One Pot Gnocchi with Sausage and Kale

Swapping regular pasta for pillowy soft gnocchi is one of my favorite ways to play around with our usual pasta dinners. My sheet pan gnocchi is a delicious time saver, while my chicken gnocchi skillet is oh-so hearty and flavorful! And this mouthwatering One Pot Gnocchi with Sausage and Kale? It’s a comfort food game changer.

This recipe is kind of like a twist on Olive Garden’s famous Zuppa Toscana. It combines Italian chicken sausage and kale in a parmesan-infused cream sauce, but instead of diced potatoes, I used gnocchi. It cooks right in the sauce, soaking up all that rich, flavorful goodness.

This gnocchi skillet dinner has everything I want in an easy comfort food… Ready in 30 minutes? Check. Easy to make in one pot? Check. Creamy, cozy, and delicious? Triple check!

One Pot Gnocchi Ingredients

Chicken sausage – I love making this gnocchi recipe with mild Italian chicken sausage. It puts a lighter twist on Zuppa Toscana without skipping any of the flavor! Feel free to use any mild or spicy Italian sausage you like instead.

Flour – I sprinkled all-purpose flour over the sautéed aromatics to help thicken the cream sauce. Gluten-free flour works, too.

Broth – I went with chicken broth because of the chicken sausage, but vegetable broth is also a great option. 

Heavy cream – This recipe is all about the rich, luscious sauce, and heavy cream is the secret behind it. If you’d prefer something lighter, use half-and-half, whole milk, or a full-fat non-dairy milk (like oat milk or coconut milk) instead.

Gnocchi – One of my favorite things about this recipe is that any type of gnocchi works—shelf-stable, fresh, or frozen. Keep in mind that fresh gnocchi cooks the fastest, while frozen may need an extra minute or two. 

Kale – My leafy green of choice! Kale is used in classic Zuppa Toscana, but baby spinach leaves are just as good.

This list provides further clarification on a few ingredients. See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list. 

Variations

• Gluten-free – Use gluten-free all-purpose flour to thicken the sauce, and gluten-free gnocchi instead of regular gnocchi. 
• Dairy-free – Make the sauce with full-fat coconut milk or oat milk. You can also swap the parmesan for nutritional yeast or store-bought vegan parmesan cheese (Violife is a great brand).
• Vegetarian – Just omit the sausage or use your favorite plant-based Italian-style sausage instead. Also, swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
• Use ground meat – This dish is just as good made with ground turkey, chicken, or pork (just add an extra teaspoon of Italian seasoning for more flavor).
• Make it with meatballs – Replace the sausage with my baked chicken meatballs or these vegan lentil meatballs. Brown them first, remove them from the pan, and add them back at the end.
• More add-ins – Feel free to stir in peas, sun-dried tomatoes, or roasted red peppers with the kale for extra flavor and texture. 

How to Make Gnocchi with Sausage and Kale

Step 1: Brown the sausage. Add the sausage to a large skillet over medium heat. Break it up with a wooden spoon and cook until the crumbles are browned. Transfer the sausage crumbles to a bowl.

Step 2: Sauté the aromatics. Sauté the onion in the now-empty skillet until it begins to soften. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt, and cook for 1 minute.

Step 3: Make the roux. Sprinkle the flour over the aromatics and whisk constantly for 1 minute. Slowly, while whisking, pour in the broth and heavy cream.

Step 4: Add the gnocchi. Heat the mixture to a low boil, then add the gnocchi. Turn off the heat and stir in the kale. Finish by stirring in the parmesan cheese and cooked sausage.

Step 5: Serve. Divide the gnocchi between serving bowls and garnish with red pepper flakes and more cheese. Serve and enjoy!

Erin’s Tips and Tricks

• If you’re making this with sausage links, just use a knife to slice through the casing and squeeze out the meat before cooking.
• Keep on whisking when cooking the flour and pouring in the broth and cream. It’s the key to preventing lumps in your cream sauce!
• Is the sauce too thick? Just stir in splashes of water or broth at a time until it’s as brothy as you like. Is it too thin? Continue gently simmering until it’s thickened to your desired consistency.
• Keep a close eye on the gnocchi—it cooks very quickly! Fresh gnocchi takes about 2 minutes, shelf-stable gnocchi takes 2 to 3 minutes, and frozen gnocchi takes 3 to 4 minutes.

One Pot Gnocchi FAQs