Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we wanted to share the PERFECT side dish for your holiday table! This recipe for gnocchi au gratin topped with garlicky breadcrumbs is sure to be a hit. Think of it as a cross between mashed potatoes and mac n cheese. It’s incredibly simple, coming together in about 30-40 minutes, and is cheesy potato goodness! While you can opt to make your own gnocchi, this recipe is easily done with store bought, vacuum sealed gnocchi to speed things up a bit.

We absolutely love a good potatoes au gratin dish. If you’ve never had potatoes au gratin, it’s a French inspired dish with thinly sliced potatoes cooked in cream and butter, and often topped with cheese. It might just be our favorite way to eat potatoes. However, it is not all that easy to make! We’ve had a many a failed attempt, ending up with potatoes that aren’t cooked all the way or just a soggy mess. By using gnocchi that are pre-cooked, instead of sliced potatoes, it avoids these problems altogether. Plus, gnocchi cook SUPER quickly. Most packaged gnocchi cook in under 5 minutes.

Now, what really makes this dish stand out are the garlicky breadcrumbs we use to top off the casserole. These crunchy, slightly spicy breadcrumbs add just the right amount of texture to the dish. When combined with the pillowy, creamy gnocchi au gratin, it creates what we think might be the ultimate potato side dish.

So, try Gnocchi au Gratin out for your upcoming Friendsgiving parties or for your own family Thanksgiving spread. No one will be disappointed. Cheers to the holiday season! Looking for more holiday friendly recipes? Check out our Rosemary Fondant Sweet Potatoes!

Gnocchi au Gratin with Garlicky Breadcrumbs

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 6 People

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: French

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

Gnocchi Au Gratin

• 1 Pound Gnocchi Store-bought, vacuum sealed
• 2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
• 2 Cloves Garlic Minced
• ¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg
• ½ Cup Parmesan Cheese Grated

Garlicky Breadcrumbs

• 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Large Clove Garlic Grated
• 1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
• 1 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• ¾ Cup Unseasoned Panko Breadcrumbs
• ¼ Teaspoon Kosher Salt

Method

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the 2 minced cloves of garlic and cook for about 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
3. Add the 2 cups of heavy cream, nutmeg, and 1 teaspoon Kosher salt and allow to come to a boil. Then, remove from heat.
4. Next, boil the gnocchi according the package instructions. Drain when finished, and add into the cream mixture.
5. Pour the gnocchi and cream mixture into a large casserole dish (we used a 13×9) and bake for 20 minutes at 400F.
6. While gnocchi cook, prepare the breadcrumbs. Add the garlic and olive oil to a frying pan over medium heat. Fry garlic for about 3 minutes, avoiding burning or over browning the garlic.
7. Add the breadcrumbs, parsley, crushed red pepper, and salt and toss well to coat with the olive oil.
8. Spread evenly on the pan, tossing every 30-60 seconds until breadcrumbs are golden brown. Remove from heat.
9. Once the gnocchi have baked about 20 minutes, remove from the oven and add the parmesan cheese on top. Raise the temperature to 450F and bake another 5 minutes or until cheese is browned on top. Top with seasoned breadcrumbs and serve.