Hello, Monday! I wanted to make sure to get this Sausage and Gnocchi Florentine Bake recipe up for you today, as we kick off the stat of a new week. A cozy gnocchi bake like this makes for an ideal weeknight dinner, in my opinion. But it also happens to be delicious and interesting enough to pull off on a weekend, say when entertaining friends?
On Gnocchi Making: A Mini-Manifesto
I’ve had a couple of chef friends of mine, on totally different occasions/in separate conversations, express their dislike of preparing scratch-made gnocchi at home. I’ll admit that it’s not my favorite thing to do either (we’re not doing that with this recipe, don’t worry). It can be messy, time consuming, and frankly, really easy to screw up. There is a very fine line between cozy, pillowy dumplings and mushy, paste-like globs of gluey, starchy muck.
Ahem. Tell you how I really feel, right? Anyway, I am a huge proponent of store-bought gnocchi. I think the trick is really just finding a great cast of characters to support the gnocchi in its starring role. Here, I bring some savory, salty Italian sausage and sweetly caramelized onions into the mix, as well as some nutritious spinach. By the time you factor in the creamy coconut milk (there’s my favorite trick ingredient again!) and mozzarella, you’ve got a wonderfully satisfying and balanced baked gnocchi on your hands.
My family has been enjoying this Sausage and Gnocchi Florentine Bake recipe quite a bit recently. The coconut milk, admittedly, is a strange addition here. But the hint of natural sweetness it adds offsets the acidity of the tomatoes nicely, I think. It gives the sauce the creaminess/moisture that I was looking for as well, so I thought it worked perfectly here. But feel free to stick with half and half or even milk, if you’d rather.
Also, for an extra cheesy bake, you can layer half of the gnocchi mixture into your baking dish and top with a layer of shredded or fresh mozzarella before adding the rest of the gnocchi/sausage and a final layer of cheese.
Lastly, be sure to adequately season the mixture, adding a little salt and pepper to each component as you go. There is a lot of food going on in this bake, and seasoning everything properly is what makes this such a delicious meal.
If you like the sounds of this recipe, you might also want to try:
Blushing Italian Sausage & Rigatoni Pasta Bake
Unstuffed Mushroom & Tortellini Skillet
Here is a ready-made pin for you! Simply save it to your “Easy Dinners” or “Recipes to Try” boards and you’ll be all set.
Sausage & Gnocchi Florentine Bake
A cozy, comforting meal that packs a ton of flavor into every bite.
- Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
1 package of store-bought gnocchi, usually about 2 cups or so
2 TBSP olive oil, divided (give or take)
1 lb. Italian bulk sausage, not links
2 sweet yellow onions, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
10- oz. package chopped frozen spinach, thawed and well-drained
1 tsp garlic powder
28- oz. can crushed tomatoes
14- oz. can full fat coconut milk, you can sub half and half
8- oz. fresh mozzarella
Roasted tomatoes optional; I get them from my market’s olive/salad bar and use them on EVERYTHING(feel free to omit or sub in sundried tomatoes)
Instructions
1. Prepare the gnocchi according to package directions, ensuring that your cooking water is nice and salty (like the sea). Drain the gnocchi and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat add the olive oil and brown the sausage; cooking it for several minutes on one side without flipping so it gets nice and crispy. Transfer the coked sausage to a plate and drain most of the drippings from the pan (you can leave a little to help cook the onions)
3. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan along with the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the onions slowly, stirring frequently, allowing them to caramelize; about 25 minutes. NOTE: fully caramelized onions take more like 45 minutes to achieve, but for this recipe, we’ll be good with “mostly caramelized” onions. They’ll continue to cook down in the oven.
4. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
5. Once the onions have cooked for 25 minutes, add the drained spinach and the garlic powder. Stir. Add the crushed tomatoes, cooked sausage, gnocchi, and the coconut milk. Stir and season with salt to taste. Transfer the mixture to a large baking dish and top with torn (or sliced) pieces of mozzarella and (if using) some roasted or sundried tomatoes. Bake on the center rack until bubbly and golden; about 25 minutes.
