This Italian gnocchi skillet with Italian sausage, Swiss chard (or kale), and cherry tomatoes is proof that weeknight meals can be fast, fabulous, and frugal. Give it a shower of Parmesan when finished, and in under 30 minutes, you’ve got yourself a skillet bursting with flavors, textures, and just the right amount of indulgence.
Gnocchi with Italian Sausage, Swiss Chard, Cherry Toatoes
This isn’t just dinner; it’s an Italian-inspired mini-escape; this quick and easy meal is as impressive as it looks and tastes even better.
About Gnocchi with Italian Sausage:
This skillet dinner has a handful of ingredients and a minimum of prep, but a huge payoff in flavor. Each ingredient shines. The hearty Italian sausage flavors the dish, nestling with the sweet-tart cherry tomatoes and velvety green Swiss chard or kale.
The slight bitterness of the greens adds depth and balance, and those tomatoes are like little bursts of sunshine. Soaking up all those flavors are tender, pillowy gnocchi, little bites of heaven.
Gnocchi with Italian Sausage, Swiss Chard, Cherry Tomatoes
What are Gnocchi, Anway?
Gnocchi (pronounced “nyoh-kee”) are soft, bite-sized dumplings and are as fun to eat as they are to say! Cooked like this, steamed in a skillet, they’re deliciously soft and just a little bouncy.
Traditionally made from potatoes, flour, and eggs (though there are variations with ricotta, pumpkin, or even spinach), they’re available in larger groceries or Italian delis, either fresh, frozen, or shelf stable.
You’ll also find the popular shelf-stable potato version (which is surprisingly good) used here, in the discount stores, and (keep this on the down low – I’ll lose my food snob status if the secret gets out, lol) at your local Dollar store.
Shelf stable gnocchi – this was $1.25 at Dollar Tree
Serving Gnocchi with Italian Sausage:
Serve this skillet meal straight out of the pan for that casual, rustic vibe (and fewer dishes!) Pair it with a slice of crusty bread or some garlic toast for sopping up all those amazing juices.
If you’re feeling fancy, pour a glass of wine, maybe even light a candle. Hey, there’s probably room in the budget!
A Ziploc (freezer kind fits best) keeps the grated cheese clean and ready to store.
Making Gnocchi with Italian Sausage:
My recipe’s a little different, almost weird, so let me explain a bit:
Use a large skillet, and use it like a short-order cook uses a griddle. Add the sausage to one side of the pan, and the onions along with the stems of the greens to the other. Keep them separate as they cook, and move the pan around if more or less heat is needed in one area or another.
Cook sausage with a little water; it helps it cook through without sticking, and the sausage cooks beautifully with very little attention. Bulk sausage is hard to find where I live, so I use links and remove the casing. The links can be rubbery; a touch of baking soda can softens it. A potato masher works beautifully when breaking down the sausage.
Finally, using water rather than broth lets the unique flavors of the dish shine. Using broth “adds flavor” (and you can if you wish), but WHAT flavor? Not the flavor of Italian sausage and vegetables…
A wire potato masher (on the right) makes short work of separating the sausage
Variations:
For this recipe, think of the tomatoes and Swiss chard are easily changed up.
- Tomatoes: Several softer vegetables can substitute for tomatoes, as long as they cook quickly and give off moisture. Diced whole tomatoes, of course, but consider yellow squash, zucchini, or eggplant.
- Swiss Chard: A tender green, such as kale, mustard, or turnip greens, can replace the Swiss chard. Spinach only needs to be heated through and can be dropped in right before the Parmesan is added.
Leftovers:
This gnocchi skillet meal holds up well in the fridge for two to three days. Add a splash of water and microwave, covered, gently stirring every minute until heated through.
The leftovers are easily transformed:
- Add them to eggs (with more cheese) for a quick frittata.
- Make it a wrap by stuffing it into a tortilla with a few slices of provolone or mozzarella. Fold it up and heat in a pan until warmed through and golden brown.
