This Creamy Sausage Gnocchi is a big pan of TOTAL comfort food. Crispy sausage meat with pillowy light gnocchi in a creamy sauce - it doesn't get much more comforting than that. A one pan dish that is ready in under 20 minutes.
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About this Sausage Gnocchi
Any kind of sausage recipe goes down well in this house and we are big fans of gnocchi too, so are always looking for new ways to use it. That is how we came up with this sausage gnocchi recipe.
Like something you would find in an Italian restaurant, but SO easy to make at home in one pan.
Social media is full of variations of this dish, but we added spinach and sun-dried tomatoes to ours, which we really think adds something special to it and gives it a vegetable boost.
If you are looking for other sausage recipes, why not try our freezer friendly Chicken Sausage Tacos, comforting Sausage Pasta Bake, our super easy Slow Cooker Sausage Casserole or our delicious White Bean and Chicken Sausage Skillet?
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Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Oil - A good quality olive oil.
- Sausages - You can use your favourite sausages, but try to use the best quality you can as you will taste the difference. We used 97% pork sausages. Remember, if you are using a flavoured sausage, then it will change the flavour of the finished dish. You can use ground sausage meat too.
- Onion and garlic - Save yourself some time and use frozen.
- Gnocchi - To make this a super quick gnocchi and sausage recipe, then use a packed of gnocchi (a store cupboard staple in this house).
- Chicken stock - This is the base of the sauce. You can use a good quality stock pot or our Homemade Chicken Stock. You can also swap 100ml of the chicken stock for white wine, which would give it a richer flavour.
- Creme fraiche - This is where all the creaminess too. We would recommend using full fat for the best flavour, however you can use reduced fat. You can also swap it for sour cream or heavy cream.
- Sun-dried tomatoes - Such an easy way to add a flavour boost. You could use a sun-dried tomato paste instead.
- Spinach - An easy way to give a green veggie boost to this sausage with gnocchi. You can use frozen spinach, but make sure it has defrosted and drained of any excess liquid. You can swap it for kale too, but that will need a couple of extra minutes to cook.
- Parmesan - Why not add some extra creaminess?! This will help to thicken the sauce up at the end too.
- Italian seasoning - You can make your own seasoning blend with some garlic, oregano, basil, thyme and red pepper, but we find that having a jar of Italian seasoning makes it so much easier.
Variations
There are lots of simple ways that you can adapt this recipe to make it different every time.
Winter is all about soup in our house, so why not make this into more of a gnocchi soup by adding extra chicken stock? An extra 500ml should be enough to make it more soupy.
We love anything that we can pack out with vegetables and this gnocchi sausage recipe is no exception. When you are cooking the onions, you could add some other quick cooking vegetables like diced bell peppers, courgette (zucchini), aubergine (eggplant) or mushrooms.
If you prefer a tomato based sauce, then halve the chicken stock and add a can of chopped tomatoes or some passata.
How to Make Sausage Gnocchi
- One: Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Squeeze the sausage meat out of the casings and add it to the pan (a). Break the meat up with a wooden spoon and cook for 5-6 minutes. Once cooked remove from the pan and set aside.
- Two: Reduce the heat to low and add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.
- Three: Add the gnocchi to the pan and cook for a further minute.
- Four: Add the stock, seasoning, creme fraiche and sun-dried tomatoes to the pan. Continue cooking for 3 minutes.
- Five: Add the cooked sausage, chopped spinach and grated Parmesan to the pan.
- Six: Cook for a further 3 minutes and then serve. Top with extra Parmesan (optional).
Serving Suggestions
This sausage gnocchi is a big filling meal, and it has some vegetables already in it - but that doesn't mean that you can serve it with extra.
Some vegetable side dishes that go really well with this include our Air Fryer Kale, Microwave Broccoli or Cabbage with Cumin.
Some bread to dip into that delicious creamy sauce is also a must and you can't go wrong with some homemade garlic bread. Why not try our Cheesy Garlic Bread or Air Fryer Garlic Bread?
