Spicy Italian Sausage Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Bell Peppers is an easy 30-minute ONE-PAN weeknight meal made with only 5 ingredients! It's a DAIRY-FREE recipe packed with vegetables and protein. You can easily make it GLUTEN-FREE using GF gnocchi. This recipe works great for all kinds of gnocchi: shelf-stable, refrigerated, cauliflower gnocchi, or homemade ones.
30-minute ONE-PAN Italian sausage gnocchi
This easy, dairy-free recipe features only 5 main ingredients (not including olive oil, salt, and pepper): hot Italian sausage, gnocchi, bell peppers, mushrooms, and chicken stock (or water). I cooked everything in one pan: sausage, vegetables, and even gnocchi! This minimizes cleanup and shortens cooking time. It takes only 30 minutes to make this Italian-inspired pasta dish - a great option to have in your dinner rotation for busy weeknights. The recipe is simple, yet the flavors are fantastic! It tastes like an entree from an Italian restaurant.
All the ingredients you need
- Sausage. Use hot Italian sausage in casings. I removed the casings and crumbled the sausage.
- Gnocchi. I used potato gnocchi De Cecco brand. My other favorite brand that I use a lot is DeLallo.
- Mushrooms. I used baby Bella mushrooms in this recipe. You can also use white button mushrooms, crimini, portobello, or shiitake.
- Bell peppers. For the presentation, I used three bell peppers of different colors: green, red, and orange.
- Chicken stock is used to cook gnocchi. You can use water, too.
- Olive oil is for sauteeing bell peppers and mushrooms.
- Salt and pepper are for seasoning the vegetables.
How to make Italian sausage gnocchi
Below are general instructions and step-by-step photos. For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card.
1) Cook bell peppers. In a large, 12-inch cast iron skillet, cook sliced bell peppers (generously seasoned with salt) in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for about 7 minutes until softened. Remove them from the skillet to a large bowl.
2) Cook mushrooms. In the same empty skillet, cook sliced mushrooms (seasoned with salt) on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes until softened. Remove the from the skillet to the same bowl with cooked bell peppers.
3) Cook crumbled sausage in the same empty skillet on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes until browned. Add gnocchi and 1 cup of chicken stock to the skillet with sausage. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook covered for 5 minutes.
4) Assemble by adding back cooked bell peppers and mushrooms, and stir everything together.
Do you need to pre-cook the gnocchi?
No, there is no need to precook it. Add the uncooked gnocchi directly to the skillet with cooked Italian sausage together with 1 cup of chicken broth and cook everything together for 5 to 10 minutes. This saves you one more pan to clean and minimizes the cleanup.
What type of sausage to use with gnocchi?
- Hot Italian sausage. I used 19 oz of hot Italian sausage. It adds so much flavor that you don't even need any spices. You can also use sweet or mild Italian sausage.
- Remove the casings. I removed the casings and crumbled the sausage. You don't have to remove the casings and can slice the sausage links with casings on, but I prefer the texture of the sausage without the casings, so I recommend this step!
Recipe notes
- Make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free gnocchi.
- Toppings. Top this sausage pasta with shredded Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, or cracked black pepper when serving.
- Salt. Use your best judgment, and don't add a lot of salt. Usually, most sausages are quite salty, so don't add any salt or very little, as the whole dish might already be salty enough from the sausage.
Substitutions and variations
- Orzo. Use 1 cup of uncooked orzo and double the chicken stock to 2 cups. Cook orzo in the same pan with sausage for about 10 minutes, and add extra liquid if needed towards the end.
- Short-cut pasta, such as farfalle (bow-tie pasta), penne, rigatoni, fusilli, or orecchiette. In this case, use 2 cups of chicken stock for 8 oz of pasta, and cook the pasta in the same pan with sausage for about 10 or 15 minutes.
- Veggies. You can also use spinach, kale, or fresh tomatoes in addition to or instead of bell peppers and mushrooms. Broccoli, asparagus, frozen peas, and green beans would be delicious, too.
Delicious Add-ins
- Add red wine. Add a splash of dry red wine (about ¼ cup) to the cooked sausage, reduce it briefly for a minute, then add chicken broth and gnocchi. It will add depth of flavor to the recipe.
- Add cheese, such as shredded Parmesan, Romano cheese, Asiago, or Mozzarella.
- Add Cream. Add a splash of heavy cream or half-and-half at the end to make it creamy.
What to serve with it
- Bread. Italian sausage gnocchi pairs well with baguette, garlic bread, olive bread, or sourdough bread. Or, make your own perfectly non-dense loaf of bread in a bread machine.
- Salad. Serve sausage gnocchi with a basic salad, such as a simple spinach salad or arugula salad with pine nuts. Or, make a strawberry spinach salad or tomato cucumber avocado salad.
Storage and reheating tips
Because the sausage gnocchi is made without any cream or cheese, this 30-minute weeknight meal is easy to store and reheat. You can also make this ahead. Here are some tips:
- Fridge. Store sausage gnocchi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer. Freeze the gnocchi in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
- Reheat in the microwave oven. Reheat the refrigerated gnocchi in a microwave oven for about 1 minute. Taste and reheat for 30 seconds more, if needed.
- Reheat on the stovetop. Reheat it in a large, high-sided skillet on the stovetop on low-medium heat.
Other sausage gnocchi recipes you might like
- Creamy Sausage Gnocchi
- Creamy Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Sausage
- Creamy Pumpkin Gnocchi with Spinach and Sausage
- Sausage Gnocchi with Spinach and Tomato Sauce
Spicy Italian Sausage Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Bell Peppers
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 large bell peppers (green, red, and orange), thinly sliced
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms thinly sliced
- 19 oz hot Italian sausage casings removed
- 1 lb gnocchi
- 1 cup chicken stock
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large 12-inch high-sided skillet. Add sliced bell peppers, sprinkle generously with salt, and cook on medium-high heat for about 7 minutes until softened. Remove them from the skillet to a large bowl.
- To the same, now empty, skillet, add sliced mushrooms, sprinkle them with salt, and cook on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes until softened. Remove the from the skillet to the same bowl with cooked bell peppers.
- Add crumbled sausage to the same, now empty, skillet and cook, constantly stirring, on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes until browned.
- Add gnocchi and 1 cup of chicken stock to the skillet with sausage. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook covered for 5 minutes. It's OK if the gnocchi are not completely covered with chicken stock - they will cook in the steam. Remove from heat after 5 minutes of simmering and keep it covered for 5 more minutes. The sausage should be completely cooked, and the gnocchi should have a soft texture.
- Add back cooked bell peppers and mushrooms, and stir everything together.
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.
A very delicious meal! Quick, easy and yummy. I used GF Penne Pasta. Husband liked it too. Thank you♥️
Michele, you're so welcome! ❤️ My husband loved this dish, too! 🙂