Sausage & Cabbage Gnocchi
- blackcatblue08
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
A well loved staple at our cottage - especially good on chilly coastal nights, but we really eat it all the time.
I started making this dish a few Christmas Eves ago. A night usually filled with pastas and seafood, I was hosting a friend with gluten sensitivities and shrimp allergies. If you're serving someone with intense gluten issues, there are several good gluten free gnocchi options or you could make your own. All that aside, this is an amazingly delicious pot of food and it is in heavy rotation in my kitchen. It's rich and salty and fatty and makes your insides feel warm and cozy. Definitely not diet food, but I like to pretend all that cabbage makes it healthy.
Note: I am making a double recipe in the pictures/video because it's too good not to have leftovers.
There are so many ways to alter this recipe to your taste. I'll add some tips after the recipe. Make it spicier, soupier, thicker - make it yours!
Single recipe serves 2-4, depending on how big your appetite is. According to the blue box of mac and cheese, I am a family of four, so based on me, the double recipe makes 4 servings and maybe a side dish for lunch one day.
List of Ingredients
Salt & Pepper
3 tablespoons butter
16 oz ground sausage
1 package of store bought gnocchi
1 small onion - thinly sliced
1/2 small/medium head of cabbage - cut to large bite sized (core removed)
1 package of store bought gnocchi
2 cups low sodium chicken broth - heated
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Parsley (if you're fancy)
Brown the gnocchi & sausage
Starting with a large skillet, melt a tablespoon of butter in a hot pan and add the gnocchi. Cook until slightly browned, constantly stirring so the gnocchi doesn't stick. Set the gnocchi aside.
Then, brown the sausage until cooked through. Remove from heat and add to gnocchi.
Cook the onion and cabbage
Add more butter to the pan and melt. Add the onions and cabbage and stir over medium high heat for a few minutes until the onion is soft and the cabbage starts to wilt down. Stir up any of those yummy brown bits that are stuck to the pan from the sausage and gnocchi. Salt and pepper to taste (note, there is a LOT of salt in this recipe already from the sausage and parm, so use sparingly at first). Add a cup of hot broth (I stick it in the microwave for a couple minutes), turn the heat down to medium and cover. Simmer 5-10 minutes until the cabbage is truly wilted and tender. Remove cover, turn the heat up and cook off any remaining liquid.
Add the good stuff back in
Add the sausage and gnocchi back into the pan and mix in with the cabbage and onions. Add another cup of hot broth and the parmesan, setting aside enough to top the finished dishes. If you have any butter left, add it to the pan. Mix well and cook on medium low until the sausage is warmed back through and the sauce is thickened.
Spoon into bowls and enjoy!
Top with more Parmesan and parsley, if desired
Tips & Notes
I use a refrigerated gnocchi specifically made for skillet frying, but shelf stable gnocchi works here, too and I use it when the store doesn't have the refrigerated kind. I like my gnocchi buttery and dense and crispy - if you like yours softer, you can either boil first and lightly brown in the skillet or just go with the boiled and skip the skillet.
If you want this to be gluten free, there are several good options of GF gnocchi readily available - or you can make your own if you're feeling ambitious.
I often mix sweet and hot Italian sausage to give this more of a kick. You can buy the links and remove the casings and break it up to get to your desired heat level. I've even made this with breakfast sausage in a pinch.
You don't have to use cabbage - I've made this with both kale and spinach. Mix it up! Just keep an eye on it as softer greens will wilt/cook faster and you'll probably need more as they shrink more than cabbage. You can also leave out the onion if you have a picky eater.
I find the amount of time it takes for the original broth to cook down varies every time. I'm sure there is a scientific reason. Or my stovetop is inconsistent. It's important to cook that first cup of broth all the way off until the pan is dry - it infuses the cabbage with flavor.
I mentioned the salt - depending on your taste, you can substitue sodium free broth or full sodium. I've found that using sodium free makes a much subtler dish that is much better the next day after all the flavors meld. The sausage you use will also affect the saltiness - hot sausage usually ups the salty as well as the spicy.
Speaking of the next day - this heats up nicely and like so many dishes with layered flavors, is often better after all the flavors hang out for a while. I don't think I could possibly not eat at least some immediately, tho.
Thickness - there isn't much of a sauce after you cook it all down. If you'd like it saucier/stewier, add more hot broth when you add the cooked sausage back in. I've made this with a whole 4 cup box. It helps with leftovers, too, since the gnocchi sucks it up.
Don't skimp on the parm at the end - it gives a lovely, salty finish.
My Italian friend informs me that the g in gnocchi is not silent. Not quite sure how he rolls it in there, but enjoy your g-nocchi!
Parting thoughts
This is definitely a decadent, yet rustic dish. You will probably need some extra time on the treadmill. It's salty, it's fatty, it's buttery - it's pasta adjacent. Serve with some of that squishy italian bread and butter and enjoy the comfort. I would have a favorite white wine with this, but I am no wine expert, so drink what you like.
Please comment below if you try this - I hope you love it as much as I do!
Check out our new Instagram page - def a work in progress https://www.instagram.com/blackcatblue08/?hl=en
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