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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.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
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!
Hi!
2 questions:
1. Can you use frozen gnocchi
2. Can this be made in advance for a crowd? Thank you, Michele
Hi Michele! Frozen gnocchi should be fine. I would just let it cook a little longer. Perhaps reduce the heat a little so it doesn’t start burning on the outside before it’s cooked inside. So, the sauce tends to get really thick when re-heated. It’s not something I would make too far ahead. You may need to thin the sauce when reheating it (like add a little more cream or some chicken broth).
I’m always looking for gnocchi recipes cause my husband is a gnocchi fiend. Used half and half instead of heavy cream and it turned out great!
So glad you enjoyed it, Gigi!
Hi over in the UK. When you say 1 cup, roughly I’m mil how much would you use. X
Hi! Roughly 250 ml (I think technically it’s 236 ml for a US cup).
My husband isn’t a gnocchi fan so with him gone tonight I decided to make this for me. It is great! So easy and fast to put together plus I’ll have leftovers for lunch. Thank you!
Haha I love that!! I’m so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Loved the recipe. I didn’t have everything on had so I made few alterations, but still yummy. I didn’t have any spinach so I just chopped up a tomato for something extra. I used mild Italian sausage but added a little pepper flakes. Lastly I didn’t have heavy cream on had so I used @ 2oz Neufchatel cheese. Will make this one again.
I’m glad that you were able to tweak it and enjoyed it!
I don’t normally write reviews but this recipe is EASY and AMAZING! I had spicy Italian sausage to make a pasta dish but was feeling gnocchi. I normally make gnocchi from scratch but wasn’t feeling all the work. Read the reviews and decided to give packaged gnocchi a try. LOVE that you don’t have to boil first. Of course it’s not homemade but TOTALLY works with this recipe. I used white wine instead of chicken broth and didn’t need salt or pepper because of the spicy sausage. My family LOVED it and so did I because it only took 20 minutes to make. Thank you for this recipe and making this meal so easy to prepare!
Appreciate you writing me a review, Liz! So pleased you enjoyed it. 🙂
This is one of my favorite recipes. I am lactose intolerant so I switch the heavy cream for cashew cream, which makes it super thick and yummy. I have also put shredded chicken in with mine! Great recipe!
I’m so glad you like it and are able to make it dairy-free!! 🙂
My daughter gave this recipe to me. I used the gluten free gnocchi. My husband and I loved it. She was right: because it is so rich, it needs a salad, and for those who don’t have to eat gluten free, I recommend Italian bread.
I’m so pleased that you enjoyed it!! 🙂
This was great – tasty and quick! I don’t eat dairy so I just replaced the heavy cream with more broth (2 cups total), and it still worked – the starch from the gnocchi made it super creamy. I added some dairy-free butter on top to give it extra richness. I also added in some zucchini I had lying around – next time I might add broccoli. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad it worked out for you! 🙂 You’re welcome, Nicole!
Everyone loved it! It came out looking exactly like the picture, took no time at all to cook, and tasted amazing. If you like real authentic Italian food, this dish will not disappoint! Thank you
Fantastic!! 🙂