Creamy Gnocchi Turkey Sausage Kale (Printable)

Potato gnocchi in a creamy sauce with turkey sausage, kale, and Parmesan for a cozy one-pan meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Proteins

01 - 10.5 oz turkey sausage, casings removed, crumbled

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
04 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
05 - 4 oz kale, stems removed, leaves roughly chopped

→ Pasta

06 - 1 lb potato gnocchi (fresh or shelf-stable)

→ Sauce

07 - 3/4 cup heavy cream
08 - 1/4 cup chicken broth
09 - 2 oz grated Parmesan cheese
10 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
11 - Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

→ Garnish

12 - Extra Parmesan cheese, for serving
13 - Freshly chopped parsley (optional)

# How-to Steps:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey sausage, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook until browned and fully cooked, approximately 5 to 6 minutes.
02 - Add finely chopped onion to the skillet and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Incorporate kale into the skillet and cook while stirring until wilted, roughly 2 minutes.
04 - Add potato gnocchi, heavy cream, and chicken broth to the skillet. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gnocchi are tender and cooked through.
05 - Remove the lid, stir in grated Parmesan cheese, and season with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. If sauce is too thick, adjust consistency with additional broth or cream as desired.
06 - Plate immediately, garnished with extra Parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley if preferred.

# Expert Pointers:

01 -
  • It comes together in under thirty minutes, which means you can feed four people without the stress.
  • One pan means cleanup is practically nonexistent, leaving you time to actually relax after dinner.
  • It hits that perfect balance between indulgent and feeling like you ate something real and nourishing.
02 -
  • Don't skip the browning step on the sausage—rushing through it means missing the caramelization that makes this dish actually taste like something.
  • If your gnocchi are shelf-stable, they'll take the full five minutes in the cream, but fresh gnocchi might be done in three, so keep an eye on them.
  • Grate your own Parmesan if you can—the pre-grated stuff has anti-caking agents that keep it from melting smoothly into the sauce.
03 -
  • Make sure your skillet is large enough that everything has room to breathe—crowding the pan means uneven cooking and frustrated sausage.
  • If you're making this for guests, do all your prep before you start cooking, because once the sausage hits the pan, there's no looking back.

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