
It’s no secret that I love a good mac and cheese. So this time around I figured why not use potato gnocchi instead of macaroni? The end result is a cheesy delicious dish that the whole family will love.

What is Gnocchi
If you’ve never heard of potato gnocchi it’s basically an Italian Pasta made out of mashed potatoes plus a few other ingredients. What I like about using gnocchi is it typically cooks a lot quicker than traditional pasta noodles.

You know your Gnocchi is ready when they start to float to the top of the boiling water. Don’t overcook them as they will get soggy.
This means you should monitor the boiling pot closely. It will take longer to bring the water to a boil than to cook the Gnocchi.

Ingredient Substitution
If you don’t have any white pepper on hand you can substitute for some ground black pepper without affecting the overall flavor of this mac and cheese. You can also substitute the white cheddar cheese for yellow cheddar or some Colby jack cheese.

Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Gnocchi Mac and Cheese recipe (see recipe card for quantities): Unsalted Butter, All Purpose Flour, Parmesan Cheese, Salt, White Pepper, Garlic Powder, Dijon Mustard, Potato Gnocchi, Paprika, White Cheddar Cheese, Milk. Optional ingredients: Parsley, Green Onions and Bacon.
How to Make Gnocchi Mac and Cheese
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Cook the Gnocchi according to directions on the package. Should be approximately 3 minutes when the gnocchi starts to float to the top.
- In a skillet over medium heat, add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the all purpose flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute.
- Slowly pour in the milk and whisk until smooth. Stir for about 2 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the cheddar cheese and stir until the cheese has melted and smooth. Stir in the dijon mustard, salt, paprika, white pepper and half the parmesan cheese.
- Fold in the cooked gnocchi and stir until well combined. Top with the remaining parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for approximately 5 minutes.
- Optionally garnish with parsley, green onions and/or bacon.
More Recipe Ideas
Printable Recipe Card

Gnocchi Mac and Cheese
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Ingredients
- 2 lbs Potato Gnocchi, cooked
- 6 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
- ½ Cup All Purpose Flour
- 2 ¾ Cups Milk
- 8 oz White Cheddar Cheese, grated
- 2 Tsp Dijon Mustard
- ½ Tsp Salt
- ¼ Tsp Paprika
- ⅛ Tsp White Pepper
- ½ Tsp Garlic Powder
- ⅔ Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated, divided
Toppings (Optional)
- 1 Tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped
- ¼ Cup Green Onions, chopped
- ¼ Cup Bacon, cooked & chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Cook the Gnocchi according to directions on the package. Should be approximately 3 minutes when the gnocchi starts to float to the top.
- In a skillet over medium heat, add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the all purpose flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute.
- Slowly pour in the milk and whisk until smooth. Stir for about 2 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the cheddar cheese and stir until the cheese has melted and smooth. Stir in the dijon mustard, salt, paprika, white pepper, garlic powder and half the parmesan cheese.
- Fold in the cooked gnocchi and stir until well combined. Top with the remaining parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for approximately 5 minutes.
- Optionally garnish with parsley, green onions and/or bacon.
This gnocchi Mack and cheese is to die for. Love making it. It is so creamy and very tasty. I did not have white pepper, so I used black pepper. To me it did not make a difference. Thanks to the chef for posting this recipe.