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Creamy sausage gnocchi is a simple 30-minute, one-pan recipe that tastes like a dish from a fine dining restaurant! The recipe features basic ingredients found in most pantries, including the basic tomato sauce for pasta, spinach, and Italian sausage.
Creamy sausage gnocchi - main ingredients:
This one-pan meal combines creamy tomato sauce with spicy Italian sausage, garlic, spinach, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. The recipe uses basic ingredients such as store-bought gnocchi and tomato pasta sauce.
- Gnocchi. I used store-bought potato gnocchi, Delallo brand, made with 85% potatoes.
- Sausage. Crumbled spicy Italian sausage works the best. You can also use Italian sausage links (casings removed, sausage links sliced). Or, use mild or sweet Italian sausage - and add some spice to it!
- Tomato sauce for pasta. Use your favorite tomato sauce - it can be a store-bought pasta sauce or marinara sauce. Any flavor will work: traditional, tomato basil, arrabbiata, or garlic tomato sauce.
- Greens. I use fresh spinach to add some veggies to this recipe. You can also use frozen spinach - thawed and drained of any liquid. Or, use kale instead.
Why make this recipe?
Sausage gnocchi is a simple and quick dinner (only 30 minutes of your time!) which makes it a perfect choice to make on a busy weeknight. This dish is so comforting, creamy, and flavorful - it will become your new favorite comfort food! Another thing I love about this one-pan meal is that for such a small amount of effort you get a beautiful dish that tastes and looks like an entree from a high-end restaurant! I do hope you give this recipe a try and let me know in the comments if you liked it!
If you like sausage pasta recipes, be sure to check out this delicious sausage tortellini soup with spinach or this popular recipe on my site: skillet mac and cheese with sausage and bell peppers
One-pan 30-minute meal
In this recipe, everything is cooked in one skillet: sausage, spinach, tomato cream sauce, and even gnocchi! The clean-up after dinner is minimal - only 1 cooking dish to clean! Because of the simplicity of this recipe and how tasty it is, this recipe might become one of your family's favorite weeknight dinners!
What type of gnocchi to use?
I used potato gnocchi, a Delallo brand, made with 85% potatoes. They work beautifully in this recipe.
Do you need to pre-cook the gnocchi?
You don't need to pre-cook the gnocchi for this recipe. Just add the uncooked gnocchi directly to the sauce (heavy cream + chicken broth). The gnocchi will cook in the same pan with the sauce and the sausage. This saves you one more pan to clean and minimizes the cleanup. Also, as you cook the gnocchi in the sauce, the starch from gnocchi is released which helps to thicken the sauce. What you have in the end is the sauce of a very nice, thick consistency. I use heavy cream in this recipe, but half-and-half can be used instead.
What type of sausage to use with gnocchi?
- Crumbled Italian sausage. I used 15 oz of crumbled spicy Italian sausage. I love spicy sausage, and because it is used with pasta, the spiciness of the final dish is actually pretty mild overall since the sausage is mixed with gnocchi, the tomato cream sauce, etc.
- Italian sausage links. You can also use Italian sausage in casings. I would remove the casings and slice the sausage.
- Sweet or mild Italian sausage. You can also use sweet or mild Italian sausage - in this case, I do recommend adding some spice, such as red pepper flakes.
Storage and reheating tips
Because the sauce is made only with heavy cream, chicken broth, tomato pasta sauce, and without any cheese, this recipe is very easy to store and reheat. You can also easily make this ahead.
- Fridge. Store creamy sausage gnocchi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer. Freeze it in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
- Reheat in the microwave oven. Reheat the refrigerated sausage gnocchi in a microwave oven for about 1 minute. Taste and reheat for 30 seconds more, if needed.
- Reheat on the stovetop. Reheat this dish in a large, high-sided skillet on the stovetop on low-medium heat. When using this method, add a small amount of heavy cream, or half-and-half, or milk to thin out the sauce when reheating.
What to serve with sausage gnocchi
- Bread. Serve this easy recipe with something equally simple, such as a slice of store-bought, warm Italian bread, garlic bread, or olive bread loaf. Breadsticks are great, too!
- Simple salad. Because the sausage gnocchi dish is made with a rich and luscious cream sauce, a fresh salad is a great choice. I would suggest a basic spinach or arugula salad, probably sprinkled with toasted nuts, a small amount of shredded Parmesan or crumbled goat cheese, and dressed with your favorite salad dressing!
Other creamy sausage pasta recipes you might like
- Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta with Sausage and Spinach
- Creamy Mozzarella Pasta with Smoked Sausage
- Creamy Sausage Tortellini with Spinach, Tomatoes and Mozzarella cheese sauce
Creamy Sausage Gnocchi - One-Pan, 30-Minute Meal
Ingredients
- 15 oz Italian sausage spicy, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 16 oz potato gnocchi
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning or Herbs from Provence
- 13 oz tomato sauce such as tomato pasta sauce or marinara
- 5 oz spinach fresh
- salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste
- red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat in a large, high-sided skillet.
- Add crumbled sausage and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes, crumbling it.
- To the same skillet with sausage, add uncooked potato gnocchi, chicken broth, heavy cream, minced garlic, Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil on medium heat and stir everything well. Cover with lid, and allow the gnocchi to cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat, while the sauce boils.
- Add tomato pasta sauce and stir it well. Add fresh spinach, and cook on medium heat, stirring frequently for 5 minutes until the spinach wilts to your liking. Cook longer if you would like a thicker sauce.
- Mix everything well. Remove from heat.
