Easy Skillet Tuscan Gnocchi Recipe with Sausage
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Tuscan Gnocchi recipe is a simple one-skillet dish that’s utterly delicious! Cooked in a creamy tomato sauce with savory Italian sausage, fresh spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh herbs– It’s a 30-minute, go-to meal when you’re craving comfort food made easy!
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email, and we’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get delicious new recipes from us every Friday!
On busy, hectic days… or lazy weekends when you want a homemade meal but also want it simple to make, with few ingredients and easy cleanup, this skillet pasta recipe is my answer. Oh, and did I mention… delicious?!
What I Love About This Skillet Gnocchi Recipe
- It’s delicious: If you love gnocchi and Tuscan flavors, this is an easy recipe to love and make often.
- One Skillet: If you love easy cleanup, you will also love this skillet gnocchi recipe– because after all, who doesn’t love the joy of having one pan to clean? Not me!
- Handful of ingredients: There are days when simple and easy recipes with only a handful of ingredients are absolutely wonderful. Maybe even be necessary when schedules get a bit hectic, or dinner is later than anticipated… or we’ve off to an event, and it’s either takeout or an easy dinner at home.
Before we get into the specifics of this easy gnocchi recipe, like ingredients and how to make it, let’s cover a really important question…
What is gnocchi and how do you pronounce it?
Gnocchi is the plural of gnocco, an Italian variety of dumpling that has been around since Roman times. Although recipes vary from region to region, the three most basic ingredients are cooked mashed potato, flour (farina), and eggs (uova).
Most English speakers pronounce gnocchi in one of two ways: “naw-kee” (UK) or “noh-kee” (US). To pronounce it in Italian, watch this video:
Ingredients for Tuscan Sausage Gnocchi Recipe:
This one-pan meal combines a creamy tomato sauce with Italian sausage (mild, sweet, or spicy– your preference), garlic, spinach, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. What makes this recipe exceedingly simple is that the ingredients I’m using are simple, ready-made, and pantry ingredients I often have on hand.
- Gnocchi: You can use fresh, vacuum-packed (which I’m using here), dried (found in the pasta aisle at the market), or frozen.
- Sausage: Look for bulk Italian sausage with the casings removed, although you can also use Italian sausage links and remove the casings before cooking. Use your favorite mild, sweet, or spicy Italian sausage.
- Aromatics: Garlic cloves, minced or pressed, and fresh herbs like parsley or basil works beautifully in this dish. I also add red pepper flakes for a nice flavor contrast, especially if I’m using a mild Italian sausage.
- Tomato sauce: To create a delicious and easy pasta sauce, you only need broth for the base, tomato paste for a concentrated and delicious tomato flavor, milk or coconut milk, and a splash of cream (or half and half). Finally, you’ll add sun-dried tomatoes, which I love to keep stocked in my refrigerator. My preference is oil-packed tomatoes for optimum flavor.
- Greens: I love fresh baby spinach in this dish, but you can also use frozen spinach that’s thawed and drained of any liquid. Or, substitute your favorite green like kale, chard, beet leaves, or mustard greens.
How to Make Tuscan Sausage Gnocchi in One Skillet
These easy step-by-step instructions are also in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1: Cook sausage
Heat olive oil on medium heat in a large skillet. Add crumbled sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Then, stir in the tomato paste.
Step 2: Add gnocchi and tomato cream sauce.
To the same skillet add uncooked gnocchi, broth, milk, cream, and garlic to the skillet with sausage; stir and bring to a boil. Cover and let the gnocchi cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Step 3: Toss in tomatoes and greens
Uncover and add the sun-dried tomatoes and fresh spinach. Cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, until the spinach wilts. For a thicker sauce, cook a little longer—season with salt and black pepper to taste. I also like to sprinkle some red pepper flakes for extra flavor!
Gnocchi Recipe Leftovers: Storing and Reheating
If you’re fortunate to have leftovers, this pasta dish is easy to store and reheat.
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: It freezes well in an airtight freezer container for up to 2 months.
- Reheating in the microwave: Reheat this refrigerated gnocchi recipe in a microwave oven for about 1 minute. Depending on your microwave, you may need to reheat for 30 seconds or more.
- Reheating on the stovetop: Heat a skillet on low-medium heat and add the gnocchi with a bit of cream, half-and-half, or milk to thin the sauce. Cook until heated through.
More Italian Recipes You Might Want to Try
SAVE THIS AND PIN IT FOR LATER!
If you are not already, you can follow me on Pinterest and keep up with me on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. If you make this recipe, I would love it if you would tag me in your photos and leave a star rating below!
To be notified of new recipes, subscribe to my e-mail list. It’s free, and you’ll also receive a free e-book of our reader’s favorite recipes.
Easy Skillet Tuscan Gnocchi Recipe with Sausage
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3/4 pound sausage cooked and crumbled
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or water
- 1 cup milk or coconut milk
- 1/4 cup whipping cream (or additional coconut milk)
- 1 lb gnocchi
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1/4 cup herbs like fresh parsley or basil
- Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Heat olive oil on medium heat in a large skillet. Add crumbled sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste.
- To the skillet with sausage, add uncooked gnocchi, broth, milk, cream, and garlic, stir and bring to a boil. Cover and let the gnocchi cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Uncover and add the sun-dried tomatoes and fresh spinach. Cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, until the spinach wilts. For a thicker sauce, cook a little longer—season with salt and black pepper to taste. For serving, I like to sprinkle Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes for extra flavor!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
I have made this recipe twice now. It’s easy and delicious.
Yay! Thank you, Stacy for making it and letting me know how it worked for you!