If you love gnocchi but want a recipe that takes the traditional, plain gnocchi up a few notches, this gnocchi sausage recipe is it! Packaged potato gnocchi is dressed up in this dish by cooking and then browning it in an olive oil and butter mixture for a nice, crisp texture. Then it’s served with a mouthwatering sauce made with Italian chicken sausage, diced fire roasted tomatoes, finely diced green pepper, milk, seasonings and Cabot Sharp Shredded Cheddar Cheese. This recipe is sure to become a favorite for dinner and for special occasions! Feel free to share the recipe with family and friends on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

Line a large plate with paper towels and set aside. Cook gnocchi according to package instructions and drain. Heat ½ tablespoon butter and ½ tablespoon olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until butter is melted, stirring to combine. Add cooked gnocchi and stir to coat with the oil/butter mixture.

Cook gnocchi on one side for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Once the first side of the gnocchi is golden brown, flip each gnocchi over and cook on the other side for an additional 3-5 minutes, until golden brown. When both sides of the gnocchi are golden-brown, remove and place on the paper-towel lined plate. Set aside.

*Optional: Remove paper towel and place gnocchi in an oven-safe dish. Place dish in the oven at 200°F to keep gnocchi warm while you make the sauce.

Next, make the sauce! Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add Italian chicken sausage (casings removed) to the pan, breaking it apart into small pieces with a spatula and stirring to coat with olive oil. Place a lid over the sausage and let it cook for 5 minutes or until it just begins to brown, stirring occasionally.

Remove the lid and add the diced green pepper, cooking until the sausage is evenly browned and the peppers are soft. Then add the undrained diced fire roasted tomatoes, milk, garlic salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder, stirring to combine. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture just begins to bubble.

Reduce heat to medium low and add Cabot Sharp Shredded Cheddar Cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and continue cooking until the sauce thickens slightly, approximately 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve one of two ways:

Option 1: Serve gnocchi and sauce separately if you prefer to have the gnocchi remain crisp.

Option 2: Add the browned gnocchi to the sauce in the pan and stir until it’s evenly distributed, then serve it as a one-pot meal! Top with fresh parsley, if desired.

Need another fabulous gnocchi recipe? Our One-Pot Loaded Baked Potato Gnocchi will win you over immediately! As a co-operative of over 800 farm families, Cabot takes a lot of pride in making our award-winning dairy products. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this easy gnocchi recipe with sausage, so please rate and review it once you’ve tried it.