Creamy Italian Sausage Gnocchi

pasta

Creamy sausage gnocchi is what weeknight comfort food is supposed to be: rich, fast, and not stupid. The sausage brings the muscle, the gnocchi gives you that soft, chewy payoff, and the garlic-butter breadcrumbs keep the whole thing from turning into a bowl of beige mush. That crunchy top is not optional. That’s the whole point.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp salted butter
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped, divided
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
• 3/4 tsp black pepper, divided, plus more to taste
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan, divided, plus more for serving
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 1 lb hot Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 (12-oz.) packages refrigerated gnocchi
• 1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 4 oz cream cheese, cubed
• 1 (5-oz.) bag baby spinach

Instructions

1. Make the breadcrumb topping. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 clove garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir until golden and crisp, 7 to 9 minutes. Get real color on it. Pale breadcrumbs are pointless. Move them to a bowl, let them cool a few minutes, then stir in 1/4 cup parmesan and 1 tablespoon parsley.
2. Brown the sausage and onion. In the same skillet, cook the sausage and onion over medium heat until the sausage is browned and crumbly and the onion is softened, 7 to 9 minutes. Don’t rush this. Brown food tastes better than gray food.
3. Build the base. Stir in the tomato paste, the remaining garlic, oregano, the remaining salt, and the remaining pepper. Cook 1 minute. If the garlic turns dark brown, you burned it. Start over.
4. Add the wet stuff. Pour in the white wine and reduce it for about a minute. Then stir in the gnocchi, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and cream cheese. Bring it to a simmer, lower the heat, cover, and leave it alone for 5 minutes. Stop poking it every ten seconds.
5. Finish it properly. Uncover, stir in the spinach, and cook until wilted and the sauce thickens. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup parmesan and 3 tablespoons parsley. Taste it. Then season it. Guessing is amateur hour.
6. Top and serve. Spoon it into bowls and hit it with the toasted breadcrumbs and more parmesan. Without the crunchy topping, it’s just creamy sludge with a better publicist.