- Season with salt, freshly ground coarse black pepper, and red pepper flakes, if you like.
- Tip: use your best judgment about the salt. If the sausage is salty enough, you might not need to add any extra salt.
Notes
- Chicken broth is used in this recipe. However, you can also use white wine, red wine, or water instead! Frankly, I've used water in this recipe, too, and there was no loss of flavor!
- Tomato sauce. It can be a store-bought pasta sauce or marinara sauce. Any flavor will work: traditional, tomato basil, arrabbiata, or garlic tomato sauce.
- Sausage. I used crumbled spicy Italian sausage. Italian sausage links can be used, too, with casings removed and sausage links sliced. You can also use sweet or mild Italian sausage (add some spice in this case!)
- Italian seasoning of Herbs from Provence. The mix that I used contained dried rosemary, thyme, parsley, tarragon, marjoram, basil, and sage.
- Cook gnocchi right in the same pan! Gnocchi releases the starch, which actually helps to thicken the sauce without adding any cheese or cornstarch. This also minimizes a clean-up since you're using only one pan for the whole recipe!
- Heavy cream or half-and-half - either can be used!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I just found this recipe and while it sounds delicious I was wondering can you sub tortellini instead of gnocchi? I’m not a fan of gnocchi. If I can sub tortellini do you have any recommendations on cooking time as well as getting the sauce to thicken up?
Hi Caroline! Yes—you can totally swap tortellini for the gnocchi! Just simmer the uncooked tortellini in the sauce for 3–4 minutes (check your package), and to thicken the sauce—since tortellini won’t release starch like gnocchi—let it simmer uncovered a bit longer or stir in a spoonful of cornstarch mixed with water (a slurry).
Absolutely delicious. Will be making more often. My fiance and I said this recipe is restaurant quality!
Hi Kory! Restaurant quality?! You just made my day!! So glad you and your fiancé loved it ❤️
A family favorite! Super easy and quick. Very adjustable to taste or what’s on hand. (I add mushrooms or zucchini and fresh or stewed tomatoes ) Everyone loves this! Positively delicious
Hi Ann! Love that it’s a family fave!! ❤️ And your additions sound so good — mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes… yum!! So glad it’s a hit every time!! 🙂
Made this tonight, perfection. Definitely a keeper.
Thank you, Tanya, so glad you loved it! 🙂
Very pleased with this dish. I do have a question: The sauce was grainy, not velvety. Is it possible the cooking time of the cream is off, or maybe cream is added at wrong point as recipe is written? I typically find cream style recipes add cream right before serving. Any thoughts, tips or tricks? Gnocchi is new to me so maybe it is a potato starch issue vs a cream issue.
Mitch, I am absolutely thrilled you enjoyed it—thank you! ❤️
A grainy sauce can happen for a few reasons:
➡️ Heat: Cream can turn grainy if it boils hard. Once cream goes in, keep it at a gentle simmer and stir.
➡️ Timing: I add cream earlier so the gnocchi cooks in it and soaks up flavor. That said, if you prefer, you can absolutely try stirring in the cream after the gnocchi has cooked in the broth/tomato sauce instead. Both methods work, just slightly different results.
➡️ Gnocchi starch: You’re right, gnocchi releases starch as it cooks, which thickens the sauce. Usually this helps create a creamier texture, but depending on the brand, it can sometimes give a bit of a grainy mouthfeel.
My best tip would be to lower the heat as soon as the cream goes in, and stir frequently. You can also try adding the cream at the very end.
Doubled this recipe this evening for my husband and two teen boys. Yum! I appreciate that your recipes are quick and easy and perfect for a healthy weekday meal after a day at work.b
Hi Ashley! Love that you doubled it up for the whole crew — teen boys are the real test and “yum” is the best review!! 🙂
Does this turn out more like a soup consistency?
To me it's not a soup consistency but more like a very saucy dish, but you could say it has a creamy soupy consistency. If you don't like that, just add more gnocchi.
Absolutely delicious!
Thanks for the 5-star review, Dianna! 🙂
So delicious!!! This recipe is very easy to make, I’ve already made it four times. It came out perfect every time and my whole family loves it. Thank you.!
I am so happy your family loves this dish. Thank you so much for your 5-star review, Gretchen! 🙂
This was excellent! Family loved it.
So happy to hear that, Maria! Thank you for your 5-star review! ❤️
Absolutely delicious!!!! Even my picky eater loved it!
I am so happy to hear that, Gretchen!
So good!!loved this for my entire family! Easy to put together and the one pan makes clean up easier later!
Yay, I’m so happy to hear it was a hit with your whole family! And yes, one-pan meals are the ultimate life-saver when it comes to clean-up! 🙂 🙂
I really enjoyed this recipe, I just bought myself a nice Dutch oven and this was the recipe I broke it in with the only thing I changed was chopping up a large red bell pepper and cooking it with the meat in the beginning (I also made a huge batch because I have 5 kids lol). I'm getting over an illness and was just really wanting something to brighten it up and it worked wonderfully. I personally feel that parmesan is a must for this dish, I shredded up a ton and also used some to garnish... It was very good. This was perfect with a bread on the side.
Love this so much—thank you for sharing!! What an honor that this was the first recipe you made in your brand new Dutch oven! And yes to the mountain of Parmesan (always!). 🙂
I want to make this tonight so badly! But all I have is breakfast sausage, and the only sauce I have is Bertolli Vodka sauce. Very sad
Sorry for my late response, but Bertolli Vodka sauce should work just fine here, but I would still use only Italian sausage.