One Pan Creamy Gnocchi with Italian Sausage and Kale

Published October 13, 2017. Updated August 21, 2019

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One Pan Creamy Gnocchi with Italian Sausage and Kale is comfort food at its easiest, and tastiest! You’ll want to savor every bite of this easy gnocchi dinner!

One Pan Creamy Gnocchi with Italian Sausage and Kale

First off What is Gnocchi?

Growing up my mom actually never made or cooked with gnocchi. Not once. I didn’t even know what it was until I was in my 20’s.

Gnocchi are simply little dumplings, which are generally oval shaped and made from potato and semolina or flour. They are usually served with butter or some sort of sauce.

What’s the Inspiration for This Gnocchi Recipe?

I actually got the idea for this simple skillet dinner from one of my favorite soups, the Zuppa Toscana Soup I always make.

I love that potato, Italian sausage and kale flavor combination so I decided to make it into comforting main dish.

Gnocchi recipe with Italian sausage and kale shown here in a skillet with a wooden spoon for serving.

And to simplify it, and make it that much better, I used gnocchi instead of using potatoes like I use in that soup.

One Pan Gnocchi and Sausage Video

Ingredients Needed for This Recipe

  • Milk Italian sausage
  • Olive oil
  • Yellow onion
  • Garlic
  • Low-sodium chicken broth
  • Milk
  • Kale
  • Potato gnocchi
  • Pepper
  • Heavy cream
  • Parmesan cheese

One Pan Creamy Gnocchi Recipe with Italian Sausage and Kale

How to Make This Easy Gnocchi Recipe

  • Brown sausage in skillet in olive oil. Transfer to plate leave 2 tsp oil in skillet.
  • Saute onion then saute with garlic.
  • Pour in broth and milk and bring to a simmer. Add in kale, cover skillet and let steam until wilted.
  • Toss in gnocchi, season with pepper. Cover and cook until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
  • Toss in cream, parmesan and cooked sausage.

A Tastier Way to Cook Gnocchi

I love here how they are cooked in that milk and chicken broth mixture and soak up all that flavor and get even creamier. It’s waaaaay better than just boiling them in water.

Then of course to make it that much better its finished off a little heavy cream and some parmesan cheese (which Romano cheese would work well here too if that’s what you’ve got).

One Pan Creamy Gnocchi with Italian Sausage and Kale

This is a seriously delicious and oh so satisfying dinner that the whole family will love. Chances are this one will be requested again and again.

Try it and you’ll see what I mean!

And you’ll also love how easy it is to make. I’m all about those skillet dinners (if you haven’t noticed by now)!

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One Pan Creamy Gnocchi with Italian Sausage and Kale
4.97 from 30 votes

One Pan Creamy Gnocchi with Italian Sausage and Kale

This is pure comfort food! A quick and easy plus seriously satisfying gnocchi dinner that's all cooked in one pan. You'll want this one on repeat!
Servings: 5
Prep10 minutes
Cook20 minutes
Ready in: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat oil a non-stick 12-inch skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Crumble sausage into skillet and cook and break up sausage, tossing occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 6 - 7 minutes. 
  • Transfer sausage to a plate lined with a few layers of paper towels while leaving 2 tsp oil in skillet (discard any remaining oil). Set sausage aside. 
  • Reduce burner temperature to medium heat. Add onion to skillet and saute 4 minutes, or until softened, then add garlic and saute 30 seconds. 
  • Pour in chicken broth and milk and bring to a simmer. Add in kale, cover skillet and let steam 2 minutes, or until wilted.
  • Add in gnocchi, toss to coat, season with pepper to taste. Cover and cook until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 4 - 5 minutes.
  • Add in cream, parmesan and cooked sausage and toss. Serve warm with more parmesan and red pepper flakes if desired. 
  • *I used pork Italian sausage but Italian turkey sausage can also be used.
    **Wait until the end of cooking to see if you'd like to add any salt. Between the chicken broth, sausage and parmesan there's already quite a bit of salt and I personally didn't think it needed any added.
  • Recipe source: Cooking Classy
Nutrition Facts
One Pan Creamy Gnocchi with Italian Sausage and Kale
Amount Per Serving
Calories 582 Calories from Fat 333
% Daily Value*
Fat 37g57%
Saturated Fat 15g94%
Cholesterol 98mg33%
Sodium 1141mg50%
Potassium 477mg14%
Carbohydrates 39g13%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 18g36%
Vitamin A 2880IU58%
Vitamin C 34mg41%
Calcium 225mg23%
Iron 4.9mg27%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.