Tuscan Sausage Sheet Pan Gnocchi

Name: Tuscan Sausage Sheet Pan Gnocchi
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 (12 ounce) packages gnocchi ( frozen, gluten free, or pantry); 2 cups fresh spinach; 1 (8.5 ounce) jar sun dried tomato (drained); 2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil (plus more for garnish); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 lb Italian sausage (casings removed and crumbled into pieces); 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning; 1/2 teaspoon salt

Skip the boiling and cook everything for this Tuscan sausage sheet pan gnocchi on one pan. It takes less than 20 minutes to make and is bursting with Italian flavors.

Love a quick gnocchi dinner? Try one pan creamy chicken and gnocchi, chicken alfredo gnocchi bake, sausage gnocchi soup next!

gnocchi, sausage and sun dried tomatoes all cooked on one sheet pan

Ingredient Notes
What Gnocchi to Use
How to make sheet pan gnocchi
Prefer to watch instead of read?
Gnocchi FAQs
Customize this recipe
Tuscan Sausage Sheet Pan Gnocchi Recipe

When I found out you could cook gnocchi directly on a sheet pan without boiling my imagination ran wild! I started coming up with all the gnocchi recipes you can throw on a sheet pan and I landed on this Tuscan sausage because it’s packed full of flavor with minimal ingredients.

Ingredient Notes

Gnocchi: you can use refrigerated, frozen or dry from the pantry. You can also use traditional gnocchi, gluten free or cauliflower gnocchi all without boiling. Keep reading for more specifics!
Italian Sausage: I try to get one with minimal or no added sugar. You could also use ground pork and add 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning to it.
Sun-dried tomatoes: we cannot get enough of these and we’re using the whole jar for this recipe.
Fresh spinach: it wilts down and gets a little soft and slightly crispy in the oven. It’s amazing! Plus a great way to add extra greens.
Fresh basil: we’re adding this before cooking and garnishing with it after. Never too much basil in a Tuscan recipe!
Olive oil: try to get a good quality olive oil. Because there isn’t a true sauce for this dish, the olive oil really shines.
Garlic: fresh pressed garlic is best for this recipe. Minimal ingredients means we want the quality of them to be fantastic for the best flavor.
Seasoning: kosher salt and Italian seasoning

ingredients for tuscan sausage sheet pan gnocchi on a table with labels

What Gnocchi to Use

There are several options when it comes to choosing gnocchi for this recipe. Pretty much any gnocchi goes, but here are some notes and some of our favorites.

Frozen, pantry and refrigerated gnocchi are all acceptable. You don’t need to boil any of them before cooking. You can cook them directly from frozen without thawing.
Traditional gnocchi: get a good quality gnocchi from the store for an authentic pasta. DeLallo is a great gnocchi brand.
Gluten free gnocchi: DeLallo also makes a great gluten free gnocchi. We tested this recipe with their potato and rice flour gnocchi and it was perfect. Nocca is a great option too.
Cauliflower gnocchi: Trader Joe’s has the famous cauliflower gnocchi you can use, but we also have a homemade cauliflower gnocchi or sweet potato gnocchi you could make for this. No need to boil it first!

How to make sheet pan gnocchi

Prep: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Add the gnocchi, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, garlic, and basil to a large sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil then spread it out in an even layer. Top with crumbled Italian sausage then sprinkle with salt and Italian seasoning.
Cook: Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the sausage is cooked all the way through and no longer pink in the middle and the gnocchi is fork tender.
Serve: stir well on the sheet pan so the ingredients soak up all the oil and flavors. This is kind of like your sauce! Top with fresh basil and red pepper flakes if desired.

Prefer to watch instead of read?

Gnocchi FAQs

Can you pan fry gnocchi without boiling?

pan frying the gnocchi needs boiling, but if you’re making it in the oven no need to boil first. However, youo can buy skillet gnocchi specifically to skip the step of boiling.

Is gnocchi supposed to be crunchy?

Good gnocchi shouldn’t be hard, crunchy or chewy. Gnocchi should be light, pillowy and soft to chew.

Why are my gnocchi mushy?

Mushy gnocchi is a result of them being overcooked so be sure to keep an eye on them. This typically happens when you’re boiling gnocchi, which we aren’t doing in this recipe.

Customize this recipe

Mixed mushroom: use a mix of your favorite mushrooms, chopped shallot and 4 ounces of crumbled goat cheese. Top it with fresh thyme and parsley.
Caprese chicken: try using 1lb diced chicken breast, 1 pint of grape tomatoes and mini mozzarella balls.
Shrimp asparagus: 1lb of raw shrimp, 1lb of chopped asparagus, fresh lemon juice, nutritional yeast and garlic. Add the shrimp 6-8 minutes before it’s done because it cooks much faster.
Fall favorite: diced butternut squash, sliced pre-cooked chicken sausage, goat cheese, rosemary and thyme. Give the butternut squash an extra 15 minutes to cook before adding everything else!

sheet pan gnocchi served in a white bowl topped with basil

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5 from 8 votes