This Sheet-Pan Gnocchi and Sausage Recipe Is Good for Busy Weeknights

After I consider gnocchi, I usually image tender, pillowy bites—like gnocchi alla bava or ultra-tender ricotta gnocchi. I really like that texture, however let’s be trustworthy: Ricing kilos of potatoes on a weeknight simply isn’t going to occur. Something that requires a dough is mostly a weekend challenge for me. Thankfully, there’s one other path. Crispy sheet-pan gnocchi delivers a unique sort of pleasure—golden and crisp on the surface, tender on the within—with no boiling water, potato prep, or sauce required.

The fantastic thing about utilizing a sheet pan to cook dinner store-bought gnocchi is that it turns a typical draw back right into a energy. Mild and tender do-it-yourself gnocchi are too delicate to attempt to brown in a skillet or roast within the oven—they’d simply disintegrate, destroying all of your onerous work. That gentle, pillowiness is a part of what makes them particular, however their fragility limits how they can be utilized.

Retailer-bought shelf-stable gnocchi, however, are sometimes dense and a little bit chewy—not precisely excellent once you’re craving the handmade sort. The gnocchi you discover within the refrigerated part of the grocery or specialty retailer are nearer to do-it-yourself, however are nonetheless sturdy sufficient to roast. They maintain as much as excessive warmth, crisp fantastically on a sheet pan, and emerge with a satisfying distinction of textures. It is a hands-off methodology utilizing a available ingredient that ends in a genuinely scrumptious weeknight-friendly meal.

Packaged, refrigerated gnocchi can go straight from the fridge to the oven and pair properly with a wide range of proteins and greens. On this recipe, our Birmingham-based take a look at kitchen colleague Jasmine Smith attracts inspiration from a basic Italian pasta mixture: broccoli rabe and sausage. Cherry tomatoes add sweetness and juiciness, and the entire dish is seasoned with purple pepper flakes, fennel seeds, garlic, and lemon zest and juice, which add layers of taste to this simple meal.

Cooking in levels ensures the gnocchi and sausage get properly browned whereas the broccoli rabe and tomatoes retain their brightness and don’t get overcharred. The result’s a juicy, well-balanced dish that doesn’t require a separate pan sauce—only a dusting of Parmesan. It is fast, satisfying, and excellent for busy weeknights when you do not have numerous time to cook dinner or clear up.

Ideas for Sheet Pan Success

1. Use refrigerated gnocchi as an alternative of shelf-stable. Some shelf-stable gnocchi have a gummy, Play-Doh–like texture. Jasmine recommends going for the refrigerated sort, which has extra moisture and a softer inside. It doesn’t should be parboiled and stands up higher to roasting, turning golden whereas staying pleasantly chewy inside.
2. Preheat your sheet pan. Beginning with a scorching sheet pan and a excessive oven temperature helps the gnocchi crisp and browns the sausage sooner. Simply be sure to transfer rapidly once you pull the sheet pan out of the oven so as to add the substances to it—because the pan cools down its crisping and browning powers turn out to be much less efficient.
3. Prepare dinner the substances in levels. Many sheet-pan meals name for every thing to cook dinner on the similar time, despite the fact that completely different substances end at completely different charges. Keep away from overcooked broccoli rabe and underdone sausage by beginning with the gnocchi and sausage, then including the broccoli rabe and cherry tomatoes, which cook dinner extra rapidly, partway by means of. You possibly can wash and trim these veggies whereas the gnocchi and sausage get began within the oven.

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