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.
Could you explain the „half and half „ please
Hi Valerie! Half and half is a mixture of half whole milk, and half heavy cream. For this recipe, you could use all heavy cream if you can’t find half and half – or you could use a little less heavy cream and add more broth as needed.
This dish was excellent!! And so fast!
I’m so glad you loved it Molly!! Thanks so much for your feedback!
Kristin, this looks so delish. My husband won’t touch anything remotely resembling a dumpling, so if I sub rotini or similar, would the liquid measurements stay pretty much the same? Can’t wait to make this.
Oh shoot! Pasta will absorb more than the gnocchi so I’d have a couple cups of chicken stock or broth on hand! :)
Just made this for the first time. Loved it! Super easy and fast after a busy weekend. And my husband said it’s now one of his top 5 meals for me to repeat. Thanks for all the recipes!
LOVE to hear that, Gwen!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This was amazing! More delicious than I even expected!
Thrilled to hear that, Kristal! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Our entire family really enjoyed this dish!
That’s awesome, Laura!! Thank you for taking the time to let me know!
It was awesome! A can of coconut milk was substituted for the milk since we were out. Delicious! (I also used non-GF gnocchi) Despite it being the quickest and easiest meal I’ve ever made, it tasted as it had simmered for hours. My kind of dish.
Sounds awesome!! I’m so glad it was a hit!!
Well this was amazing! Hubby ate 2 bowls, took some for lunch the next day! Me too! Lol. I used cheese tortellini and that was a great sub. Was worried it would get too mushy, but it came out great!
Thank you!
Amazing! So glad it was a hit, Amity! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
I’m going to try this using Trader Joe’s Frozen Cauliflower gnocchi. More veggies is always good!
Absolutely! Those would be delicious in here!
This was amazing!! We were out of milk, so swapped a can of coconut milk. (Also used non-GF gnocchi) SO GOOD!!! It tasted like it had simmered for a long time, but was so quick and easy. My kind of dish.
I’m so glad you loved it, Molly, and were able to make it work with coconut milk. Sounds DELICIOUS!
I made a vegan version of this today and it was to die for!
Love it!! So glad you were able to work with modifications!
do you have a specific brand of GF gnocchi that you prefer?
I like Delallo brand GF gnocchi!
I just found your blog today and made this tonight and holy moly this is a new favorite! I can’t wait to try other recipes from your blog ???? I added red pepper flakes to mine too ☺️