I can’t say enough about how much I liked this dish! I was completely surprised by the amount of flavor packed into this simple dish. Usually when I make gnocchi I just boil some water and heat up a store bought sauce and call it good, but this was a new take on one of my favorite starches. I chose to use chicken sausage for this one because my girlfriend has a thing for it and honestly, I do too. The sausage and beans go together excellently and provide the savory element, while the spinach and Italian diced tomatoes make it light and offer a nice balance of flavor.
It was raining out when we decided to prepare this, making it a wonderful comfort food to cuddle up with as we wound down for the day. The cook time was fast as well; only about 30 minutes and it was done. Oh, and it’s topped with cheese, hello!
Prep time is kept down by using a few canned ingredients and essentially just throwing it all together and topping it with cheese. You cut down on dishes by using an oven-safe skillet like this one: Lodge Cast Iron Skillet
One thing to note if you plan on using the broil function on your oven: make sure to move the rack to the upper 3rd of the oven before starting to pre-heat the oven so you don’t have to mess with a hot rack when it’s time to hit that broil button.
One Pan Gnocchi with Sausage and Beans
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium white onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 package your choice of chicken sausage (I used an Italian style)
- ¼ cup water or chicken broth
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) Italian diced tomatoes (undrained)
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper
- 1 can (15 ounces) white kidney or cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 package (16 ounces) gnocchi
- 5 oz. package fresh spinach
- ½ cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Optional: fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (move one rack to the top)
- Heat oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat, add chopped onions and garlic, sauté until onions are translucent and garlic is fragrant
- Slice up the sausage into coins and add them to the same pan, cooking over medium high heat until sausage is lightly browned
- Add in water or broth, can of diced tomatoes, can of beans, spices, and uncooked gnocchi, stir to combine
- stir in spinach a little at a time allowing it to wilt slightly as you go
- make sure everything is covered with liquid, you may need to add more water to achieve this
- cover with parmesan and mozzarella cheese and place in oven on the top rack, cook for 19-20 minutes - you can hit the broil button for the last 2-3 minutes if you want a crispy top
- Remove from the heat, top with additional cracked pepper, salt and fresh chopped parsley, enjoy!