Looking for that perfect textural bite? Look no further, this is the dish! With billowy gnocchi and a delicate crunch of walnuts you’ll be asking for seconds.

Exploring Natural Bridge State Park

We made it to Stanton, Kentucky! We spent the day exploring Natural Bridge State Park. It was some epic winter hiking. Following up along the sandstone cliffs, I caught myself constantly repeating “Oh Wow” in pure amazement. It’s absolutely incredible how small you can feel among the giant, towering natural stone walls. You really have to stop in your tracks to take it all in. Even though it was the middle of winter in the United States, in the cliffs of Kentucky you’re surrounded by the lush green of Rhododendron. You feel like you’re in a different world. Water trickled over head, falling from the stone ledges above, created delicate ice coated branches among some of the trees that nestle themselves into the rocky formations. It was simply beautiful.

A hike like this one certainly merited a meal of equal proportions. A meal full of flavor that offers the perfect textural bite. I went for my favorite go to gnocchi dish! What’s even better is the fact that you can eliminate time and cleanup by using prepared gnocchi and ground sausage without the hassle of removing the casing!

The grill or stovetop will do!

I throughly enjoy cooking outdoors while camping. Alternatively, this dish can easily be made on the stove top. I do however pre-boil the gnocchi on my little stove inside our RV. Be sure to follow the package instructions to whichever gnocchi you decide to use. I tend to choose the brand De Cecco Potato Gnocchi no. 401. It’s conveniently measured into a 1 pound package and cooks up quickly in just 2 minutes.

Those 1 pound packages of ground Italian Sausage are so incredibly convenient to have on hand. They take up little space, freeze well and defrost quickly. Don’t be shy to switch up the flavor or heat with your personal favorite. Can’t find ground sausage? You can easily remove the casing from sausage by creating a shallow cut from end to end with the tip of a knife. Grab the split casing on one end with your thumb and forefinger and simply peel back the casing.

Chop a small onion and mince 3-4 garlic cloves. I like garlic. I mean, I really LOVE garlic, so be as minimal or generous with the amount of garlic to your liking. Give your sage a fine chop and coarsely chop the walnuts. Now we’re ready to start cooking.

Let’s cook!

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Once preheated, place a Dutch Oven on the grill and heat for 5 minutes until hot, testing with a couple drops of water until it sizzles. Add a small drizzle of oil, enough to lightly coat the pan. Sausage typically has enough fat in itself which we’ll drain off after cooking. Add your sausage, crumbling as it cooks and season with ground pepper. Since sausage leans more towards the salty side, I hold off on adding any additional salt. Cook the sausage through, 8-10 minutes until no longer pink. Transfer crumbled sausage to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb any excess oil leaving 1 Tablespoon of oil in the pot.

Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Once the onions have softened, reduce heat to medium. Next stir in 1 Tablespoon of butter and walnuts, cooking for an additional 3-4 minutes, continue to stir until butter is melted through. Then add the garlic and sage, sautéing until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

It’s wine time! Add a 1/2 cup of dry white wine and let the flavor magic happen, cook for 5 minutes. Now it’s time to add the cooked sausage, cream and gnocchi. Reduce to to medium low and allow to simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Lastly, stir in two cups of baby spinach or roughly chopped spinach, sprinkle with grated Parmesan and voila!

It’s dinner time!

Creamy Gnocchi & Italian Sausage with Walnuts and Sage

Recipe by Christina @thyme.and.timberCourse: DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

My favorite go to gnocchi dish that’s quick, easy and satisfying. A meal full of flavor that offers the perfect textural bite.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons Olive Oil

• 1 lb (16 oz) Ground Italian Sausage

• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced

• 8 large sage leaves, finely chopped

• 1 Tablespoon Butter

• 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

• 1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth

• 3/4 cup cream

• 1 lb (16 oz) package of gnocchi, cooked according to package instructions

• 2 cups baby spinach

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• Salt, to taste

Directions

• Heat a Dutch Oven or cast iron skillet for 5 minutes on a medium-high preheated grill. Add olive oil and crumble sausage into pan, season with pepper. Break up sausage while cooking until browned and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
• Transfer crumbled sausage to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb any excess oil leaving 1 Tablespoon of oil in the pan.
• Add onion to pan and sauté for 5 minutes or until softened.
• Reduce heat to medium. Stir in 1 Tablespoon of butter and walnuts, cooking for an additional 3-4 minutes, continue to stir until butter is melted through.
• Add garlic and sage, sautéing until aromatic, about 30 seconds.
• Add dry white wine or broth and cook for 5 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the cooked sausage, cream and gnocchi, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes until heated through.
• Lastly, stir in two cups of baby spinach. Remove from heat and sprinkle with grated Parmesan.
  
  Enjoy!

Notes

• For stove top, use the same heating temps.
• You can sub baby spinach for roughly chopped spinach, kale or Swiss chard.
• I do not add salt until tasting at the very end. Sausage leans towards the salty side to begin with.