If you wanted a salad on the side then something like our Watercress Salad or Rocket Salad works well.
Storage
Store: Leftovers of this sausage gnocchi recipe will keep in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Freeze: We wouldn't recommend freezing this because of the creamy sauce. It doesn't defrost well, as the sauce tends to split.
Reheat: You can reheat this in a saucepan on a low heat. It might be quite thick, so you will need to loosen it up a bit with some chicken stock. You can also reheat it in the microwave for about 1 minute and 30 seconds (times vary depending on microwave power).
Dannii's Top Tips
- You can sprinkle some fresh basil on top of the sausage gnocchi just before serving to add a touch of freshness.
- To give a spicy kick to this recipe, then add some red chilli flakes at the same time as the chicken stock.
- You could also use a spicy sausage to give that kick of heat.
- Don't like gnocchi? You can use your favourite pasta shape instead, you will just need to cook it separately and then stir it through at the end.
- If you don't have chicken stock, you can just use water for this recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have the time to make your own then you can us it and it is also a good way to use up leftover mashed potatoes. Try our Leftover Mashed Potato Gnocchi recipe. However, be warned that it is very delicate and won't hold together as well in the sauce, so it might become mushy.
Nope, that is the great thing about this recipe - it all cooks in one pan and the gnocchi cooks in the sauce and the starch that is realised from the gnocchi helps to make the sauce glossy and smooth.
Every pan and hob cooks differently, so if yours is not thick enough, then let it cook a little longer or add some extra Parmesan. If it is getting thick too quickly, then turn the heat down.
More Gnocchi Recipes
If you've tried this sausage gnocchi, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Creamy Sausage Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 400 g (14 oz) Pork sausages
- 0.5 Onion - finely diced
- 2 Garlic cloves - crushed
- 500 g (1.1 lb) Gnocchi
- 400 ml (1.66 cups) Chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 200 ml (0.75 cups) Crème fraîche
- 60 g (0.5 cups) Sun-dried tomatoes
- 100 g (3.33 cups) Spinach - finely chopped
- 30 g (0.33 cups) Parmesan - grated
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon Olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Squeeze the sausage meat out of 400 g Pork sausages and add it to the pan. Break the meat up with a wooden spoon and cook for 5-6 minutes.
- Once cooked remove from the pan and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to low and add 0.5 Onion and 2 Garlic cloves to the pan and cook until softened, about 4 minutes.
- Add 500 g Gnocchi to the pan and cook for a further minute.
- Add 400 ml Chicken stock, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 200 ml Crème fraîche and 60 g Sun-dried tomatoes to the pan. Continue cooking for 3 minutes.
- Add the cooked sausage, 100 g Spinach and 30 g Parmesan to the pan.
- Cook for a further 3 minutes and then serve. Top with extra Parmesan (optional).
Recipe Tips
- You can sprinkle some fresh basil on top of the sausage gnocchi just before serving to add a touch of freshness.
- To give a spicy kick to this recipe, then add some red chilli flakes at the same time as the chicken stock.
- You could also use a spicy sausage to give that kick of heat.
- Don't like gnocchi? You can use your favourite pasta shape instead, you will just need to cook it separately and then stir it through at the end.
- If you don't have chicken stock, you can just use water for this recipe.
Nutritional Information
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The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
alice says
love this!
Bev says
I've made this multiple times - it's really good. Even my husband loves it and he's the fussiest eater ever.
Bev says
Totally delicious! My husband is uber-fussy and he loved this! Really quick too. Use decent sausages, Heck or similar.
TAYLER ROSS says
I made this sausage gnocchi for dinner last night and it was amazing! Super flavorful and easy to make
Brandi says
This is so filling. Very delicious recipe and everyone loved it.
Ann says
This looks so good. I can't wait to try it out. Thanks!
Katherine says
This is such an incredible gnocchi dinner - full of flavor and super quick too.
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
What a great family dinner. All in one pot and I love the crispy sausage bits. too.