Skillet Gnocchi with Italian Sausage
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Bring your neighborhood trattoria home with this easy, one-pan skillet gnocchi dinner. Everything cooks in a large skillet in about 20 minutes — you get the comfort of soft gnocchi and Italian sausage, combined in a flavorful fresh basil and tomato sauce. There’s no need to boil the gnocchi in a separate pot. Use meat, poultry, or plant-based sausage.
This is an easy gnocchi recipes you can make tonight! It pairs convenient pantry ingredients to make a satisfying dinner in about 25 minutes.
I grew up enjoying pasta dinners almost daily in my Italian-American family. Our favorite gnocchi sauces were always the simplest, like this quick homemade marinara sauce with my grandfather’s homemade Italian sausage pasta. Soooo good!
Ingredient notes
- Gnocchi: These Italian pasta dumplings are readily available in grocery stores, in vacuum-packed, shelf-stable packages, or in the refrigerated section. After many taste tests, I’ve settled on this for my favorite supermarket brand.
- Italian sausage: Use any Italian-style sausage, spicy or sweet, made with seasoned ground pork, turkey, chicken, or a plant-based sausage. For quick, even cooking, slice the links into bite-sized pieces or use bulk sausage without casings.
- Tomatoes: Use sun-dried tomatoes for the most umami flavor — try to find soft-textured ones. Or use 1 cup of fresh cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half.
- Parmesan cheese: I always recommend using the best quality Parmesan you can afford. Tip: Buy a big hunk, grate it in a food processor, and store it for weeks in the refrigerator.
Skillet gnocchi recipe steps
1. Soften chopped onions and garlic with olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 2. Add sliced sun-dried tomatoes (or halved cherry tomatoes) and red pepper to the pan.
3. Add sliced sausage (or bulk sausage) and turn the heat to medium-high. 4. Cook 3-5 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink on the surface — it will finish cooking in the sauce.
5. Stir in gnocchi and broth. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook 6-8 minutes. 6. Add chopped basil and cheese and stir into the gnocchi.
Skillet Gnocchi with Sausage, Tomato and Basil
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup (175 g) finely chopped onion, about one small onion
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup (60 g) moist sun-dried tomatoes, sliced, or 1 cup fresh cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1 pound (450 g) uncooked Italian sausage links, sliced 1-inch thick
- 1½ pounds (680 g) potato gnocchi
- 1½ cups (350 ml) chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- Kosher salt
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup sliced basil, or chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large (10-12-inch) skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent, but not browned, about 3 minutes.
- Add the red pepper and sun-dried tomatoes, stirring to blend with the onions, and cook about 1 minute. Add the sausage and turn the heat up to medium-high. Cook the sausage, stirring frequently, until it's no longer pink on the surface, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the gnocchi until they're evenly dispersed with the sausage. Pour in the broth and add ½ teaspoon salt. Bring the broth to a simmer, then lower the heat and cover the pan. Cook until the gnocchi are puffed and the sausage is cooked through, 6-8 minutes. Stir once or twice during the process to ensure the gnocchi aren't sticking to the pan.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese and basil. Transfer to a serving platter or serve from the skillet.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Store leftovers refrigerated for up to 5 days. Drizzle in additional broth or water as needed when reheating, because the pan sauce will be absorbed by the gnocchi as they cool.
- Packaged gnocchi comes in a variety of sizes, ranging from 12 ounces to 17.5 ounces. I tested the recipe using 2 (12-ounce) packages of this brand, but you can successfully use one 16-17.5-ounce package if that’s what you have.
- Use any Italian-style sausage, spicy or sweet, made with seasoned ground pork, turkey, chicken, or a plant-based sausage.
- If your sun-dried tomatoes are very dry and inflexible, soften them for about 5 minutes in hot water before slicing. You can also substitute them with fresh cherry tomatoes, sliced in half.
- Fresh basil adds the best finishing touch to the dish. Instead of using dried herbs, substitute with freshly chopped parsley.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.