Spicy Sausage Baked Gnocchi

5 from 4 votes

Spicy Italian sausage baked gnocchi in a creamy tomato sauce with lots of melted mozzarella, garlic and fresh basil. This recipe is so easy to put together and is so comforting and delicious. The perfect dish when you're craving some comfort food!

Prep Time5

Cook Time40

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Author: Emily Wyper

Ingredients

17 oz (500g) gnocchi
10.5 oz (300g) spicy Italian sausages (about 3 fat sausages)
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1.5 cups (400g) passata (tomato puree US)
1/2 cup (125ml) cream
Basil leaves
8 oz (250g) fresh mozzarella (2 balls)
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Pre-heat the oven to 200C (400F)
Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pan on a medium heat. Remove the sausages from their casings and add them to the pan.
Brown the sausages while breaking them up into crumbs with the side of a wooden spoon.
Once browned, add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
Next, add the passata and stir in the cream with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Let the sauce simmer gently for around 8 minutes then add the gnocchi to the salted, boiling water and cook until they float to the surface.
Add a handful of fresh basil to the sauce then add the gnocchi and toss them in the sauce. Turn off the heat then add half of the mozzarella (1 ball) chopped into medium sized pieces and stir it into the sauce.
Tear the remaining half of mozzarella (1 ball) into chunks and scatter it over the top of the gnocchi. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until bubbling and golden. Serve.

Video

Notes

Prep in advance - make the sauce but don’t add the mozzarella. When ready to bake, cook the gnocchi and reheat the sauce. Add the mozzarella, gnocchi and remaining mozzarella then bake.
Storage - leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 1-2 days and can be reheated in the oven uncovered for 10-15 minutes until piping hot.
Variations - if you don’t like spice you can use regular Italian sausages. Instead of mozzarella why not try smoked scamorza for a smokey flavour. You can also use a short pasta shape instead of gnocchi.

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