Welcome to my second-ever gnocchi recipe on AK and omg it’s such a fun one. I’ve been wanting to make a baked gnocchi recipe for awhile now (instead of boiling them and adding sauce) and this one turned out even better than I imagined.
This sheet pan butternut squash gnocchi with sausage has simple ingredients, fresh herbs, and delicious toppings like feta and hot honey to pull it all together. You get to bake the gnocchi and veggies all together right on one pan for easy cleanup and delicious flavor!
I love this one for easy weekday meal prep when I’m looking for something comforting and nourishing. Have fun customizing with different toppings and garnishes, and enjoy!
Everything you’ll need to make this sheet pan butternut squash gnocchi
This beautiful sheet pan meal is bursting with flavor from fresh herbs, sweet squash, and savory sausage. Don’t forget those delicious garnishes, too! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Butternut squash: every winter I get on a huge squash kick and butternut squash is my go-to. You’ll cube it and roast it right up with the other veggies and sausage.
- Red onion: the red onion gets naturally sweet and caramelized when you bake it on the sheet pan.
- Gnocchi: yes, you can bake the gnocchi right on the sheet pan! It will come out golden brown and tender.
- Herbs & seasonings: you’ll also add fresh thyme leaves, fresh sage (if you’d like), garlic powder, salt, and pepper to add flavor to the sheet pan meal.
- Sausage: I like to use spicy Italian chicken sausage for a kick of heat!
- For topping: once the sheet pan comes out of the oven top everything with feta cheese or goat cheese, hot honey, extra thyme leaves, and a little lemon zest for brightness. YUM.
Customize this sheet pan gnocchi with sausage
There are plenty of ways to make this dinner your own:
- Swap the squash: feel free to use cubed pumpkin or sweet potato!
- Add some greens: this meal would be delicious served on a bed of arugula.
- Pick your sausage: as I mentioned, I like using spicy Italian chicken sausage, but you could use pork sausage and/or opt for a mild sausage.
- Kick up the heat: you’ll get a spicy kick if you use spicy sausage and hot honey, but feel free to add red pepper flakes to the finished product as well to get even more of a kick!
Can I make it dairy-free or vegetarian?
- To make dairy-free: simply omit the crumbled feta or goat cheese.
- To make vegetarian: swap the sausage for a can of rinsed, drained chickpeas. Toss them with the squash, onion, gnocchi, olive oil, and seasonings before adding them to your sheet pan.
Do I have to pre-cook the gnocchi?
Nope! The best part about this recipe is that everything gets cooked together right on the sheet pan — no boiling required! You’ll toss the gnocchi, butternut squash, and red onion with olive oil, herbs, and seasonings, and bake it all up on one pan. The gnocchi will come out crispy on the outside and perfectly tender in the middle.
Tips for assembling this sheet pan meal
Instead of removing the sausage from the casing and forming perfect meatballs, I typically just “plop” 1-inch pieces of sausage right onto the baking sheet. It doesn’t have to be perfect! Be sure to spread everything out on the sheet to give everything enough room, but don’t worry if some of the sausage covers the gnocchi or veggies.
Make your own hot honey
If you don’t have any store-bought hot honey, you can easily make it with a few simple ingredients. Head to page 231 of The Ambitious Kitchen Cookbook for my go-to recipe!
Storing tips
You can store any leftover sausage and butternut squash gnocchi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Simply reheat in the microwave or in the oven.
More one pan meals you’ll love
- Sheet Pan Hot Honey Chicken and Veggie Glow Bowls
- One Pan Creamy Tomato Gnocchi with Chicken Sausage
- One Pan Baked Pesto Orzo with Chicken Meatballs
- Sheet Pan Kickin’ Curry Honey Mustard Chicken & Veggies
- One Pan Creamy Thai-Inspired Peanut Chicken Couscous
Get all of my one pan meals here!
I hope you love this sheet pan butternut squash gnocchi with sausage! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Spicy Sausage, Butternut Squash & Hot Honey
Ingredients
- For the veggies and gnocchi:
- 4 cups cubed butternut squash
- 1 red onion, halved and sliced
- 1 (16 ounce) package shelf-stable gnocchi
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage leaves (optional!)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 uncooked spicy Italian chicken or pork sausages (I prefer chicken!)
- For topping:
- 4 ounces feta or goat cheese, crumbled
- 2 to 3 tablespoons hot honey (plus more if you’d like), for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- Lemon zest, for brightness
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On the prepared baking sheet, add the butternut squash, red onion slices and gnocchi. Drizzle with olive oil, then add fresh thyme, sage, garlic powder, salt and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper. Use clean hands to toss everything together until it is well coated in oil and spices. Spread into a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Next, add the sausage: Remove the sausage from its casing and place in 1-inch pieces on the baking sheet. (This is an easier tactic than rolling into meatballs, and often times I just ‘plop’ the sausage right out of the casing onto the sheet pan!) It's okay if some of the sausage covers the gnocchi or veggies, but try and find some open space to nestle the sausage into.
- Bake for 25 minutes total, gently stirring the veggies and gnocchi halfway through.
- Remove from the oven and crumble feta or goat cheese all over the top of the veggie and gnocchi, then bake for 5 more minutes to warm the cheese.
- Once done baking, immediately drizzle with hot honey (about 2 tablespoons, but use more if you’d like), then garnish with fresh thyme leaves and add a little lemon zest on top. Enjoy warm! Serves 4 to 6.
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
2 comments
This is so good! Better than I expected. I used honey garlic sausage and it paird with the other ingredients beautifully. Roasting gnocchi, omg crispy and delicious. My family devoured this meal and want it in regular rotation. Also so quick and easy to make and clean up!!
Delicious! I added Brussel spouts and zucchini to the pan for some more veggies. Everyone loved it and the house smelt AMAZING.