This quick skillet dinner combines crisp gnocchi and brawny sausage with sweet pops of peas and herbs. It tastes like spring, but it can be prepared perennially — and without any chopping or waiting for water to boil. (That’s right, you don’t need to boil the gnocchi before searing.) Draped in a combination of mustard and melted Parmesan, the dish is creamy, with a salty bite like cacio e pepe.
Notes
- If plush Alfredo is what you’re craving, you could add a splash of heavy cream along with the browned gnocchi in the final step.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil - plus more as needed
- 1 12- to 18-ounce package shelf-stable potato gnocchi
- 1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage - casings removed
- 2 cups frozen peas - (10 ounces), no need to thaw
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ cup grated Parmesan - plus more for serving, 1 ounce
- salt - to taste
- pepper - to taste
- ½ cup basil leaves - torn, or mint, plus more for serving
Instructions
Pan fry the gnocchi:
- In a large (12-inch) nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high.
- Break up any stuck-together gnocchi and add to the skillet in an even layer.
- Cover and cook, undisturbed, until the gnocchi are golden brown underneath and unstuck from skillet, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Cook, stirring, until crisp on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes. If the gnocchi are burning instead of browning or the skillet looks dry, add more oil.
- Transfer to a bowl or plate.
Brown the sausage:
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet, still over medium-high.
- Add the sausage and break into small pieces.
- Cook, undisturbed, until sausage is browned, 2 to 4 minutes.
- Stir and cook until the sausage is cooked through, another 2 to 4 minutes.
Cook the peas:
- Stir in the peas, mustard and ½ cup water and scrape up the browned bits on the skillet. (It may not look like a lot of liquid, but the peas will release some as they cook.)
- Simmer until the peas are cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes.
Finish and serve:
- Add the browned gnocchi and the Parmesan; stir until the cheese has melted.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the herbs.
- Serve topped with more herbs, Parmesan and black pepper as desired.