Everything goes in one tray and the oven does the rest. Spinach on the bottom, then mushrooms and cherry tomatoes, then you snip the sausages straight over the top with kitchen scissors, six pieces per sausage, no board and no knife.
The gnocchi goes over that and a garlic cream sauce goes over everything. Whisk the cream with garlic, tomato paste, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl first, pour it on, and that’s the whole assembly.
Twenty-five minutes in the oven until the sausage is golden, then a gentle mix to bring it all together. Twenty minutes of prep, 25 minutes of cooking, four serves, one tray to wash.
Why You’ll Love It
It’s one tray, so there’s one thing to wash and no browning step on the stove first. The gnocchi means no pasta to boil and drain, and 300 g of spinach cooks down to almost nothing under everything else, which is a lot of greens going into a dinner nobody will describe as healthy. Sausages are cheap and they’re doing the flavour work, so you’re not paying for a cut of meat to make it taste like something. It’s also flexible about what’s in it, which makes it a good end-of-week dinner when the fridge has odds and ends in it.
The Shortcut That Makes It Work
Kitchen scissors, and it’s a small thing that saves a real job. Instead of taking sausages out of their skins or slicing them on a board, you hold each one over the tray and snip it into about six pieces straight in. No board to wash, no knife, and nothing raw touching a surface you then have to clean. The pieces brown better than whole sausages too, because you’ve made more edges for the oven to work on. The other shortcut is the gnocchi, which needs no boiling pot of its own and crisps at the edges in the sauce instead.
Handy Tips
Use a big enough tray that things sit in a layer rather than a pile, since crowded sausage steams instead of browning and the whole point is those golden edges. Put the spinach on the bottom, because it wilts under the weight and the steam instead of drying out on top. Whisk the sauce properly in the bowl before it goes anywhere near the tray, so the tomato paste and garlic are through the cream rather than sitting in lumps. Give it a gentle mix when it comes out, not a stir, so the gnocchi stays whole. And if you’re using shelf-stable gnocchi from the pantry, cook it briefly in salted water first, because this one starts with gnocchi that’s already cooked.
What To Serve With It
It’s rich, so something plain and green next to it does the most good. A simple salad with a bit of vinegar through it cuts the cream. Crusty bread if you want to make it stretch further, or nothing at all, since there’s already a starch, a vegetable and a meat in the tray.
Leftovers / How to Store It
It keeps in the fridge for up to three days in a container with a lid. The gnocchi softens as it sits and soaks up the sauce, so it won’t have crisp edges the second time around, and the sauce will be much thicker. A splash of milk or water when you reheat it brings the sauce back. Reheat it gently and only until it’s warmed through, since cream sauces split if you push them too hard.
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Sausage and Gnocchi Bake
Prep Time 20 minutes 
Cook Time
25 minutes 
Total Time 45 minutes 
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Whisk together the cream, garlic, tomato paste, oregano, and that pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl until it’s all smooth and dreamy.
- Grab your oven tray! Lay out the spinach leaves first, followed by the mushrooms and tomatoes.
- Now, using kitchen scissors, snip each sausage into about 6 yummy pieces right over the top.
- Sprinkle that gnocchi magic over your tray and finally drizzle with your luscious sauce.
- Get it all cozy in your oven at 200C for about 25 minutes or until those sausages turn a lovely golden brown.
- Once out, give it a gentle mix to let all those incredible flavors marry together!
- Serve warm and watch those plates empty in seconds! Bon Appétit!
Nutrition
Video
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FAQs
Can I use plant-based sausages?
Yes, they work fine in this. Keep an eye on them, since they tend to cook faster than pork sausages and they can dry out, so they may want a few minutes less. Snip them the same way.
What if I haven’t got cream?
Sour cream works and gives you something tangier. Coconut milk works too and takes the dish in a different direction, more of a mild curry feel with the tomato paste. Either way use about the same amount, and don’t use milk on its own because it’s too thin to hold as a sauce.
Can I add other vegetables?
Easily, and it’s a good tray for it. Capsicum, zucchini and sliced onion all roast in the same time. Just don’t overload it, because once it’s piled up things steam instead of roasting and the sausages won’t brown.
Fresh gnocchi or the shelf-stable kind?
Fresh gnocchi from the fridge section has the better texture and crisps up nicely at the edges. Shelf-stable gnocchi works too, but cook it briefly in salted water first, because this one starts with gnocchi that’s already cooked.
Can I use a different sausage?
Yes. Italian style is what I’d reach for, since the herbs and fennel in it suit the sauce, but plain thick beef or pork sausages are completely fine, and chorizo makes it spicier and richer. Whatever you use, six of them.
Loved this recipe. Thank you.🤪