Cheesy Gnocchi Florentine is a quick and mouthwatering weeknight meal! This gluten free dinner recipe is made in 1 skillet and in 30 minutes.
My husband gifted me an Apple Watch for my birthday earlier this summer and I am HOOKED. If you’re looking for inspiration to get off your butt and get moving, this watch will definitely do it.
Let’s just say I haven’t been moving as much as I thought I have, which has motivated me to up my workout game.
That said, I feel zero guilt downing a second helping of Cheesy Gnocchi Florentine, aka a decadent, 30 minute gluten free dinner recipe that’s made entirely in just 1 skillet.
Think pumped up mac and cheese packed with spinach, tomatoes, sausage, gluten free gnocchi and, of course, cheese. Get your shovels ready!
Watch How to Make It!
What’s Inside
Ground Italian sausage is browned with shallots, Italian seasoning, and garlic, plus canned diced tomatoes, packaged gluten free gnocchi, and half & half.
Simmer until the gnocchi are tender then stir in lots of baby spinach and finish with a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese.
This easy, one pan dinner is SO easy, and SO good. You will lick your bowls clean!
Each bite is rich and decadent so I love the bites of juicy tomato that lightens and brightens each bite. If you’ve got fresh herbs like parsley or basil laying around, add a scattering at the end, but part of the impressiveness of this dish is that it’s so simple. A “pour and cook” kind of dish, if you will.
Add a big side salad and you’re set.
Alright, let’s cook!
How to Make Cheesy Gnocchi Florentine
Start by browning ground sweet Italian sausage (here’s my recipe) with chopped shallot or onion in a large, 12″ skillet over medium-high heat.
Once browned, add Italian seasoning and minced garlic then saute until very fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
Next add canned Italian-style diced or petite diced tomatoes plus half & half and shelf-stable gluten free gnocchi. Look for tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano in the ingredient list, ie Italian-style.
Bring the mixture to a simmer then turn the heat down to medium and continue simmering until the gnocchi are nearly tender, 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
This is the gluten free gnocchi I use. The package says “mini gnocchi” but they are standard sized in my experience!
- Note: regular, non-gluten free gnocchi generally come in 16oz packages (vs this gluten free brand’s 12oz) so if you don’t need to eat gluten free and are using regular gnocchi, you will need to up the amount of half & half and/or add some chicken broth to cook the extra 4oz of gnocchi.
Once the gnocchi are nearly tender, add baby spinach that’s been roughly chopped then continue to cook until the gnocchi are fully tender and the spinach has wilted, 1-2 more minutes.
If you feel the gnocchi needs more liquid to fully cook through, add a few splashes of chicken broth.
Last step is to take the skillet off the heat then stir in shredded mozzarella cheese.
I am telling you – this gnocchi dish is good without the cheese, but it is STELLAR after it’s stirred in. Ah, the power of cheese!
Scoop the Cheesy Gnocchi Florentine into bowls then dig in! I hope you love this easy, decadent, and delicious gluten free dinner recipe – enjoy!
More One Pan Recipes
- Creamy Summer Veggie Gnocchi Skillet
- One Pot Gnocchi Chicken Pot Pie
- Beef and Veggie Enchilada Skillet
- Cheesy Bacon Butternut Squash Gnocchi Skillet
- American Goulash
- One Pot Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb ground sweet Italian sausage
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 15 oz can Italian-style diced or petite diced tomatoes, see notes
- 1 cup half & half
- 12 oz gluten free gnocchi, see notes
- 4 cups lightly packed baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup chicken broth, optional
Directions
- Heat a large, 12” skillet over medium-high heat then add Italian sausage and shallots and brown. Add garlic and Italian seasoning then saute for 1-2 minutes or until garlic is very fragrant. Add canned tomatoes, half & half, and gluten free gnocchi then bring mixture to a simmer.
- Turn heat down to medium then continue simmering until gnocchi are nearly tender, 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add baby spinach then stir to combine and continue cooking until spinach is wilted and gnocchi are tender, 1-2 minutes, adding splashes of chicken broth if necessary if sauce gets too thick.
- Remove skillet from heat then sprinkle in mozzarella cheese and stir to combine. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Look for diced tomatoes that are flavored with basil, garlic, and oregano, ie "Italian Style".
- Regular, non-gluten free gnocchi are usually sold in 16oz packages. If you don't need to eat gluten free and are using regular gnocchi, you may need to add more half & half and/or chicken broth to the dish.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Looks delicious! This is on my short list of recipes to try this fall.
Can you use thr Trader Joes GF gnocchi in this recipe?
Sure!
I made this tonight with basil gnocchi (not gluten-free), and added zucchini since I have a ridiculous amount of that right now. It was amazing! Thanks for the quick recipe!
I made this using Trader Joe’s frozen cauliflower gnocchi and Morningstar Farm frozen veggie sausage crumbles. It cooked perfectly with no need for more or less liquid. My husband and I LOVED it!!! My kids, not so much – one kid liked the sauce but not the gnocchi and the other kid liked the gnocchi but not the sauce. That’s their problem not mine, I will definitely make this again. :o)
I made this the day the recipe was posted, and it was soooo good! I loved that it used pantry staples, and it was a win with my two year old… though he may have just picked out the gnocchi… what can you do? It had great flavor!
I made 2 batches of this last night. one exactly as written (for 17 & 15 year old boys) and one with cauliflower gnocchi (for husband). Everyone loved it, I was honestly shocked how much my boys loved it. They almost ate the entire pan between the 2 of them! Perfect soccer meal.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was so gummy! Thank you again for another quick but soul-satisfying recipe, Kristin. I used Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi. I made the gnocchi in my air fryer and decreased the half and half to 5 or 6 oz…It was perfection!
Oops….YUMMY not gummy ?
Where do you find gnocchi at the grocery store?
I find the gluten free gnocchi near the dried pasta at the grocery store. :)
I will be trying this ASAP!
I hope you love it, Heidi!
Turned out great! The whole family enjoyed it :) I too used Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi and it was perfect
Hi,
Do you think this would be good as a veggie meal by omitting the sausage?
Hi Beth! It’s possible! I might cut back on the cream a touch – I don’t think you’ll need all of it.
This looks like some ultimate comfort food! Wish I was eating some right now!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
It so is – I hope you love it, Paige!
This sounds wonderful! What about using Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi?
That could work! Cooking time/liquid absorption might vary from dried potato gnocchi, just FYI!
I like to replace some or all of the heavy whipping cream, half and half or whole milk with cashew milk in dinner recipes. (Heavy dairy is rough on my husband and one of my children). Do you think this recipe would be ok with that swap?
Hi Bryan! I didn’t test this recipe with anything but half & half so I can’t say for sure!