Recipe Background
Weeknight Gnocchi Bake is a flavorful dish with Italian sausage and veggies, perfect for quick weeknights.
The night before our university graduation, my roommates and I found ourselves staring at an eclectic collection of vegetables and a single package of gnocchi we'd unearthed from the depths of our tiny kitchen pantry. Determined to create a meal worthy of our impending leap into adulthood, we pooled together the colorful bell peppers and a lone zucchini. I remember Jim insisting on adding Italian sausage to the mix, claiming it would sustain us for the night ahead, and he was not wrong.
Always the spice enthusiast, I suggested a pinch of red pepper flakes for some heat—just enough to wake us up without overpowering the dish. We tossed everything with a generous drizzle of olive oil and a dash of Italian seasoning, feeling quite like culinary architects. As the comforting aroma of bell peppers and tomatoes mingling with sausage filled our cramped apartment, we applauded our haphazardly chosen lineup of ingredients.
Huddled around our well-worn coffee table, we devoured what became affectionately known as our 'Weeknight Gnocchi Bake.' To this day, every gnocchi bite calls to mind that night when we toasted futures unknown with mismatched mugs. The sprinkle of fresh basil and parmesan on top not only finished the dish but also became our farewell flourish to college life—a simple garnish that elevated our humble feast, sealing it forever as a cherished memory. If you broil the gnocchi briefly at the end for a touch of golden beauty, you’ll find it adds just the right amount of celebratory flair.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground hot or mild Italian sausage
- 3 bell peppers color of your choice, cut into small chunks
- 1 zucchini cut into small chunks
- 1 (10-ounce) carton grape or cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt plus more, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 (16-ounce) package potato gnocchi
- parmesan cheese optional, to taste, freshly grated, for garnish
- basil leaves optional, to taste, for garnish
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, add the Italian sausage, the bell peppers, the zucchini, the tomatoes, the olive oil, the Italian seasoning, the garlic powder, the red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the black pepper and toss to coat.
- Transfer the sausage mixture to the prepared baking dish.
- Bake until the sausage is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, about 20-25 minutes.
- During the last few minutes of baking, in a large pot of salted, boiling water, add the gnocchi and cook until the gnocchi floats to the top of the water, about 4 minutes.
- When the sausage mixture is finished baking, transfer it from the oven to a wire rack.
- Switch the oven to the broil setting.
- With a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked gnocchi to the sausage mixture and lightly stir to combine.
- Broil until the gnocchi is golden-brown, about 5 minutes.
- Serve garnished with the parmesan cheese and the basil leaves.
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