Description
this easy, cheesy baked gnocchi comes together in just about 30 minutes making it a perfect weeknight dish!
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 lbs packaged store-bought sweet potato whole wheat gnocchi (I love Gia Russa)
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 4 links of Italian-style chicken sausage, casing removed & crumbled
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 – 1 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese, plus more as desired for serving
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped, plus more as desired for serving
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and coat a 9×13” baking dish with cooking spray.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, drizzle in some olive oil (this helps prevent the pasta from sticking) and cook the gnocchi according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat with 1 teaspoon olive oil and add crumbled chicken sausages and cook until lightly browned (~10-12 minutes). Remove pan and set aside.
- Gently wipe out the skillet (being careful as it will be hot!) and add 1 – 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Add the minced garlic, shallots and onion, stirring frequently and cooking until just tender (~3 minutes).
- Stir in the tomato paste, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning, cooking for ~30 seconds more.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, tomato sauce and balsamic vinegar.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer and, stirring occasionally, cook for about 5-7 minutes to allow it to thicken slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in basil, whole milk, chicken sausage and cooked gnocchi.
- Add shredded parmesan and toss to combine.
- Add about half of the gnocchi mixture to your prepared baking dish and top with ~1/2 the torn mozzarella.
- Add the remaining gnocchi mixture and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Place in the oven and cook for ~10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. If you want to brown the cheese, you can place it under the broiler for a minute or two (just watch carefully because it can brown up quickly!).
- Remove from your oven and allow it to rest for 5-7 minutes.
- Top with additional freshly chopped basil and parmesan and enjoy!
Notes
- You can easily omit the sausage from this dish to keep it vegetarian.
- Gnocchi will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Keywords: gnocchi, pasta, weeknight, dinner, quick, easy