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.
My granddaughter’s allergic to tomatoes what to you suggest I use instead. I’m gluten sensitive and really enjoyed this recipe.
Hi Susan! You could possibly try chopped roasted red pepper instead. Mezzetta has a good product! You’ll need to add additional chicken broth to the skillet to account for not having the juices inside the can of tomatoes.
Hi was just reading the recipe and it says 1 cup of half & half, what is that please was going to make for dinner tonight thank you.
Hi Caroline! Half & Half is a dairy product that’s a blend of heavy cream and milk. So you would use 1 cup of the product called “half & half” in this recipe.
I had ham and potato gnocchi and combined 1/4 cup of half-and-half and whole milk and cheddar cheese on hand and followed your basic directions to come up with a really good one pan meal plus a salad. Using potato gnocchi creates “instant sauce” so I tempered that with chicken broth. Thank you for a very adaptable recipe!
That sounds *delicious*, Helen! So glad you were able to make this dish your own. Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
This recipe is delicious! Used regular gnocchi (we don’t need gluten free) and made some chicken broth with Better Than Bouillon. It was soooo good! We’ll be adding this to our regular rotation!
Yessss! So happy to hear that, Cindy! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Excited to try this! Would it be possible to use milk vs half and half? Thank you:)!
Hi Dana! I wouldn’t use milk vs half and half — the dish would be thin and on the bland side. You could try doing half half&half, and half whole milk?
Very, very good. I am gluten- and dairy-intolerant and this fits my needs well. Some future changes: no cheese! It is rich and creamy enough with the half and half. The dairy-free cheese I added altered the taste. I added pepper. And it needed more spinach, like 6 cups total. This is a winner!
I’m so glad you loved it, Gail! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Hi! I’m excited to try this tonight, but just realized I only have hot italian sausage on hand! Hopefully, it works out and the flavors are still as great as everyone is raving about!
That sounds delicious, Jennifer! Sweet or hot is totally fine. :)
My family loved this recipe. Since they do not like gnocchi, I used regular elbows gluten free. I cooked the elbows ahead of time and added it to the sauce mixture. I did let the sauce simmer a little before adding the pasta to make sure it thickened a little. Definitely a keeper!!! Thank you!
Yum!! So glad you found a way to make this recipe work for you, Cara! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Excellent. Thanks for the heads up on the mail order, Kristen.
You got it! :)
Found your potsticker noodle recipe before the pandemic and have enjoyed it over and over again. I was diagnosed celiac in 1976 in the dark ages before labeling and GF became a thing. Never have had gnocchi in my life, but this recipe is on my to do list. There is a recipe for GF gnocchi on the serious eats website. There are no free range GF gnocchi in western North Dakota.
I always say that I do feel so lucky to have been diagnosed now when there are so many options and awareness if growing by the day. I can’t imagine trying to grocery shop or dine out when you were diagnosed – you’re a trooper, Greg!! If you feel comfortable ordering gnocchi online, Vitacost is having a 20% off sale on Delallo’s GF gnocchi – it’s my favorite! https://www.vitacost.com/delallo-gluten-free-potato-gnocchi-12-oz
Wow, very tasty meal. I live in Spain and cannot get the exact ingredients but added a bit extra this and that and voilà – my family loved it.
Fantastic! So glad it worked out, Michelle!
I’ve been eyeing this recipe for a while, and finally made it, when I noticed the gnocchi was on clearance at my local Kroger.
I followed the recipe for homemade Italian sausage, but subbed ground chicken for pork. I didn’t have any fennel, so I substituted the 1 tsp fennel with 1/2 tsp dill.
Since the homemade sausage recipe calls for one pound of meat, I used the full lb. in the gnocchi recipe.
It turned out wonderful, and my (non-gf) husband said he’d definitely want to eat it again!
If I can’t find the gf gnocchi again, I wonder if broken lasagna noodles would work well, or maybe fettuccine.
Thank you so much for your feedback, Margaret! I’m SO glad this dish was a winner with you both!
Could you clarify in the recipe if the canned tomatoes should be drained or not? Can’t wait to try this!
Hi Kara! The tomatoes are un-drained. I hope that helps, and you enjoy!! :)