Cauliflower Gnocchi and Sausage Recipe - Fed & Fit (2024)

This cauliflower gnocchi and sausage skillet is the perfect weeknight meal! It is packed with red bell peppers, kale, Italian sausage, and crispy gnocchi for an easy and flavorful dinner.

It took a little while, but we finally tried the much-hyped Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi and we were impressed! This really is a great healthier convenience food that will help add some variety to your weeknight dinner routine.

Gnocchi with Sausage Ingredients

Our first order of business after trying it was to create this one pan cauliflower gnocchi and sausage skillet for an easy 30 minute meal. It has crispy Italian sausage, sweet red bell peppers, and our classic lemony kale, and we topped it off with a little freshly shredded parmesan.

How to Cook Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi

First things first, let’s talk about how to cook Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi. You may have heard that following the package instructions is NOT the way to go with cooking this gnocchi, as it will result in a sticky, gummy mess. Here are the three things we found most important for getting your gnocchi crispy:

1. Defrost it! The package advises that you cook the gnocchi straight from frozen, but we found that defrosting first was the way to go, because the excess water from frozen gnocchi makes it stick to the pan and causes a soggy texture. You can either leave the gnocchi at room temperature for an hour or two, or microwave it in 30 second intervals until fully defrosted. Then, you’ll want to thoroughly pat it dry – remember, excess moisture is the enemy here!
2. Use your best non-stick pan.We found this to be key to getting the crispiest gnocchi. We first tried with a cast iron skillet, but found that the gnocchi was sticking, so we used this non-stick pan instead and it worked like a charm!
3. Add enough fat to the pan. This isn’t the time to be stingy with your oil. Fat serves two purposes here – first, it helps prevent the gnocchi from sticking, and second, it ensures perfectly browned, crispy gnocchi.

How to Make Sausage Gnocchi

To finish this cauliflower gnocchi and sausage skillet, you’ll simply cook up the sausage, saute the peppers, wilt the kale, then toss it all with a bit of lemon juice and parmesan. If you want to speed up the cooking process, you can easily cook the gnocchi in one skillet while the sausage is cooking in a separate skillet, but we wanted to go the as-few-dishes-as-possible route! We hope you love this dish!