Fall may be coming to an end around here, but we’re still cooking with all those wonderful flavors around here. Looking for an easy and flavorful fall dish? Try this sweet potato, sausage, and spinach gnocchi! And make some extra too, you’ll want some leftovers for the week.
I’ve been more and more into making large-batch meals ahead of time, so that I have leftovers for a few days during the week. It makes life so much easier when I come home at night to a meal already waiting for me! One the menu last week: this large batch of gnocchi with lots of wholesome ingredients. It was so good, I made it again this week.
Many fall dishes around this time use butternut squash, and to tell you the truth I’m really not a huge fan. Thoughts aside, I used sweet potato instead! This dish starts by roasting cubed sweet potatoes in the oven with a little bit of olive oil, salt, and of course a pinch of nutmeg. While they are roasting, brown some ground Italian sausage in a large skillet pan with some onion. I love the flavor that sweet Italian sausage adds to this meal, and since it already has so much flavor there isn’t much need to add more. I find that Johnsonville sweet Italian ground sausage worked very well for this dish, but any Italian ground sausage will do!
Once the onion is cooked and the meat is browned, add some minced garlic and cook for a minute or two before adding the sauce… and boy is this sauce the highlight! Super simple, yet light and creamy. It starts with a little bit of chicken broth, then mix in some canned coconut milk with cornstarch (to thicken the sauce), and finish it off with some freshly grated parmesan cheese. I’m sure regular heavy cream would work well too, but I like the dairy-free version and richness that canned coconut milk brings to the sauce. However, the sauce is light enough that it doesn’t overpower the star ingredients in here!
You may notice this sauce only used 1/4 cup of canned coconut milk, meaning you will have plenty of milk leftover. You can use the leftovers to make smoothies, thai coconut stir fry dishes, use it to make popsicles, or even use it in your baked goods. It won’t go to waste!
At the very end we add in some spinach and the cooked gnocchi (my favorite gnocchi right now is Isola gluten free gnocchi from Whole Foods, found in the refrigerated section), simmer until the sauce thickens and coats everything, then gently stir in the sweet potato. It doesn’t get much simpler than that!
One thing to note about the gnocchi…
Gluten free gnocchi come in different package amounts, sizes, serving amounts. The package that I use of Isola gnocchi is 17.6 oz (about 1.1 lbs), and says there are 3 servings per bag. I use one bag of this to serve 3-4 people, since there are so many other ingredients in this dish. If you like a lot of gnocchi, you can go with the extra 1/2 cup from a second bag and there will still be plenty of sauce to coat. Don’t want to buy gnocchi? You can always make your own! Check out my gnocchi recipe for some tips and tricks, and well as helpful tools.
Sweet Potato, Sausage, and Spinach Gnocchi (gluten free)
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1” cubes (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- One 17.6 oz package gluten free gnocchi (*see notes)
- 8 oz ground Italian sausage (I used Johnsonville sweet Italian sausage)
- 1/3 cup sweet onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup gluten free chicken broth
- 1/4 cup canned coconut milk, full fat
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated + more for garnish
- 1.5 tsp cornstarch
- 2 cups spinach, packed
- Additional salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉. Place sweet potato on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp of olive oil, season with the nutmeg and salt, then toss to coat well. Bake for 30 minutes until tender, then remove and set aside.
- While the sweet potato is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 Tbsp of olive oil is a large skillet pan over medium heat. Start by adding the onion and sauté for a few minutes until softened. Add the ground sausage and cook until browned and cooked through, breaking it up with a spoon until crumbled. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 minute while stirring.
- Shake the can of coconut milk and stir after opening, making sure it’s smooth. Pour the 1/4 cup into a small bowl or cup (reserving the extra for later use), then mix in the cornstarch and stir to break up any lumps. Add the chicken broth to you large skillet with sausage, onion, and kale. Add in the coconut milk and cornstarch mixture, stirring to combine. Your sauce should only be simmering, do not bring to a hard boil or coconut milk might separate. Continue cooking sauce, stirring occasionally, until it thickens, about 5-6 minutes. Turn down heat to medium-low, add in parmesan, cooked gnocchi, and spinach, mixing to coat everything evenly and cooking for a few minutes to wilt spinach. Add in the sweet potato and additional salt to taste. Serve immediately with extra parmesan grated over the top.
Notes
- Please note that free gnocchi come in different package amounts, sizes, serving amounts. The package that I use of Isola gluten free gnocchi is 17.6 oz (about 1.1 lbs), and says there are 3 servings per bag. I use one bag of this to serve 3-4 people, since there are so many other ingredients in this dish. If you like a lot of gnocchi, you can go with the extra 1/2 cup from a second bag and there will still be plenty of sauce to coat. If you use a different brand of gnocchi, measure by weight or use serving size suggestion on the package.
- You can use the extra coconut milk in smoothies, stir fry dishes, baked goods, and even popsicles.
Note: Some of the links above are affiliate links. I only link to products I have used myself, truly love, and wholeheartedly recommend. I receive a small commission from any purchases made through these links, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.
Swoon. This looks SO dreamy. And it’s so darn pretty too! Definitely need to try.
Thanks so much! It’s definitely a favorite of mine.