- Top a pizza. Use your choice of marinara or alfredo as the pizza sauce.
Saving Money on Gnocchi with Italian Sausage:
This dish may sound gourmet, but with a few savvy shopping tips, you can make it without blowing the budget. Here’s how to score deals on the stars of the dish:
Gnocchi:
- Look for sales, especially on frozen or shelf-stable versions. They’ll give you the most opportunity to stock up and store at home at a great price.
- Don’t neglect the discount stores, Aldi or Lidl, or the Dollar stores.
- Make Your Own: If you’re into a cooking project and find it fun, go for it. The payoff is better quality at a lower price.
Italian Sausage:
- Watch for Sales: Especially through the summer when sausages go on sale in response to grilling season and in early to late fall after the hogs go to market. Compare the price of links to bulk sausage.
- Take advantage of great sales by buying and freezing. Sausage can develop an off taste in the freezer. Add extra wrapping and freeze for up to six months in a fridge/freezer or up to a year in a stand-alone.
- If using links, don’t forget to use the extra two sausages; I cooked mine right in the skillet so I’d have them ready for Italian Sausage Sandwiches later in the week. If you’d like more guidance, check out Boston Sausage Pepper Grinders.
Swiss Chard:
- Shop Seasonally: Swiss chard is somewhat heat tolerant but will be at its best in Spring and, depending on where you live, in the Fall months. If it’s pricey, check out the other options listed above in Variations.
- Wrap chard in a paper towel and store it in a produce bag in the crisper drawer. It will stay fresh for up to a week.
Cherry Tomatoes:
- Grow Your Own: Cherry tomatoes are incredibly easy to grow, even in a pot, and provide a summer’s worth of fresh tomatoes.
- If you’re buying, the usual applies. Check your Buyer’s Club for fabulous pricing and quality, check discount grocers, or buy when on sale at the regular grocery.
- During the late summer tomato season, you can often find big deals on cherry tomatoes at farmers’ markets.
Parmesan Cheese:
- Buy a Wedge: It’s always less than pre-grated. Compare the per-ounce or the per-pound pricing. It stays fresher for longer and tastes better than pre-grated.
- Pricing for wedges at Buyer’s Clubs and the discount stores is amazing, but if not an option, watch for grocery store sales.
- Use sparingly, and consider Romano, which is cheaper with a more assertive flavor.
Gnocchi with Italian Sausage, Swiss Chard, Cherry Tomatoes
Gnocchi with Italian Sausage
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: main dish pork
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
This dish cooks fast; have all ingredients ready before starting. You’ll need a large skillet with a lid.
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 10 to 12 ounces Italian sausage, if in links, about 3, casings removed (mild or spicy)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
- 1 package gnocchi, 16 to 17 ounces (shelf stable)
- 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed and finely chopped, leaves in 2 to 3-inch pieces
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup water, chicken or vegetable broth (may need a little more)
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
In a large skillet (12 to 14 inches, preferably not non-stick), heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage to one side, breaking it up as you go. If using links, sprinkle with baking soda and stir together then add the water and cook, continuing to break the sausage down until it loses its pink color.
In the meantime on the other side of the skillet, add the onion and the stems from the chard and cook simultaneously with the sausage keeping it separate, until the onion is translucent. If necessary, move the pan after the sausage is cooked through to place the onion mixture over a higher heat portion of the burner.
When the onions are translucent, add the garlic to the onion mixture and cook for a minute or two until fragrant. Stir together the onion mixture and sausage.
Add in layers, the gnocchi, tomatoes, and greens. Sprinkle a little salt on top of the greens, then add the water or broth (starting with 1 cup) down the side of the pan. Add a lid and steam for about 4 minutes, until the gnocchi are tender and greens wilted. Use a little additional water if needed.
Toss the mixture together, add the Parmesan cheese, and stir it in. The Parmesan should mix with the liquid and form a light sauce. If too dry, add a little more liquid or if too wet, simmer for a minute longer.
Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed, and serve with additional Parmesan at the table.
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