Creamy Gnocchi and Sausage Skillet
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
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- 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
- 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
- 10–12 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
- Combine the coconut milk, chicken broth, lemon juice, arrowroot starch and salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
- 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)
- 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.
- 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 and bacon. Stir to combine and coat. Simmer for a few minutes to heat and reduce the sauce.
- 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.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Main Dishes
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Italian Inspired
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.
AIP
Low Carb
Paleo
Whole30
This one is delicious! I would recommend doubling it because my husband and I ate all of it in one sitting!
★★★★★
Ahh yay! Thank you so much!!
Where is the bacon added??
I made this recipe yesterday. It was delicious! I had made the gnocchi once before and liked it. Then I saw this dish and thought it sounded good. I had most of the ingredients. I didn’t have kale, so I substituted spinach; and I didn’t have lemons, but I had limes. It was just sooo good! It’s definitely worth the time it takes. You have so many great recipes! Thank you for sharing these. God bless!
delicious! Used sweet Italian sausage but might use might use mild next time. I served my (2 year old) daughter’s over veggie rotini and she ate every last bite. Thank you!
★★★★★
yay, so glad!!
THis recipe was amazing! I made my own pumpkin gnocchi as the store had run out of all non white potato gluten free varieties! My home made gnocchi totally fell apart, but it didn’t matter as the taste of the sauce was just fabulous! I’ll make this again, but I might even just serve it on sweet potato mash!
★★★★★
That sounds so yummy! Thank you, Lucy 🙂
Can you tell me how many servings this makes?
3-4 servings 🙂
This is soo good! Super creamy & great flavor. I made the aip italian sausage, except i used hamburger, came out super good. I also mixed it with cauliflower rice since there isn’t a trader joe’s near me. I also used the bacon grease to cook the onions in. I will be making this again for sure!
★★★★★
Wow this is yummy! I’ve been trying hard to make things to feed the whole family (husband and 20 month old) so I’m not constantly making 2 separate meals. My husband is very sweet but he’s not a huge fan of most of the aip dishes I’ve made. But so far, this one and the Egg Roll in a Bowl, he’s said I can make again. I’ll probably make them normal pasta and keep the gnocchi to myself! It’s a bit of work but not too much to deter me. Yum!
★★★★★