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Creamy Sausage Gnocchi - A quick 30 min ONE POT meal! With crumbled Italian sausage, sneaked in spinach and the best tomato cream sauce ever!

A quick 30 min ONE POT meal! With crumbled Italian sausage, sneaked in spinach and the best tomato cream sauce ever!

Creamy Sausage Gnocchi - A quick 30 min ONE POT meal! With crumbled Italian sausage, sneaked in spinach and the best tomato cream sauce ever!

New year, new you, new cream sauce. A cream sauce so heavenly with perfectly cooked potato gnocchi, crumbled Italian sausage, and sneaked in greens for those picky eaters.

Creamy Sausage Gnocchi - A quick 30 min ONE POT meal! With crumbled Italian sausage, sneaked in spinach and the best tomato cream sauce ever!

why i love this recipe

  • 30 min meal. This restaurant-quality dish comes together lightning fast in 30 min from start to finish, an absolute weeknight hero.
  • One pot meal. Everything cooks in one single pot, even the uncooked gnocchi soaking up all the sauce, making clean up an absolute breeze. Less dishes means less time for clean up!
  • Flexible recipe. Any lingering veggies (ex. chopped bell peppers and broccoli florets) or extra herbs can be thrown right in for a great clean-out-the-fridge meal.
Creamy Sausage Gnocchi - A quick 30 min ONE POT meal! With crumbled Italian sausage, sneaked in spinach and the best tomato cream sauce ever!

tips and tricks for success

  • Use your favorite meat. Italian sausage (sweet or spicy), ground beef, chicken or turkey will all work very well here.
  • Add in leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in leafy greens for those picky eaters. Spinach, kale, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all great options.
  • Add the cream slowly. Always add the heavy cream at the very end, pouring very slowly to prevent curdling.
  • Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
Creamy Sausage Gnocchi - A quick 30 min ONE POT meal! With crumbled Italian sausage, sneaked in spinach and the best tomato cream sauce ever!

Tools For This Recipe

Dutch oven

Creamy Sausage Gnocchi: Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of sausage do you recommend for this recipe?

Sweet or spicy Italian sausage are both great options. Ground beef also works beautifully here.

What is tomato sauce? Is it the same as passata?

Tomato sauce, in the US, is tomato puree typically cooked down for a thick, smooth consistency with a relatively sweet flavor. Passata is simply uncooked tomato purée. You can use passata in place of tomato sauce, but it is not a completely equal substitute.

Do I have to cook the gnocchi first?

Not at all! That is the beauty of this recipe – the uncooked gnocchi cooks right in that tomato saucy goodness.

What gnocchi is best here?

We love cauliflower potato gnocchi but any gnocchi of your choosing should work very well in this recipe.

What can I substitute for the spinach?

Kale, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all great options to swap out the spinach.

What is heavy cream?

Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) has one of the highest fat contents with about 36-40% fat. Half and half or whole milk are suitable substitutes, but will yield a lighter result.

Creamy Sausage Gnocchi

A quick 30 min ONE POT meal! With crumbled Italian sausage, sneaked in spinach and the best tomato cream sauce ever!
5 stars (30 ratings)

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound Italian sausage, casing removed
  • ½ medium sweet onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 24 ounces cauliflower potato gnocchi
  • 4 cups chopped baby spinach
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • ¼ cup basil leaves

Equipment

Instructions

  • Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add Italian sausage and onion, and cook until sausage has browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat.
  •  Stir in garlic and Italian seasoning until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Gradually whisk in beef stock and tomato sauce. Stir in gnocchi. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until reduced and slightly thickened, and the gnocchi is cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.
  • Stir in spinach and heavy cream until the spinach has wilted, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Stir in Parmesan; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Serve immediately, garnished with basil, if desired.

Video

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