go for it). Add enough olive oil to lightly coat all of the ingredients, and salt and pepper to taste.
    Note: don't add the cherry tomatoes at this point – those go in later.
    18 oz dried packaged gnocchi, 1 small sweet potato, 1 bunch asparagus, 1 bunch purple broccoli or broccolini (tenderstem broccoli), 1 red pepper, 1 small red onion, olive oil, salt and pepper
  • Bake for 25 minutes, mixing once at the halfway point. The vegetables should be soft and roasted, the sweet potato should be cooked through (or at least very nearly cooked through) before moving on to the next step. You can cook for another 5-10 minutes if necessary.
  • Remove from the oven, add the cherry tomatoes and white beans, and and mix the pesto in with the ingredients.
    14 oz canned white beans, 1-2 cups cherry tomatoes, 4 tbsp jarred basil pesto
  • Crumble the feta into the dish and lightly mix through (we don't want the feta to start melting, we just want it evenly distributed). Then lay the mozzarella slices over the top.
    8 oz feta cheese, 1 ball fresh mozzarella
  • Bake for a further 15 minutes, until the mozzarella is bubbling. Remove from the oven and serve.
Cuisine: Italian American
Course: Dinner
Calories: 543kcal, Carbohydrates: 61g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 51mg, Sodium: 1363mg, Potassium: 741mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 5507IU, Vitamin C: 69mg, Calcium: 429mg, Iron: 8mg