Sheet Pan Gnocchi – The Almond Eater

Make Sheet Pan Gnocchi with sausage for dinner tonight. Gnocchi, Italian sausage, and broccolini are roasted together before being tossed in a luxurious pesto cream sauce. Easy family meals don’t get much better than this!

It’s my personal belief that there is never a bad time to eat pasta. Date night? This sun-dried tomato pesto pasta is always impressive. Having people over? Make my creamy vegan pasta bake—there’s enough for everyone. Heck, I’ll never say no to leftover pasta salad for breakfast, either.

 

But when I need a delicious dinner on the table in a hurry, I’m turning to this Sheet Pan Gnocchi Recipe. It’s truly a life-saver of a meal, thanks to the short list of everyday ingredients and only 10 minutes of hands-on work.

To make this one-pan gnocchi, shelf-stable gnocchi is baked on a baking sheet with Italian sausage and broccolini, then tossed in a creamy pesto and parmesan sauce. It’s not only packed with mouthwatering Italian flavors but takes almost no thought or time to make, either. Serve it with bread and a Caesar salad on the side, and voila! A family dinner even the pickiest eaters will adore.

Recipe features

• Sheet pan dinners are a lifesaver on busy weeknights, and this gnocchi sheet pan recipe is no exception!
• Like my chicken gnocchi skillet, it’s an easy weeknight dinner made almost entirely in one pan.
• Baked gnocchi, Italian sausage, and broccolini are tossed in a creamy pesto sauce to leave you with an incredibly simple and mouthwatering dinner.
• Made with less than 10 ingredients and ready in about 30 minutes!

Ingredients

Gnocchi – No substitutions, please! This recipe wouldn’t be the same if you swapped the gnocchi for regular pasta.

Broccolini – Think of broccolini as broccoli’s more slender and sweeter-tasting cousin. Whether you have leftovers from my roasted broccolini recipe or vice versa, it’s the perfect veggie for this easy sheet pan recipe! Broccoli florets will work well as a substitute.

Sausage – I used Italian sausage links, broke them up into bite-sized pieces, and baked them with the gnocchi and broccolini. Use spicy or mild Italian sausages depending on your preferred spice level. You could use chicken sausage (regular or Italian-style) or andouille sausage as a substitute as well.

Pesto sauce – Basil pesto sauce is combined with heavy cream (or whole milk) and parmesan cheese to make the cheesy, creamy pesto sauce for the gnocchi. Store-bought pesto is just fine, or you can go all-out with my homemade almond pesto, kale pesto, or, for a flavor change-up, sun-dried tomato pesto.

Instructions

Step 1: Add to a baking sheet. Toss the gnocchi, broccolini, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil together in a large bowl until combined, then dump the mixture onto a baking sheet.

Step 2: Add the sausage. Break up the sausages and place the bite-sized pieces on top of the gnocchi and vegetables on the sheet pan.

Step 3: Bake. Bake the gnocchi, sausage, and vegetables in the oven.

Step 4: Make the sauce. Heat the pesto, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese together in a small saucepan until warm.

Step 5: Combine, then serve. Transfer the baked gnocchi and sausage mixture to a large bowl and pour the pesto cream sauce over the top. Toss to combine, then serve the pesto gnocchi in bowls with extra parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy!

Tips and FAQs

• Remember to remove the sausage casings beforehand to make the sausages easier to break into smaller pieces.
• Omit the extra parmesan from the recipe if your pesto already contains parmesan. You can still save some extra cheese for topping the pasta if you’d like!

Variations

• Gluten-free option – Use your favorite gluten-free gnocchi instead.
• Instead of sausages – The dish will be missing some flavor without the Italian sausages, but you can swap them for chicken meatballs or ground turkey (seasoned with Italian seasonings) if you’d like.
• Vegetarian option – Instead of regular sausages, bake cubed tofu or sliced veggie sausages alongside the rest of the ingredients.
• Add more veggies – If you have room on the sheet pan, feel free to roast cauliflower florets, cherry tomatoes, chopped red bell peppers, or red onion at the same time as everything else. Quicker-cooking veggies, like mushrooms, asparagus, and leafy greens, can be added to the pan during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
• Change the sauce – Not a fan of pesto? Heat up a batch of my cherry tomato pasta sauce or healthy alfredo sauce before tossing it with the baked gnocchi.

Serving suggestions

Since this sheet pan meal is so simple, the sides should be simple, too. A sliced loaf of crusty bread is always a great choice, as is homemade garlic bread (when you have the time to make it). To round out every bite, whip up a quick salad, like this arugula salad, fennel salad, or spring pea salad.

Do you have to boil gnocchi before baking it?

One of the best parts of this gnocchi sheet pan dinner is that you do not have to boil the gnocchi before baking it in the oven. Shelf-stable gnocchi can be tossed in a little oil, added to the sheet pan, and baked until it’s tender on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside. 

What kind of gnocchi should I use?

Both shelf-stable and refrigerated potato gnocchi work well for this recipe. I prefer shelf-stable gnocchi because it lasts longer in my pantry. Frozen gnocchi could also work, but it will take longer to cook in the oven (you don’t need to thaw it ahead of time).

Storage

Refrigerator: Any leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.

Reheating: Microwave the leftover gnocchi until it’s warmed through. Add a drizzle of olive oil or a splash of heavy cream to loosen the sauce, if needed.

More easy sheet pan recipes

If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!