Creamy Gnocchi Sausage Kale (Printable Version)

Tender gnocchi tossed in creamy sauce with Italian sausage, kale, and garlic. Perfect for cozy dinners.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta & Dairy

01 - 1 lb potato gnocchi (fresh or shelf-stable)
02 - ½ cup heavy cream
03 - ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
04 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter

→ Meat

05 - 10 oz Italian sausage (mild or spicy, casings removed)

→ Vegetables

06 - 4 cups chopped kale, stems removed
07 - 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
08 - 2 garlic cloves, minced

→ Pantry

09 - 2 tbsp olive oil
10 - ½ cup chicken broth
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 - Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

# Directions:

01 - Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage, breaking it up with a spatula, and cook until browned and cooked through, about 5–6 minutes. Transfer sausage to a plate and set aside.
02 - In the same skillet, add the butter and onion. Sauté until the onion is soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
03 - Add the kale and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 2–3 minutes.
04 - Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add the gnocchi, stirring gently. Cover and cook for 3–4 minutes (or per package instructions), until the gnocchi are tender.
05 - Return the cooked sausage to the pan. Pour in the heavy cream and stir to combine. Simmer for 2–3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
06 - Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Serve hot, garnished with extra Parmesan if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • This one pan dinner means almost zero cleanup which I discovered after a particularly exhausting Tuesday
  • The creamy sauce clings to every pillowy gnocchi pocket in a way that makes you want to lick the bowl
02 -
  • I once tried rushing the sausage browning step and the sauce never developed the same depth of flavor so take those extra 5 minutes
  • The gnocchi continues thickening the sauce as it sits so if you need to reheat leftovers add a splash of cream or broth
03 -
  • Remove the sausage casings before cooking so the meat can break into small crumbles throughout the dish
  • Let the sauce rest off the heat for 2 minutes before serving so it reaches its ideal thickness

Go Back