This creamy sausage and gnocchi skillet is a savory and filling one-pan meal! It’s made with Italian sausage, kale, cauliflower gnocchi, and a creamy, simple sauce. This recipe is paleo, gluten-free and AIP.

Make anything creamy, and I’m pretty much sold! Add gnocchi and lots of other savory ingredients and I’m definitely sold. If you’re looking for a satisfying comfort food dish that’s unique and made in one pan, you’ve come to the right place. This creamy gnocchi and sausage skillet is an Italian-inspired dish that isn’t just another pasta or marinara sauce-centered dish. It’s made with cauliflower gnocchi, sausage, bacon, kale, and a creamy dairy-free sauce to mix up your dinner routine and still give you something yummy and comforting.

Not only is this recipe dairy-free, but it’s made with gluten-free cauliflower gnocchi that can also be made AIP-friendly!

The Ingredients for this Recipe

  • Cauliflower gnocchi. You can use a storebought version or my homemade version of cauliflower gnocchi.
  • Italian sausage and bacon
  • Kale. I love adding kale to dishes like this, but you can also use another green vegetable like spinach or broccoli.
  • Coconut milk, broth, lemon juice, and arrowroot starch. These are the main ingredients for the sauce.

How to make this Creamy Gnocchi and Sausage Skillet

  • Prep the sauce: Combine the coconut milk, chicken broth, lemon juice, arrowroot starch and salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
  • Cook the sausage: Using a large skillet, brown the sausage and crumble with a wooden spoon. Once cooked, set aside and reserve about 2 tbsp of fat in the pan (or add extra fat if needed)
  • Cook the vegetables: Add the onion to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes or until lightly translucent. Add the garlic and kale and cook until the kale is wilted.
  • Simmer the sauce and combine: Pour in coconut milk mixture and stir. Bring to a low simmer for 1-2 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken. Reincorporate the sausage, and add the gnocchi. Stir to combine and coat. Simmer for a few minutes to heat and reduce the sauce.
  • Serve: Serve topped with fresh parsley.

What kind of gnocchi should you use?

Any gnocchi would work for this dish, but to keep it paleo, Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi would be perfect! If you can’t tolerate it, I have a recipe for homemade cauliflower gnocchi that’s paleo and AIP that works great for this recipe.

You’ll simply prepare the gnocchi as directed on either the package or in the recipe that you’re following and then add it to the skillet at the end to combine the flavors.

Can you make this recipe coconut free?

This recipe is dairy-free and uses coconut milk instead of something like cream. You can, of course, opt for a dairy option if you tolerate it! I have not tried something like almond milk in this recipe, but it may be a bit too thin to make a nice creamy sauce.

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Creamy Sausage and Gnocchi Skillet

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 5 reviews
  • Author: Michelle
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dishes
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: Italian Inspired
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

This creamy sausage and gnocchi skillet is a savory and filling one-pan meal! It’s made with Italian sausage, kale, cauliflower gnocchi, and a creamy, simple sauce. This recipe is paleo, gluten-free and AIP.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 2 tsp arrowroot starch
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper (omit for AIP)
  • 1 lb italian sausage (for AIP)
  • 1/2 medium onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cups of kale, chopped and destemmed
  • 1012 oz cauliflower gnocchi, cooked & prepared as directed (Trader Joes brand, or this for AIP)
  • 2 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
  • 1 tbsp parsley, chopped

Instructions

  1. Combine the coconut milk, chicken broth, lemon juice, arrowroot starch and salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
  2. Using a large skillet, brown the sausage and crumble with a wooden spoon. Once cooked, set aside and reserve about 2 tbsp of fat in the pan (or add extra fat if needed)
  3. Add the onion to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes or until lightly translucent. Add the garlic and kale and cook until the kale is wilted.
  4. Pour in coconut milk mixture and stir. Bring to a low simmer for 1-2 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.
  5. Reincorporate the sausage, and add the gnocchi and bacon. Stir to combine and coat. Simmer for a few minutes to heat and reduce the sauce.
  6. Remove from the heat and serve topped with fresh parsley.

Notes

All nutritional information are estimations and will vary. Estimations do not include optional ingredients.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 705
  • Fat: 53.2g
  • Carbohydrates: 34.7g
  • Fiber: 0.8g
  • Protein: 23.1g

This recipe was published in 2020 and updated in 2023. Photos by Modern Food Stories.