Cheesy Italian Sausage Gnocchi in one pan is a super-easy, comfort food that makes an outstanding weeknight meal. This easy gnocchi dinner recipe is simply all that you need.

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If you've tried this Quick Chicken Parmesan Gnocchi Bake or Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella or Pan Fried Gnocchi with Marinara & Basil then this shall be a new take on the usual.

Packed with freshly chopped baby spinach, freshly minced cloves of garlic, and crumbled italian sausages this Italian gnocchi dinner recipe is simply heavenly.

Who doesn't like a bowl of pillowy gnocchi with melty mozzarella and nutty parmesan.

On top of that you add crumbled italian pork sausages and refreshing baby spinach. The result - stellar weeknight gnocchi dinner recipe 🥘

Jump to:

• Is gnocchi pasta or a dumpling?
• What Inspired me to make This Gnocchi Recipe?
• Ingredients for Italian Sausage Gnocchi
• Instructions on How to Make Gnocchi recipe with Sausages
• Substitutions
• Cooking Variations
• Sausage Gnocchi Bake Recipe
• Dairy Free Version
• Gluten Free Version
• More recipes you might like
• Top Tips
• Recipe
• Creamy Sausage Gnocchi in one pan

Is gnocchi pasta or a dumpling?

Many people ask whether Is gnocchi a pasta or a dumpling? Basically, Gnocchi is NOT technically a pasta but a dumpling made with potatoes.

If you go into the technical details then you'll notice that Gnocchi is generally made with potatoes, flour, eggs, and cheese (sometimes).

But, a pasta is made with flour and water.

Can you see the difference?

What Inspired me to make This Gnocchi Recipe?

Basically, I was thinking about a creamy cheesy gnocchi dinner recipe which could be made in one pan.

I thought of my recipes like One Pot Italian Sausage Pasta and One Pot Pumpkin Alfredo.

If you look closely, this recipe is quite similar to both the above mentioned recipe.

Only difference - Packaged Potato Gnocchi. Something that makes the family glow with happiness 😍

Ingredients for Italian Sausage Gnocchi

• butter
• olive oil
• crumbled italian sausages
• finely minced fresh cloves of garlic 
• italian seasoning
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• potato gnocchi (package)
• heavy cream
• parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
• freshly chopped baby spinach
• mozzarella cheese 

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions on How to Make Gnocchi recipe with Sausages

STEP 1: Cook Crumbled Sausages

I like to use Italian Pork Sausages for this recipe. You can replace it with Italian Turkey Sausages or Chicken Italian Sausages.

The first step of the recipe is pretty basic. Melt butter in a large non-stick skillet or sauté pan and add olive oil so that butter doesn't burn. Add Crumbled Italian Sausages and cook for 5-6 minutes until browned and cooked through.

• STEP 2: Sauté Garlic

I love the garlicky kick in this creamy italian sausage recipe. So all you have to do is add in freshly garlic cloves which have been finely minced. Sauté for 30-seconds or until fragrant.

• STEP 3: Cover Cook Gnocchi

Pour in Heavy Cream and bring it to a light simmer. Add in Packaged potato gnocchi and toss lightly. Season with salt and freshly grated black pepper. Add in italian seasoning. Cover cook for 4-5 minutes or until gnocchi is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. The starch from the potato gnocchi absorbs most of the liquid.

• STEP 4: Add in Spinach

Add in freshly chopped spinach and toss for 2-minutes or until spinach wilts.

• STEP 5: Add Freshly grated Parmesan and Mozzarella

Add Freshly grated Parmesan cheese and shredded Mozzarella Cheese. Serve warm with more Parmesan.

Hint: You can add in crushed red pepper flakes (optional) if you want to bring in some heat in your cheesy sausage gnocchi recipe.

Substitutions

• Kale - instead of spinach you can use a bunch of fresh kale with thick ribs removed.
• Sun Dried Tomatoes - You can stir in sun-dried tomatoes to make Tuscan Italian Sausage Gnocchi.
• Vegetarian Sausage - use Meat-Free Sausages made from tofu or chickpeas or quinoa and make this recipe vegetarian.
• Low Sodium Chicken Broth - Add in low sodium chicken broth if you don't want to use heavy cream. Or you can use both.
• Yellow Onion - You can add in finely chopped yellow onion if you want. Onion will make it sweeter.

Cooking Variations

You can change this recipe to better suit your taste palate.

• Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish, or banana peppers
• Canned Tomatoes - You can add in 1 (28 oz) can of San Marzano Tomatoes to make this tomato flavored.

Sausage Gnocchi Bake Recipe

You can cook packaged potato gnocchi separately and then stir it with your creamy sauce.

Then transfer this to a baking dish. Top with Mozzarella Cheese.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F on center rack for 30-minutes or until gnocchi is tender.

Serve warm with freshly grated parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley or chiffonade basil if you like.

Dairy Free Version

If you are looking for a dairy free version of sausage gnocchi spinach recipe then you can substitute heavy cream with coconut milk or oat milk.

Although it'll taste different. But, I guess you'll like it.

Second of all - you can replace parmesan and mozzarella with dairy free or vegan parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Gluten Free Version

You can replace packaged potato gnocchi with gluten free potato gnocchi. Gluten Free Potato gnocchi can be easily found in the refrigerated section of grocery stores. Basically a gluten-free gnocchi is 85% potato.

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• Sausage and Peppers with Onions
• Ranch Cheddar Chicken Bake (So Cheesy)
• Easy Honey Soy Salmon in One Pan

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