About
When time is short, but the appetite is large, let your oven do the heavy lifting! Deliciously easy, Weeknight Gnocchi Bake is the perfect answer to the perfect meal! The amazing combination of Italian seasonings tossed with Italian sausage, bell peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes join forces with tender gnocchi for a hearty plate-full the entire family will devour. Weeknight Gnocchi Bake checks all the right weeknight meal requirement boxes. So easy, so delicious, and ultimately satisfying at the end of a busy day! Let's eat!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground hot or mild Italian sausage
- 3 bell peppers, color of your choice, cut into small chunks
- 1 zucchini, cut into small chunks
- 1 (10-ounce) carton grape or cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt, plus more, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 (16-ounce) package potato gnocchi
- parmesan cheese, optional, to taste, freshly grated, for garnish
- basil leaves, optional, to taste, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 -Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Step 2 -Lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Step 3 -In a large bowl, add the Italian sausage, the bell peppers, the zucchini, the tomatoes, the olive oil, the Italian seasoning, the garlic powder, the red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the black pepper and toss to coat.
Step 4 -Transfer the sausage mixture to the prepared baking dish.
Step 5 -Bake until the sausage is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, about 20-25 minutes.
Step 6 -During the last few minutes of baking, in a large pot of salted, boiling water, add the gnocchi and cook until the gnocchi floats to the top of the water, about 4 minutes.
Step 7 -When the sausage mixture is finished baking, transfer it from the oven to a wire rack.
Step 8 -Switch the oven to the broil setting.
Step 9 -With a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked gnocchi to the sausage mixture and lightly stir to combine.
Step 10 -Broil until the gnocchi is golden-brown, about 5 minutes.
Step 11 -Serve garnished with the parmesan cheese and the basil leaves.
