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This creamy Tuscan sausage gnocchi recipe is the ultimate comfort food! It has sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and fresh basil in a decadent garlic parmesan cream sauce.
Try my Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce or Sausage Gnocchi Soup next.
Why you’ll love it
The Italian-inspired sauce is really the star of this easy gnocchi recipe. It has that magical “Tuscan” ingredient combo that Olive Garden made famous of sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and basil. Flavorful Italian sausage and pillowy gnocchi make it even tastier!
I’ve had a lot of happy readers use the one-pan cooking technique for gnocchi. It’s quick, and there’s no fussing around with multiple pans, so cleanup is a breeze. This Italian sausage gnocchi will fast become a family favorite for cozy cravings.
What you’ll need
- Sausage – I use half of a 5-pack of mild Italian sausages. Feel free to use hot Italian sausages if that’s your thing!
- Garlic – for lots of savory flavor
- Chicken broth – the base of the sauce
- Heavy cream – to make it luxurious
- Lemon juice – it balances the sauce with a touch of acidity to add more dimension
- Sun-dried tomatoes – I prefer the ones packed in oil
- Gnocchi – I use shelf-stable gnocchi found in the dry pasta aisle
- Parmesan – for a cheesy quality. Grate your own for best results.
- Fresh spinach and basil – it elevates this dish so much with a pop of freshness!
Helpful tips
- Can I use homemade gnocchi? I’ve had readers test similar recipes with fresh homemade gnocchi, and the one pan technique does not seem to work as well, so I would stick with the dry stuff.
- Do I cook the gnocchi first? Nope! It cooks right in the sauce, and the starch released is really important to thicken the sauce.
- Mine is thickening too fast/slowly. Since ovens and cookware vary, make adjustments to any one pot recipe. Turn it down if your stove runs hot/add more liquid. Or just give it more time if it’s not thickening up.
How to make creamy sausage gnocchi
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
In a skillet, sauté the sausage meat until browned, breaking it up with your spoon as you go along. Stir in the garlic, and cook until fragrant. Stir in the broth, cream, lemon juice, sun-dried tomatoes, and gnocchi.
Cover the pan, and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir, then add in the spinach. Cover and cook until the spinach has wilted. Stir in the parmesan and basil, and cook until thickened up as desired. Season with salt & pepper generously.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I use this skillet.
- Grate your own parmesan for ideal taste and texture. I do with this handy Microplane zester.
- Quickly mince garlic with a garlic press.
Substitutions and variations
- If you feel so inclined, replace the chicken broth with white wine (e.g., pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc) . It’ll taste amazing.
- Sub the cream at your own risk. It might not turn out the way it should and could possibly curdle.
- You can swap the sun-dried tomatoes with a medium chopped tomato instead.
- Want to make this with regular pasta? Try my Tuscan Sausage Pasta instead.
What to serve with Italian sausage gnocchi
- It’s quite rich and filling, so I recommend a salad or steamed veggies on the side. My Creamy Pesto Dressing is a bright dressing you’ll love, or make this Super Simple Parmesan Arugula Salad.
- I like serving fresh crusty bread and olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping it in with any Italian-style dish.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftover gnocchi for 3-4 days in the fridge.
- Reheat on the stove over a low heat, and you might want to add another splash of broth or cream when reheating.
- I don’t recommend freezing this one.
More Tuscan-inspired recipes
If you made this Tuscan gnocchi recipe, please leave a star rating and review below! I’d love to hear from you. You can also tag me on Instagram.
Creamy Tuscan Sausage Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 11 ounces Italian sausages crumbled
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 pound potato gnocchi
- 1.5 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil (optional) to taste
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Take the sausage meat out of the casings and crumble it into a deep skillet. Sauté the sausage over medium-high heat, breaking it up as you go along, until browned (about 5-7 minutes).
- Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken broth, cream, lemon juice, sun-dried tomatoes, and gnocchi to the pan. Give it a good stir.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pan. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Give the gnocchi a stir and then add in the spinach. Cover the pan again for 1-2 minutes until the spinach has wilted.
- Stir in the parmesan and basil (if using). Ensure the gnocchi is cooked through and the sauce is thickened to your liking (cook for another minute or two if necessary). Season with salt & pepper to taste and serve immediately.
Notes
- There is no need to pre-cook the gnocchi. It cooks right in the sauce and the starch released from the potatoes will thicken the sauce.
- I used 3 sausages from a 5-pack of Johnsonville hot Italian sausages. Anything in the 11 oz ballpark will work, or you can even use more sausage meat if you wish. You can use hot Italian sausages if you prefer.
- I used the oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes that come in a jar. I drained the oil prior to adding them to the skillet.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on August 7, 2019. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
This is one of our household’s favorite recipes currently. We’ve made it three times in the past three weeks! I use an entire pack of sausage (it’s really sausage-y, which my husband loves), but otherwise I follow the recipe exactly. Thank you for another awesome recipe!
That’s awesome!! Thanks for letting me know, Alli! 🙂
Are the sun dried tomatoes supposed to be in oil or the dry packaged ones?
I buy the ones in oil, but either will work! Let me know if you try this recipe, Amanda 🙂
Made this for my boyfriend and I this past Saturday, OMG it was AMAZING!! We are big on flavor and this did not disappoint, there were no leftovers and we loved it so much we made another batch for dinner on Sunday! Thank you for such a delicious meal! 🙂
That’s so great!! Thanks for letting me know 😀
Hi! I decided to add the fresh basil but wasn’t sure if it was supposed to be chopped or whole ? What do you suggest ?
Hi! I usually just tear it into smallish pieces (or you can slice it). It’s pretty delicate, so chopping it can kinda crush it. But it’s all good. 🙂
Made this tonight, but with just regular pasta. It was so good and had so much flavor! Definitely making again soon!
So happy you liked it!
Five stars for sure! Thank you so much for the recipe! It was an absolute hit at our house!!
You are very welcome, Holly!
Loved it looking forward to cooking some more recipe,s
Great! Thank you 🙂
Question? Did you buy frozen gnocchi and cook first? Or thaw?
Hi! I bought the dry stuff that you get in the pasta aisle (I explain in the post). I think it would work with frozen gnocchi. You may need to give it an extra minute or two. Let me know how it goes. ❤️
Can’t wait to try this one! The one from last week was a hit! I used half and half instead of cream since I had in hand and at first the sauce curdled but once finished it came together. Have you ever used evaporated milk instead of heavy cream?
Hi Dana! So glad you liked the other recipe. 🙂 Nope, I haven’t used anything besides heavy (or whipping) cream. I’ve had curdling problems before too, that’s why I use it, as well as IMO the taste is just richer and better. I don’t often cook with evaporated milk, but let me know if you give it a try.
One of the most delicious recipes I’ve tried in a long time.
Easy and quick to make but so so tasty.
Made for the family and it was clean plates all round.
Can’t wait to try more of these recipes
I am so happy you liked it!! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know!
Love this recipe! Such a flavor bomb!
Thanks so much, Meghan!
If I could give this 100 stars I would it’s that good! Wow, my taste buds are overjoyed! I had 2 servings and I am not gonna feel guilty about it either! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe and this will definitely become a regular menu item!
Aww thank you!! 🙂 So happy you liked it so much.