This Sheet-Pan Gnocchi and Sausage Recipe Is Perfect for Busy Weeknights

When I think of gnocchi, I typically picture soft, pillowy bites—like gnocchi alla bava or ultra-tender ricotta gnocchi. I love that texture, but let’s be honest: Ricing pounds of potatoes on a weeknight just isn’t going to happen. Anything that requires a dough is generally a weekend project for me. Fortunately, there’s another path. Crispy sheet-pan gnocchi delivers a different kind of joy—golden and crisp on the outside, tender on the inside—with no boiling water, potato prep, or sauce required.

The beauty of using a sheet pan to cook store-bought gnocchi is that it turns a common downside into a strength. Light and tender homemade gnocchi are too delicate to try to brown in a skillet or roast in the oven—they’d just fall apart, destroying all your hard work. That light, pillowiness is part of what makes them special, but their fragility limits how they can be used.

Store-bought shelf-stable gnocchi, on the other hand, are often dense and a little chewy—not exactly ideal when you’re craving the handmade kind. The gnocchi you find in the refrigerated section of the grocery or specialty store are closer to homemade, but are still sturdy enough to roast. They hold up to high heat, crisp beautifully on a sheet pan, and emerge with a satisfying contrast of textures. It’s a hands-off method using a readily available ingredient that results in a genuinely delicious weeknight-friendly meal.

Packaged, refrigerated gnocchi can go straight from the fridge to the oven and pair well with a variety of proteins and vegetables. In this recipe, our Birmingham-based test kitchen colleague Jasmine Smith draws inspiration from a classic Italian pasta combination: broccoli rabe and sausage. Cherry tomatoes add sweetness and juiciness, and the whole dish is seasoned with red pepper flakes, fennel seeds, garlic, and lemon zest and juice, which add layers of flavor to this easy meal.

Cooking in stages ensures the gnocchi and sausage get nicely browned while the broccoli rabe and tomatoes retain their brightness and don’t get overcharred. The result is a juicy, well-balanced dish that doesn’t require a separate pan sauce—just a dusting of Parmesan. It’s quick, satisfying, and perfect for busy weeknights when you don’t have a lot of time to cook or clean up.

Tips for Sheet Pan Success

1. Use refrigerated gnocchi instead of shelf-stable. Some shelf-stable gnocchi have a gummy, Play-Doh–like texture. Jasmine recommends going for the refrigerated kind, which has more moisture and a softer interior. It doesn’t need to be parboiled and stands up better to roasting, turning golden while staying pleasantly chewy inside.
2. Preheat your sheet pan. Starting with a hot sheet pan and a high oven temperature helps the gnocchi crisp and browns the sausage faster. Just make sure you move quickly when you pull the sheet pan out of the oven to add the ingredients to it—as the pan cools down its crisping and browning powers become less effective.
3. Cook the ingredients in stages. Many sheet-pan meals call for everything to cook at the same time, even though different ingredients finish at different rates. Avoid overcooked broccoli rabe and underdone sausage by starting with the gnocchi and sausage, then adding the broccoli rabe and cherry tomatoes, which cook more quickly, partway through. You can wash and trim those veggies while the gnocchi and sausage get started in the oven.

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