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.
I never leave reviews, but omg this recipe was so good. Super simple to make, and only took a few minutes to make. It was a winner all the way around.
So amazing! Thank you for the great recipe!
I just made this! Delish! You haven’t let me down yet ?
Delicious!
What suggestions would you have for doing this DF? Usually we substitute almond milk or canned coconut milk for things…do you think either of those would still work well?
Hi Megan! You bet – I think unsweetened almond milk and vegan “mozz” shreds would be your best bet. I like SoDelicious brand vegan cheese best. I hope this helps!
My husband and I loved this and it was even better the second day. I opted to use gluten free elbow pasta adding a little more stock and cooking a little longer because the only gluten free gnocchi was too costly.
Hi! My husband isn’t a fan of gnocchi. Any chance I could use a ziti or something in place? I love your recipes and so does my toddler which is always a win!
Hi Lyn! You bet – that sounds delicious!! :D
This is incredible. In three weeks, I have made it three times. One time I had thawed what I thought was chili (I freeze chili without beans and add when reheating) but it was spaghetti sauce—quickly switched gears and subbed the sauce for the sausage and tomatoes. Still awesome. This is great for week night dinners or company!!
Just made this for dinner tonight. I had to tweak the recipe slightly based on what I could find in the store…finely diced yellow onion in place of shallot and a 16 oz. package of non-gluten-free gnocchi, so I added half a cup of broth. It turned out fairly soupy, next time I think I’ll only add a quarter cup of broth. But the flavors are phenomenal! My daughter has declared it her new favorite meal :) Thanks for another great recipe.
This recipe was delicious! I loved that it only took one skillet to make and the “hardest” part was browning the sausage. I will definitely be adding this recipe to our family’s rotation!
This was amazing. I did modify just a smidgen as I’m not the biggest sausage fan – I used 2 links of a sweet italian sausuage, and then 1/2 lb of ground chicken for the meat. re-heat – taste and texture still good, which makes it a winner in our house.
this was delicious!!!! my kids devoured it too! so good :)
My husband and I made this for dinner and LOVED it. Adding it to our meal rotation for sure.