This easy truffle mac and cheese gnocchi has a rich white sauce spiked with black truffle butter and is topped with crunchy breadcrumbs then baked until golden.
Check out this fancied up mac and cheese 🎩
This is the ultimate grown up version of a kid's classic. For my birthday this year my lovely colleagues gave me a whole load of truffle goodies including truffle oil, truffle butter and truffle honey so I've been excitedly trying out all the different ways to add truffle to my food.
This recipe is made with truffle butter but you could definitely use truffle oil in place of the butter if you prefer. It will still taste delicious, I just prefer the richness of the butter so definitely use it if you can.
The gnocchi are like lovely little pillows and they pair perfectly with the crunchy breadcrumb topping and the whole thing is just perfect comfort food.
Why we love this recipe...
It's so much easier than it looks to make this delicious baked pasta dish and the addition of the truffle makes it the perfect dish to impress with.
It's a great vegetarian dinner party dish which can also be served for a lazy dinner.
It's made with gnocchi (although you could make it with pasta if you prefer) which makes it feel extra indulgent
It has a crunchy breadcrumb topping that gets extra crispy in the oven and works perfectly with the soft pillowy gnocchi
Ingredients
Gnocchi: Store bought is fine, cooked according to packet instructions then added to the cheese sauce
Truffle Butter: This goes into the white sauce and the breadcrumbs. You can use truffle oil if you prefer
Flour and Milk: To help create that rich white sauce
Cheese: I use a sharp cheddar and parmesan in the sauce to give that classic mac and cheese flavour but I also add a little parmesan to the breadcrumb topping and it's so good!
Breadcrumbs: You can easily make your own by blending up some stale bread or just use store bought if you prefer
Garlic and Parsley: Also go into the topping
How to make it
Make the cheese sauce: Melt the truffle butter in a saucepan then add the flour and whisk. Pour in the milk and whisk until thick then add the cheese.
Cook the gnocchi & make the breadcrumbs: While the sauce cooks follow the packet instructions to cook the gnocchi. Blend together the breadcrumbs, parmesan, garlic and parsley.
Bake: Mix the gnocchi with the cheese sauce, put in a baking dish and top with the breadcrumbs. Bake until browned.
Expert tips
I used truffle butter for this recipe which tastes delicious and adds a lovely rich flavour but it might not be as easy to get hold of as truffle oil so that will work too if necessary.
If you want to switch up the cheeses in this recipe you totally could, a little mozzarella would be good.
This mac and cheese would definitely be good with an extra vegetable or two. Spinach or kale would be great.
FAQs
What cheese goes well with truffle?
Cheddar compliments the truffle flavour really well so that's what I used here but you could also try mozzarella or another mild creamy cheese. The truffle is a strong flavour so I wouldn't recommend using a strong cheese like a goat's cheese, stilton or any other blue cheese.
What to do with leftovers
You can store any leftovers of this recipe in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat you can heat in the microwave until piping hot.
Want more? Try these other gnocchi recipes!
- 10 Minute Brown Butter Sage Gnocchi
- Salmon Gnocchi Bake with Spinach
- White Wine Gnocchi and Shrimp
- One Pot Gnocchi Bake with Tomato & Mozzarella
- Pan Fried Gnocchi with Spinach and Tomatoes
- Cheese and Tomato Baked Gnocchi
Truffle Mac and Cheese with Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 500 g Gnocchi
- 3 tablespoon Truffle Butter
- 1 ½ tablespoon Flour
- 250 ml Milk
- 70 g Cheddar grated
- 30 g plus 1 tablespoon Parmesan grated
- Salt and Pepper
- 30 g Breadcrumbs
- 1 clove Garlic crushed
- ½ tablespoon Parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 190°C/375°. Cook the gnocchi according to packet instructions then drain and set aside.
- Melt 2 tablespoon truffle butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the flour and whisk for a couple of minutes. Add the milk and continue whisking until the sauce thickens.
- Add the rest of the truffle butter to a food processor with the breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoon parmesan, garlic and parsley and blend until mixed.
- Add the rest of the cheese to the sauce and stir until melted. Season well with salt and pepper. Add the gnocchi to the sauce, stir then tip into a baking dish and top with the breadcrumbs. Bake for 10-15 minutes until browned.
Notes
Like the look of this recipe? Make sure you pin it for later!
Natalie says
Looks and sound so decadent and comforting! I love mac and cheese - so delicious!
kim says
Yum! Love this recipe! So much delicious flavor!
Julia says
Now this is my kind of a mac and cheese. 🙂 Thanks for the inspiration!
Dannii says
What a great idea to use gnocchi instead of pasta. Definitely trying this.
Kate says
Oh my goodness, can there be a better combo than truffle and mac n cheese? Making this for sure!
Karly says
Delicious!