Easy Gnocchi with Marinara and Basil makes for a comforting dinner recipe for the family. Its one of the easiest dinner recipes made using Potato Gnocchi and homemade Marinara sauce. What makes this an easy dinner recipe is that this is a One Pot Gnocchi recipe which means forget cooking the Gnocchi ahead and then using it. You are just pan frying Gnocchi with Italian Sausage and Marinara sauce and cooking it all with heavy cream! This recipe comes together in just 15 minutes from scratch.
Gnocchi is one of my favourite recipes for dinner. Soft and delicious Gnocchi tossed in a creamy and flavourful Marinara sauce is such an easy dinner recipe, made using Pantry staple ingredients which is such a winner!
I love to cook such easy One Pot Dinner recipes. Not only it makes for a quick and easy dinner, but its such a great feeling to sit together at the dinner table and serve everyone from one pot of happiness!
Also try these One Pot recipes for Dinner
- One Pot Italian Sausage Pasta Recipe
- One Pot Pumpkin Alfredo
- One Pot Spaghetti Recipe
- One Pot Lemon Basil Pesto Pasta
We love Gnocchi for dinner. And especially the store bought Gnocchi is such a time saver and the perfect alternative to Pasta. Its heartier and so much delicious than any other kind of Pasta.
Love Gnocchi? Try my Quick Chicken Parmesan Gnocchi Bake or Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup in a Crock Pot (Olive Garden Copycat) or Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella Recipe
Jump to:
- How to make Gnocchi with Marinara?
- Ingredients
- Gnocchi with Marinara (step by step guide)
- Cooking Variations
- Is this Vegan and Gluten Free?
- What sauce goes best with Gnocchi?
- Do you need to boil store bought Gnocchi?
- Do you need to boil Gnocchi before frying?
- Are Gnocchi healthy?
- Storage
- Pan Fried Gnocchi with Marinara & Basil
How to make Gnocchi with Marinara?
Ingredients
- Potato Gnocchi - I use store bought Gnocchi. You can use homemade as well
- Marinara - try my recipe for homemade Marinara and you will love it.
- Italian Sausage - casings removed and crumbled. I love the sweet and salty taste of Italian Sausage in this Pasta
- Garlic - a hint of garlic goes a long way in boosting flavours
- Butter and Olive Oil - to cook the Sausages
- Salt & Pepper - for seasoning
- Italian Seasoning - try my homemade blend.
- Red Pepper Flakes - just 1 teaspoon for burst of flavours
- Heavy Cream - Makes the pasta incredibly delicious and cuts the tartness of Marinara
- Mozzarella Cheese - to top the Pasta
- Fresh Basil - cut into chiffonade cut
See recipe card for quantities. Also, watch the video for a quick visual.
Gnocchi with Marinara (step by step guide)
STEP 1: COOK THE ITALIAN SAUSAGE
- Heat Olive Oil and butter in a skillet
- As the butter melts, add the crumbled Italian sausage. Cook the sausage until they are no longer pink and begins to turn brown.
- Once the sausage gets cooked, add the minced garlic and cook just until fragrant.
- Add the seasonings - Italian Seasoning, Red Pepper Flakes, Salt & Pepper. Toss to combine everything and cook until fragrant.
STEP 2: PAN FRY GNOCCHI
- Now, dump in the packaged Gnocchi to the skillet and pan fry for about 3 minutes.
- Toss it with the Sausage and Pan fry the Gnocchi
- Next, pour the Marinara & Heavy Cream. Give it all a good stir, scrape off anything which might have got stuck to the bottom of the skillet
- Cover cook for 5 minutes
STEP 3: ADD MOZZARELLA & BASIL
- Top with freshly grated Mozzarella and Basil chiffonades. Cover and cook for another 3 minutes so that the cheese on top melts
- Once the cheese melts, serve this immediately.
Remember to pan fry the Gnocchi with the Italian sausage. This will get them slightly charred and shall taste so good.
Cooking Variations
- Spicy - You can make this Gnocchi with Marinara and Basil, extra spicy by increasing the amount of Red Pepper Flakes.
- Creamy - If you want, you can increase the amount of heavy cream to make this even creamier.
- Cheesy - You can stir in Ricotta Cheese as well and Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese to make this Gnocchi with Marinara even cheesy and delicious.
- Spinach - You can just throw in a handful of chopped Kale or Spinach. This would increase the health value of this dish and its a fun way to include greens in a dinner which kids won't notice.
Is this Vegan and Gluten Free?
You can use Gluten Free Potato Gnocchi. These are easily available in all superstores in the frozen section.
Also, to make this Vegan, skip the sausage, use vegan butter and skip the Mozzarella Cheese topping.
What sauce goes best with Gnocchi?
Gnocchi is one such pasta which goes great with all sauces. Especially a creamy sauce. I love to use Marinara or Tomato Sauce with Gnocchi because it tastes really good, comforting and hearty. You can also make this with Alfredo Sauce, Sage Butter Sauce, Pesto Sauce, Garlic Parmesan Sauce etc.
Do you need to boil store bought Gnocchi?
Ideally Yes! You need to boil and drain store bought Gnocchi before use. However, since this is a Pan fried Gnocchi recipe so its a One Pot recipe. So you do not need to boil the Gnocchi for this recipe. Just dump and pan fry and then cook them in the same pot with Marinara & Heavy Cream! Yes, its that easy!!
Do you need to boil Gnocchi before frying?
No. You can just dump the Gnocchi from the package and fry them until slightly charred on all sides.
Are Gnocchi healthy?
As compared to Pasta, Gnocchi are slightly healthier. You should definetly chose Gnocchi if you're longing for a hearty and comforting pasta dish which is bursting with true blue Italian flavours.
Storage
You can store leftovers of this Pan fried Gnocchi with Marinara in an air tight container. You can refrigerate this for upto 1 week.
I don't recommend freezing this pasta, as this will lose its taste and texture upon reheating.
Other delicious Pasta recipes for dinner
- Creamy Garlic Spinach Pasta Recipe
- The Simplest Recipe for Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Mediterranean Shrimp Pasta
- Tomato Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
- Bruschetta Chicken Pasta - Slow Cooker / Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Crack Chicken Pasta
Pan Fried Gnocchi with Marinara & Basil
INGREDIENTS
- 1 packet Potato Gnocchi about 8 oz
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 stick Butter
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
- 8 oz Italian Sausages casings removed & crumbled
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 can Marinara sauce
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1½ cup Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese freshly grated
- ¼ cup Basil cut into chiffonade
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat Butter and Olive Oil in a skillet. As the butter melts, add the crumbled Italian sausages. Cook until its no longer pink and gets brown. Once the sausages gets cooked, add the minced garlic and cook for about a minute until fragrant. Add the Italian Seasoning, Red Pepper flakes, Salt & Pepper. Toss to combine.
- Add Gnocchi to the skillet and toss to combine. Pan fry the Gnocchi for about 3 minutes. Then pour in the Marinara sauce along with heavy cream. Toss to combine everything and scrape off anything which might have got stuck to the bottom of the skillet.
- Cover cook for 5 minutes. Top with freshly grated Mozzarella Cheese and Basil chiffonade. Cover for another 2-3 minutes, just to get the cheese melted. Serve hot.
Mia says
Wowed by this recipe!! Very delicious and hearty meal…
Joanne says
Such a superb way to cook Gnocchi!! Excellent tasting sauce