Sheet pan meals definitely take the easy button to the next level! We always love gnocchi dishes and pesto pasta dishes, but when you combine them together, you get this amazing meal that is sure to be a dinner winner!
I feel like gnocchi is one of those love/hate pastas (especially for kids). Some people don’t seem to like the texture of them (that’s my son). And others love that light, fluffy pillow quality. You obviously know where I stand on this topic!
For the fans out there, this dish is nice because, besides cooking the sausage a bit, there isn’t much else that needs to be done outside of a little halving of tomatoes.
As always, I will now walk through a few of the key ingredients and cooking tips to help you crush this meal and be the dinner time hero:
- Sausage – This one is a preference call. We always like to use a spicy breakfast sausage. I think it has a better flavor and breaks into chunks easily. Of course, you could sub in Italian sausage or any other one of your favorites!
- Gnocchi – If I had the time, I would always make gnocchi from scratch. Unfortunately, that isn’t always an option. In that case, you can just buy from the store. The key to cooking gnocchi correctly is to add it to boiling water, and when it floats, it’s done.
- Pesto – If you already have a favorite brand of pesto, use that! Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can make it from scratch!
- Cheese – Breaking up a fresh piece of mozzarella into small chunks is definitely a must for this one. Shredding off a block will also work, but fresh is so much better!
See below for full measurements and cooking instructions!
Equipment
- Sheet Pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb sausage
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 16 oz. gnocchi
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 6 oz pesto
- Fresh mozzarella
- 1/3 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a pan, lightly cook the sausage.
- While that cooks, halve the cherry tomatoes.
- Find a baking sheet and add the uncooked gnocchi, cooked sausage, tomatoes, oil and spices.
- Toss them all together so they are well mixed.
- Bake at 425° for 25 minutes (flipping and mixing once).
- When done, mix in the pesto and top with fresh mozzarella and red pepper flakes.
- Enjoy!
