This comforting brown butter and sage gnocchi with sweet Italian sausage is full of luxurious flavors. Softy pillowy gluten free gnocchi are covered in a nutty brown butter, flavored with fresh garlic and dried sage. Only 6 ingredients!
I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that this meal looks damn good, but that I might be a little crazy cooking such a winter comfort food in what is soon to be the middle of June.
I get it. I do. But I need you to hang with me for a second on why this delicious gluten free gnocchi works for the middle of the summer too.
A) As I mentioned it is in fact, ridiculously delicious. I am going to go out on a limb and call this fancy delicious. What is fancy delicious? Well it is when you feel like you are eating really fancy food but it was super easy to make and zero fancy ingredients needed.
And B) this is still a bi-seasonal (winter/summer) dish because you don't have to turn on the oven! Your house won't be 9084 degrees in the kitchen while making this dinner because you can use just the stove top!
My final point as to why you should in fact make this in the summer, is that it is ready in under 30 minutes. Friends, cooking long dinners in the summer is the worst. I would rather be outside on my deck than cooking.
So let's get in the kitchen and out of the kitchen as fast as possible while making a fancy delicious gluten free gnocchi dinner.
Ingredients
We are only working with a handful of ingredients. Which makes this dish even more special. That probably should have been my 4th point as to why this dish is perfect any time of year.
You will need:
- sweet Italian sausage
- gluten free gnocchi (or regular if that is your thing)
- fresh baby spinach
- butter
- garlic cloves
- dried sage
- Parmesan cheese (optional)
Substitutions
This gnocchi can definately be tweaked to whatever you have on hand at home.
Butter- you could use salted or unsalted for this recipe. Just adjust the salt at the end depending on which butter you went with. Just be sure you use REAL butter. Don't use the fake crap friends.
Sausage- I really enjoyed the sweet italian sausage with this flavor combo but if you like a little heat try some hot or mild italian sausage. Also keep in mind, if you are serving this to kids they may prefer the sweet.
Spinach- this is a completely optional ingredient. I added it for some color and nutritional benefits, but it's not like it is adding in some major flavor. You could also throw in a different green you have on hand. Kale would be good, but that will take longer to soften so keep that in mind.
Sage- I can NEVER find fresh sage at my grocery store so I used the dried stuff. I know if you have made a Thanksgiving dinner you have some on hand. But if you have access to fresh sage, go for it!
Expert Tips
Browning butter- brown butter takes patience. So you want to get the butter cooking first. Depending on what size and type of pan you cook it in, the time will vary. I prefer using a small sauce pan and this increased the cook time to about 15-20 minutes before it browned.
Use a low-medium heat to start when browning the butter. If you put it too high too fast it will go from ok to burned really fast.
Stir every once in a while to make sure it is not sticking, burning etc.
When browning butter you are essentially cooking it at a low/medium temperature until your butter turns from yellow to pretty brown.
It will change colors in stages. It will go from melted yellow, to frothy to golden to a toasty brown.
Also keep in mind those little brown pieces that float to the bottom are full of flavor. Don't strain those.
Gnocchi- I like my gnocchi a little browned after it is boiled. I tested the recipe both ways and while both tasted great, I preferred the texture of the gnocchi that was pan fried to brown a little on each side after it was boiled.
To do this I cooked the gnocchi according to that package and then drained. Once the butter was almost browned, I snagged a tablespoon and put it in the pan I planned on using to combine all of the ingredients.
Place the pan on medium heat and brown slightly on each side. Again this is completely optional.
Sausage- I grilled my sausage on a gas grill. I loved the grilled flavor. But if you don't feel like messing with that, you can cook in a pan on the stove top.
I hope you love this recipe friends! We sure did, even my one year old! Let me know if you do! I so appreciate you guys!
Looking for more pork recipes? I love these Sausage Sweet Potato Breakfast Meatballs. They would be a great dinner too!
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Brown Butter and Sage Gnocchi with Sweet Italian Sausage
- Total Time: 30
- Yield: 4-5 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Luxurious, soft pillowy brown butter sage gnocchi with sweet Italian sausage. Get a dinner that feels fancy, tastes delicious and only has 6 ingredients on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 24 ounces of prepared gnocchi (I used this gluten free gnocchi)
- 1 stick of unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 2-3 handfuls of fresh baby spinach, chopped finely
- 1 teaspoon of dried sage
- approx. 18 ounces, uncooked, sweet Italian sausage links
- grated Parmesan cheese for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Spinach and garlic- finely chop your baby spinach into slivers. Grate your garlic. Set aside.
- Sausage- Grill sausage until cooked. I grilled on a low for about 7 minutes each side. Cook to an internal temperature of 160°F. Cut into slices and set aside.
- Gnocchi- Prepare your gnocchi according to the package directions. See notes.
- Brown Butter- to have your dinner ready all at the same time and in under 30 minutes begin browning your butter first. Let this cook and brown while you prepare your other food ingredients. Place your butter in a small sauce pan. Turn the heat on a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to a low/medium heat and let the butter cook down. As the butter cooks, stir or swirl the pan occasionally. The butter will start yellow, then turn frothy, next a golden yellow color and finally a toasty brown. You will smell a nutty aroma when the butter has been browned. Be sure to keep the heat on the low/medium side so you do not burn the butter. This entire step should take about 15-20 minutes if you are using a sauce pan. Possibly less time if you use a skillet.
- Combine- Place your cooked gnocchi, cooked Italian sausage, spinach, garlic and sage in a large enough skillet that will hold all of the ingredients. Pour in the brown butter and gently stir to combine. Heat on medium heat until spinach has wilted and flavors have combined. About 5 minutes.
Notes
- If you would prefer to brown your gnocchi after cooking according to the package, place your cooked gnocchi in large skillet. Snag a tablespoon of your butter that is browning and add to the skillet. Brown the gnocchi on all sides over medium heat. This gives the gnocchi a slightly crispier texture.
- If you do not have a grater you can always mince your garlic instead or make a paste.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Dinner
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Gnocchi, brown butter gnocchi, butter and sage gnocchi
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