This quick gnocchi recipe is inspired by the Zuppa Toscana soup at Olive Garden and really steps up the store-bought gnocchi game! Super cozy and delicious.
Notes:
Zuppa Toscana soup usually has potatoes, but here we use gnocchi instead! The soup also usually has bacon, but I felt like the sausage was rich enough so I omitted it. Same vibes in a pasta bowl!
I used a shelf-stable gnocchi, which can be bought online or in the dry pasta aisle of your local grocery store. The fresh homemade gnocchi from my brown butter and sage gnocchi recipe would taste amazing in here as well!
Any leafy greens you have on hand can be added. I used spinach, but kale or chard would be great too.
To make it a little healthier, subbing whole milk for the heavy cream would work, it’ll just be a little less rich tasting.
And lastly, for extra kick, try adding extra crushed red pepper to give it some more heat.
Zuppa Toscana Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 lb mild Italian sausage
- 4 large handfuls of spinach
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 lb potato gnocchi
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a separate pot, cook the gnocchi according to package instructions while prepping the sauce below. I would bring a pot of water to a boil and wait until you're adding the cream and spinach to the sauce to start boiling the gnocchi since they cook very quickly. Make sure to salt the water and do not overcook the gnocchi! It's ready once it floats to the top of the water.
- Add the olive oil, onion, and garlic into a large skillet or pan on medium heat and saute until onion is mostly translucent (~5 minutes).
- Add the sausage and break it up as it browns until it's cooked through (~6-8 minutes). Once the sausage has browned, add in the crushed red pepper and salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Add the spinach, give it a stir, and then cover the pan to let the spinach wilt faster (~5 minutes).
- Once the spinach has fully wilted, add in the freshly cooked gnocchi and toss until evenly coated. Keep stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the sauce has thickened to your liking (~3-4 minutes). Salt and pepper to taste again.
- Plate and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.