When we came home from Italy six months ago, I was going to try and recreate some of the amazing pasta dishes we had while we were there. Well life happens, and I’ve only manage to do it one time, and I didn’t even write down what I did. Totally stupid on my part because it was almost a dead ringer for one of the fabulous dishes we had. Hopefully I can do it again, and this time I’ll actually write it down.
Before our trip, I’d never had gnocchi which is really sad because it is so, so good. My husband ordered it one night and it was in some amazing cream sauce with bacon . . .completely fabulous. I fell in love with gnocchi that night. So although this Italian Sausage Gnocchi recipe doesn’t even remotely resemble what my husband had, it’s still pretty amazing.
My son Taylor declared it one of his new favorite pastas, he loved it. Even my picky, picky Braydon loved it so I knew it was a winner. You will love this dish because it’s simple to make, uses one skillet and you can have dinner on your table in about 30 minutes. Serve it with a nice green salad and some bread and bam, you’ve got yourself one delicious meal. If you wanted to make this on the “healthier” side, I’m sure turkey or chicken sausage would be delicious too.
Yum! Just look at that pan of gooey, cheesy deliciousness! Try not to eat the entire pan.
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 1 (16 oz) package potato gnocchi
- 1 lb Italian sausage (I used mild)
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 tsp. basil
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 (10-oz) can Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles (I pulsed in a blender first)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Italian cheese blend (or Mozzarella is fine)
- 3/4 cup shredded Mozzarella
- Chopped , fresh basil
- Season with salt and pepper , if desired
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Melt butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add gnocchi in a single layer and cook on one side for 2-3 minutes until browned and toasted. Shake the pan to toss the gnocchi and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes, tossing occasionally, until both sides are toasted. Remove gnocchi to a plate and set aside.
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Return the skillet to the stove and add the Italian sausage, onion, garlic, basil and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage is browned. Drain if necessary.
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Add the tomatoes, broth, and gnocchi back into the skillet. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 5 minutes, remove lid and continue to simmer for 4-5 more minutes or until liquid is mostly absorbed.
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Remove from heat, and add the cream and 1/2 cup cheese and stir to combine. Top with remaining cheese. Place the skillet under the broiler in the oven until cheese is browned and bubbly, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped, fresh basil.
Recipe Source: Inspired by this post at Kevin and Amanda
Should you thaw frozen gnocchi first, or add to the melted butter frozen?
I didn’t use frozen gnocchi, but no, I wouldn’t thaw it first. Enjoy.