Vegie and Sausage Gnocchi Bake

There is no browning, no boiling and no sauce to make, you just chop, toss and bake, so the hands-on part is about ten minutes. One pot means one thing to wash, the seasoning comes from pantry powders you already own, and it is a proper rescue mission for veg on its last legs in the crisper. It feeds four, and creamy gnocchi keeps even the fussy eaters happy.

The seasoning is doing the clever work here. Onion powder, garlic powder, chicken stock powder and thyme give you a proper savoury base with zero extra chopping and nothing to brown off first. The other shortcut is the broccoli. I used a 500g packet of frozen broccoli straight from the freezer, no thawing, and it cooks perfectly in the time the bake takes.

Cut the sausages into even, bite-sized pieces so they all cook through at the same rate, and use a dish big enough that everything sits in a rough single layer rather than a deep pile. Give it a really good toss before it goes in so the powders coat everything instead of clumping in one spot. Check a piece of sausage from the middle of the dish before serving, and if the top has not taken on any colour at the 30 minute mark, give it a few extra minutes.

Treat this one as a template rather than a strict recipe. Mushrooms, baby spinach or cherry tomatoes are all worth throwing in if they are hanging around the fridge, and a handful of grated cheese over the top for the last 5 minutes turns it properly golden, because cheese makes everything better.

This is a full meal in one pot, so it does not need much. Garlic bread for mopping up the cream sauce never hurts, and a simple green salad freshens things up if you want something crisp against the creaminess.

Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a pan on low with a splash of milk or water to loosen the sauce back up, the gnocchi soak some of it in as they sit.

If you enjoyed this vegie and sausage gnocchi bake, here are a few more ideas to add to your rotation:

• Sausage and Gnocchi Bake That Will Win Over Dinner Time 
• 4 Ingredient Sausage Ragu Gnocchi: A Comfort Food Classic! 
• Creamy Chorizo Gnocchi Tray Bake: The Ultimate Comfort Food 

No. Packet gnocchi goes in raw and cooks through in the cream and the juices from the sausages and veg, coming out soft with a few golden edges on top. It is the whole reason this dinner is so easy.

Evaporated milk is the closest swap, or you can use stock or even water for a lighter version. A tin of tomatoes or tomato passata works too and takes the whole bake in a different direction.

Any thick sausage from the supermarket works, beef, pork or chicken. Flavoured ones like garlic and parsley or Italian herb are an easy win because they season the whole dish as they cook. I used beef, garlic and parsley sausages.

Frozen vegetables release water as they cook, so if you have used a lot of them the sauce can end up looser. Let the bake sit for five minutes before serving and it will thicken up, or give it a few extra minutes in the oven.