Ready in under 30 minutes, this one-pot gnocchi with sausage and kale is comfort food at its finest. Crispy, golden pan-fried gnocchi are smothered in a decadent white sauce and paired with tasty Italian sausage and a handful of kale for the ultimate mid-week dinner that everyone will fall in love with!

The creamy gnocchi sauce for this recipe only takes under 30 minutes to make, which means that you can have an oh-so-comforting dinner on the table with very little effort.
For this one-pan gnocchi recipe, I use gnocchi that you don't have to pre-boil, but that can be pan-fried instead. You can generally find them in the refrigerated pasta aisle in the stores.
I used simple gnocchi for this recipe, but you can also choose to go with spinach gnocchi, which would complement the kale perfectlty.
These gnocchi can be pan-fried, but they still release some starch that thickens up the sauce. I like to fry them until they're really crisp (I dare you not to have some straight out of the pan!) and even though they'll eventually soften in the sauce, you will still be able to feel some of the crispiness.
This is a super easy recipe to make, and there's a video in the recipe card at the bottom of this post that shows you exactly how to make it.
Recipe tips for the perfect pan-fried gnocchi
- I use Italian sausage for all Italian-inspired recipes that call for sausage, but you can use regular pork or even vegetarian sausages instead.
- If you don't want to remove the casing of the sausages, you can fry them whole and then cut them into small pieces before adding them back to the pan.
- The chili flakes are optional but highly recommended if you want the gnocchi sauce to have a bit of a kick.
- The sage can be substituted with oregano or an Italian seasoning mix.
- This is a comfort recipe, but if you want to cut down on the calories a bit, you can use single cream (half and half) instead of double cream (heavy cream).
- The veggie stock can be substituted with chicken stock if that's what you have on hand.
If you liked this one-pot gnocchi with sausage and kale recipe, have a look at some of my other quick recipes:
Easiest Ever Creamy Prawn Linguine
Tagliatelle ai Funghi (Pasta with Mushrooms)
Creamy Lemon Salmon and Dill Pasta
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One-Pot Gnocchi with Sausage and Kale
Ready in under 30 minutes, this one-pot gnocchi with sausage and kale is comfort food at its finest. Crispy, golden pan-fried gnocchi are smothered in a decadent white sauce and paired with tasty Italian sausage and a handful of kale for the ultimate mid-week dinner that everyone will fall in love with!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 600 g (1.3 lb) pan-fried gnocchi (the kind you don't have to pre-boil)
- 400 g (1 lb) Italian sausage, cases removed and stuffing broken into chunks
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
- 500 ml (2 ¼ cups) veggie stock
- 2 handfuls kale, chopped
- 200 ml (1 cup) double cream
Instructions
- In a large pan or pot, heat the olive oil and fry the gnocchi for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the Italian sausage, dried sage, and chilli flakes. Mix it well and fry for 4-5 minutes or until it's done to your liking (I like it on the crispier side, so I leave it for up to 6 minutes). As the sausage fries, break it down with your spoon, so you don't end up with big chunks.
- Stir in the stock and cook for another minute. Add the chopped kale and cook until it wilts a bit. Add the double cream and stir well.
- Tip in the fried gnocchi, toss everything well and cook for another minute until the sauce thickens. Season with freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 699Total Fat: 55gSaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 33gCholesterol: 125mgSodium: 904mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 25g
Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
Stella says
You lost me at the kale - there is no point to kale! However, swapping spinach for kale would certainly work so it still sounds good to me.
Alice says
Kale retains its texture better in recipes like this and I like it a lot, but sure, you can use spinach instead.
Dorothy's New Vintage Kitchen says
YUM! Looks so delicious!