Love simple pasta dinners? Try this Cappellini Pasta with Blistered Tomatoes, this One Pot Lemon Orzo pasta or this One Pot Pasta Primavera Recipe! Gnocchi is one of our favorite, easy-to-cook comfort foods and there are so many different ways of making it! This Gnocchi with Sausage and Tomatoes dish is perfect for a long day when you need something quick that you can pair with whatever you have on hand. Even though this gnocchi recipe tastes like indulgent comfort food, it is full of better-for-you ingredients that make it a regular on our table. It’s easy to make, but looks and tastes good enough to have as your main course for special occasions or dinner parties too! It’s made with Italian chicken sausage (which brings so much flavor on its own!), tomatoes, red peppers, spinach, garlic, and dried herbs which we sauté in canola oil before adding our pillowy gnocchi. Love gnocchi? You’ll enjoy this Baked Gnocchi with Sausage, my Italian Sausage Gnocchi Soup, Three Cheese Gnocchi Bake, and this Slow Cooker Chicken Gnocchi Soup too!
Ingredients Needed:
Oil: I used canola oil, but olive oil will work well too. It just has to have a high smoke point to cook the veggies and meat. Veggies: use a red bell pepper and an onion for a great combination of savory and sweet flavors. Sausage: I like to use chicken sausage meat because it is lean and flavorful. You can also use Italian turkey sausage or Italian pork sausage. Seasoning: freshly minced garlic, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper are all you need for some big flavor!
Gnocchi: uncooked (shelf stable) Gnocchi is fine here it will cook in the broth! Broth: I always start with low-sodium broth and adjust salt as needed. If you have salted broth, you may want to omit the salt and season in the end. Tomatoes: cherry tomatoes work well, but you can use any kind of tomatoes here (or omit them if you don’t like tomatoes)! Spinach: freshly chopped spinach leaves add a great freshness, color, and burst of nutrients to this meal. Cheese: use a block of Parmesan cheese that you can shred yourself for the best flavor. When you shred it yourself, it also melts into the dish better.
How to Make Gnocchi with Sausage and Tomatoes
Here is a brief overview! Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.
Tips and Notes
Veggies: feel free to omit the bell peppers, onions, or tomatoes, or swap them with other vegetables your dinner guests enjoy! They add lots of flavors but the recipe will work fine without them. Gnocchi: I have only tested this recipe with shelf-stable gnocchi (dried). You can use homemade gnocchi or store-bought. You may be able to swap it with uncooked pasta, but the cooking time may vary. See the package instructions for more details. Broth: You can use vegetable broth, chicken stock, or vegetable broth as substitutes in a pinch, but bear in mind the salt content of what you use and adjust the recipe as necessary. Spinach: fresh spinach adds color and nutritional value! If you don’t have fresh spinach, try throwing in a chunk or two of frozen spinach during the cooking process. You could also try using fresh basil leaves or arugula for a different flavor. Parmesan: it’s a lot of parm, I know! It adds a ton of flavor and does add to the salt content. You can leave this out for a dairy-free meal, or swap it for another cheese you have on hand.
Gnocchi with Sausage and Tomatoes Variations
Swap the meat. You can substitute the chicken sausage for chopped chicken breasts if you don’t have any on hand. Simply brown in canola oil before adding the rest of the vegetables as the recipe calls for. Mix up the veggies! This recipe is easily customizable, so feel free to stray a little and add what you have in the fridge (just try to keep the same ratio of meat to gnocchi to vegetables!): chopped mushrooms, kale, shredded carrots, or chopped zucchini are great additions. Spice it up. if you love a cozy meal with a bit of heat, add in a pinch or two of red pepper flakes with the rest of the spices. Creamy tomato sauce. This dish is already cheesy, so to make it extra comforting, you can easily make this dish creamy too! Simply add in some heavy cream after cooking with the broth a bit.
Serving Suggestions
While Gnocchi with Sausage and Tomatoes is already filling, I find that bread is the perfect addition to any dinner table. My Garlic Bread or Garlic & Herb Dinner Rolls would go wonderfully with these Italian flavors or try my Homemade Breadsticks to soak up all those flavorful juices! Add even more nutrients with some veggie sides like my Air Fryer Broccoli, Roasted Carrots, or these Air Fryer Green Beans.
More Easy One-Pot Recipes to Try
Italian Sausage Gnocchi Skillet
Italian Crockpot Chicken and Potatoes
Easy Crockpot White Chicken Chili
Green Chile Mac and Cheese
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