In One and Done, senior test kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk uses one pan—like a Dutch oven, sheet pan, or cast-iron skillet—to make meals you’ll come back to again and again. Click here for even more one-pan meals.
While gnocchi is delicious no matter the preparation, it’s most superior when baked and browned—not boiled, as its package instructions want you to do. Here shelf-stable gnocchi are strewn onto a baking sheet alongside spicy Italian sausage and baked until crisp on the outside and chewy in the center. As they bake, the sausage releases its flavorful oil that cloaks the gnocchi in a spicy-slick sheen, adding invaluable flavor and a touch of heat. A handful of cut broccoli rabe is added toward the end, then the whole thing is served with lemon wedges and a flourish of cheese. This dinner has everything you need for a comforting meal—all without having to boil a pot of water. For this recipe, seek out shelf-stable gnocchi sold in the pasta section of grocery stores in lieu of refrigerated fresh varieties, as the latter tend to get gummy instead of crisp when baked.
Recipe information
Total Time
50 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
1
6
1
â…“
1
½
½
2
12
1
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 400°. Toss 1 large red onion, thinly sliced, 6 garlic cloves, finely grated, one 17.5-oz. package shelf-stable potato gnocchi, ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, and ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper on a rimmed baking sheet to combine. Create a little open space on one side. Finely grate zest of 2 lemons over gnocchi mixture; cut lemons into wedges and set aside for serving. Crumble 12 oz. spicy bulk Italian sausage in about 1" pieces onto open space on baking sheet. (It’s okay if some pieces lay on top of gnocchi and onion.)
Step 2
Bake, tossing halfway through to evenly coat everything in oil again, until sausage and gnocchi are browned and crisp, 35–45 minutes.
Step 3
Add 1 medium bunch broccoli rabe (about 8 oz.), cut into 2" pieces, to baking sheet and toss with tongs or 2 flat metal spatulas to coat in oil. Bake until broccoli rabe is tender, 6–10 minutes.
Step 4
Remove gnocchi mixture from oven and scatter reserved lemon wedges around. Top with finely grated Parmesan if desired.