Crispy Gnocchi with Sausage Meatballs
Here I'll show you a simple way to make crispy pan fried gnocchi. Paired with a sausage meatball ragu, this truly is the perfect comfort food dinner! Serves two, perfect with a side of garlic bread for a date night dinner.
Servings: 2
Cost: £5 / $6
Equipment
- Large Pot & Colander (boiling gnocchi)
- Large Frying Pan & Wooden Spoon (for sausage meatballs & sauce)
- Separate Frying Pan (for frying gnocchi)
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Fine Cheese Grater
Ingredients
Crispy Gnocchi
- 14oz / 400g store-bought Fresh Gnocchi (see notes)
- 2 tbsp Butter
- few Sage Leaves (not a deal-breaker if you don't have these. Could sub a sprig of rosemary instead)
- pinch of Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
Sausage Meatballs
- 6 Pork Sausages (see notes)
- 1x 14oz/400g can of Chopped Plum Tomatoes
- 1/4 cup / 60ml Red Wine
- 1/4 cup / 20g freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 small cloves of Garlic, finely diced (or 1 large clove)
- 1 small White Onion, finely diced
- 1 tbsp Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste in US)
- 1 fresh sprig EACH: Rosemary, Basil (or sub ~1/4 tsp dried of each)
- drizzle of Olive Oil, for frying meatballs
Instructions
- Squeeze out 5-6 small chunks of meat from each sausage, then roll the chunks into mini meatballs.
- Fry the meatballs in a large pan with a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat until evenly browned. Add onion and fry until soft and beginning to brown, then add the garlic & fry for a minute longer.
- Stir in tomato puree, then deglaze with the red wine. Simmer for a few mins to reduce down, then pour in tomatoes and a splash of water to swill out the can. Add a sprig of basil & rosemary, season with salt & pepper, then give everything a good stir. Turn heat to low and allow to simmer for around 12-15mins, or until the sauce begins to thicken and the tomatoes have broken down. Stir in parmesan, with a splash of gnocchi water (see below) to thin out the sauce as needed.
- Whilst the sauce is simmering, pop the gnocchi in salted boiling for 1-2mins until they’re just about cooked through & the water is completely cloudy. As soon as the first piece of gnocchi floats to the top, drain in a colander.
- Melt butter in a separate pan over medium heat with a few sage leaves & add the gnocchi. Fry until light golden and crisp, shaking frequently (7-10mins). Season with salt & pepper.
- Remove basil, rosemary and sage from the gnocchi and meatballs, then serve up with any leftover basil leaves and parmesan. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
a) Gnocchi - Ensure you're using fresh store bought from the fresh pasta section, not the dried variety. You'll only need to boil for 1-2mins, just to remove some starch. Whatever the packet says I recommend taking a minute off. When it comes to toasting the gnocchi, don't go overboard as the inside can become rubbery. Just light golden and crisp will do the trick!
b) Tomatoes - Plum tomatoes give you a richer, sweeter flavour than chopped (usually). As such, I recommend buying a can of peeled plum tomatoes and chopping them in the can with a knife. Failing that, just grab a can of good quality chopped tomatoes.
c) Sausages - If you can find Italian style sausage then use them. If not, just good quality pork sausage will be great. You can also use regular ground sausage meat instead of squeezing the meat from sausages. Just ensure it's sausage meat, not regular pork. Sausage is seasoned, where as pork isn't! For reference, you want the total weight of sausage(s) to be 14oz/400g.
d) Do I have to toast the gnocchi? - Short answer - no. You could just boil the gnocchi if you'd prefer, but you lose out on the buttery flavour and crisp exterior. Not a deal-breaker though :)
e) Make Ahead - I don't recommend making the gnocchi ahead of time, but you could make the meatballs and sauce, allow to cool and tightly store in the fridge. Then reheat over low heat with a splash of gnocchi water until the meatballs are piping hot again.
f) Calories - based on 1 tbsp olive oil, no parmesan to top.
Nutrition
Calories: 1316kcal | Carbohydrates: 48.49g | Protein: 61.68g | Fat: 94.51g | Saturated Fat: 39.052g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7.727g | Monounsaturated Fat: 39.609g | Trans Fat: 0.113g | Cholesterol: 237mg | Sodium: 1264mg | Potassium: 1679mg | Fiber: 6.8g | Sugar: 9.05g | Vitamin A: 1719IU | Vitamin C: 35.4mg | Calcium: 287mg | Iron: 5.93mg