Sausage Tomato Gnocchi is a flavorful tomato sauce with miniature sausage “meatballs” served over gnocchi.  A quick and easy meal that the family will all go crazy for! 

Tomato and Sausage Gnocchi

Hey everyone! Chelsea back from Chelsea’s Messy Apron with a good cold weather comfort food This is hands down one of the easiest and tastiest meals you’ll ever make! Don’t you love when little effort is rewarded with big flavor?!

How to make Tomato and Sausage Gnocchi:

1. Prepare the mini meatballs – Roll one pound of Italian sausage into small balls (about the size of a nickel). Add olive oil to a large nonstick skillet, heat to medium high, and brown the meatballs by gently turning around the meatballs for about 2-3 minutes. I recommend doing 1/2 of the meatballs at a time so that you have enough room in the skillet to brown them evenly. After all the meatballs are cooked, remove the meatballs to a plate and quickly wipe out the skillet.
2. Prepare the sauce – Using the same skillet, add 1/4 cup olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add in the garlic and wait until the garlic sizzles to add in the canned tomatoes and water. Add in the seasonings and submerge a sprig of basil into the sauce. Then, add in the meatballs, cover in sauce, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.
3. Serve over gnocchi or spaghetti noodles: While the sauce is cooking, prepare your pasta of choice according to package instructions.

How to make your own homemade gnocchi:

For this recipe, I use store bought gnocchi because it is so much easier and is still super tasty. However, if you’re looking to make your own gnocchi, here’s how to do it:

1. Prepare the potatoes – Boil 2 pounds of potatoes (approximately 4 potatoes) with their skins on for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. Keeping the skins on helps prevent the potatoes from absorbing too much moisture. I recommend using Yukon Gold potatoes for their flavor and color, but other varieties would work as well. Drain well and allow the potatoes to cool and then remove the skins.
2. Make the dough – Rice the potatoes and measure out two cups of lightly packed riced potatoes. Stir in two egg yolks and 1 teaspoon of salt. Once combined, add 1/2 cup flour and stir until it becomes a thick, stiff dough. Gently knead the dough until smooth. Don’t add too much flour or over knead the dough or the gnocchi will become hard and dense. The dough should be light and airy and should still be slightly sticky.
3. Preparing the gnocchi – Using a floured surface, divide the dough into eight equally sized pieces. Roll each piece out gently until it resembles a long breadstick. The thicker the roll, the thicker the gnocchi. Cut the gnocchi into 3/4 inch pieces. If desired, push a fork against the gnocchi to give it a textured appearance.
4. Cooking the gnocchi – Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Gently remove excess flour and place the gnocchi into the pot. The gnocchi is cooked once it floats to the top. This typically takes 2-4 minutes.
5. Storing gnocchi – If left too long, gnocchi will quickly begin to stick to itself. To prevent the gnocchi from sticking, you should begin cooking it within 30 minutes. If you want to make the gnocchi ahead of time, you can freeze it. To properly freeze gnocchi, place the gnocchi on a floured baking sheet and leave it in the freezer until completely frozen (at least 2 hours). After they are completely frozen, you can place them in an airtight container in the freezer until you are ready to use them (for up to two months). When are you ready to cook your gnocchi, there’s no need to thaw them! Just cook the frozen gnocchi in boiling water.

Similar Recipes:

• Authentic Italian Bruschetta (SO easy!)
• Caprese Salad (with Basil Dressing)
• Bruschetta Pasta OR Bruschetta Chicken
• Italian Salad
• Italian Avocado Cucumber Salad
• Italian Orzo and Sausage Skillet