Baked Gnocchi Bolognese

Sainsbury's have the most brilliant freshly-made gnocchi, which is a great improvement on the ambient long-life stuff. And at long last they have come up with a decent fresh Bolognese sauce in their Taste the Difference range – not, as so many of the others are, swamped with that overpowering ready-meal cliché, oregano (very un-Italian anyway). It had to be there somewhere of course, but being the last on what seems a pretty authentic list of ingredients it can get cancelled out by adding some fresh chopped basil. This, I’m not ashamed to say, is a total cheat – more of an assembly job really, but if I say it myself, utterly gorgeous.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 x 20 g pack fresh basil
1 x 500 g pack Sainsbury’s fresh gnocchi
1 x 300 g tub Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Bolognese sauce
1 x 300 g tub Sainsbury’s Four Cheese Sauce
3 oz (75 g) grated mozzarella
2 tablespoons fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano
whole nutmeg
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 180°F (350°C).

You will also need an oblong (8 x 6 x 1½ inches/ 20 x 15 x 4 cm) (or square) medium-sized baking dish.

The only actual preparation work you’re going to do is start by chopping the basil leaves – leaving aside 4 nice small sprigs as a garnish – and boil the gnocchi. To do this, bring a large pan of water up to boiling point, add some salt and tip in the gnocchi. Cook them for about 3 minutes: as they’re cooking they rise to the surface of the water, and at that point you hike them out into a bowl, using a draining spoon.

After that spread half the Bolognese sauce over the base of the baking dish and follow that with half the cheese sauce. Next add all the cooked gnocchi in a layer and season with salt and pepper. Now sprinkle in the chopped basil plus half the mozzarella, followed by the rest of the Bolognese sauce and then the remainder of the cheese sauce.

Top with the remaining grated mozzarella, a few gratings of nutmeg, and finally the grated Parmesan. Bake in the oven on a high shelf for 30-35 minutes or until the top is brown and bubbling. Leave it to settle out of the oven for 10 minutes before serving, and garnish each portion with a small basil sprig. A green salad is a good accompaniment.

How to Cheat Hero Ingredients: