Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Kale Gnocchi Skillet
on Nov 01, 2021, Updated Jul 05, 2024
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Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Kale Gnocchi Skillet is an easy one pan meal that’s full of fall flavor! This balanced dinner is just what you need when you’re craving healthy comfort food!
A simple skillet dinner with a nice balance of veggies, protein, and carbs is one of my favorite dinners to make. The possibilities of what you throw in your skillet and the flavor you give it is endless.
A couple of my favorite skillet dinners include this green chile chicken enchilada skillet and this reader favorite, Mexican chicken, sweet potato, and black bean skillet. As you can see, I’ve got a thing for Southwest/Mexican inspired cuisine.
A few weeks ago I was craving an easy skillet dinner, but with fall flavors and ingredients. The butternut squash, sausage, and kale gnocchi skillet that I’m sharing today was the result of that craving and it’s amazing!
Ingredients For Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Kale Gnocchi Skillet
- sweet or spicy Italian turkey sausage
- yellow onion
- butternut squash
- garlic
- fresh rosemary
- nutmeg and red pepper flakes
- gnocchi
- kale
- low sodium chicken broth
- mozzarella cheese
What Is Gnocchi?
Gnocchi is an Italian dumpling made of potato, flour, and/or semolina. It’s small, thick, and oval or oblong in shape. Essentially it looks like a little lump of dough.
If you were to make your own gnocchi, the dough would be rolled out like a rope and then cut into approximately one inch pieces. Each piece is then rolled over the tines of a fork or gnocchi board to give it the signature ridges.
The gnocchi is cooked in salted water like you would cook pasta. They are most typically served in some sort of sauce.
How To Make Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Kale Gnocchi Skillet
Drizzle a little olive oil into the skillet and squeeze the sausage out of the casing and into the skillet. Use a potato masher or wooden spoon to crumble the sausage. Let it brown and cook through, then remove it from the skillet onto a plate lined with paper towels to soak up any excess grease.
Add a tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Add in the diced onion, butternut squash, salt and pepper. Sauté the vegetables over medium heat until the squash is tender. This will take approximately 8-10 minutes depending on the size of the cubed squash. I recommend cutting it into 1/2 inch cubes.
Once the squash is tender add in the garlic, rosemary, nutmeg, and red pepper flakes. Sauté another minute and then pour in the chicken broth. Scrape up any of the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet and stir in the gnocchi and kale.
Cover the skillet with a lid and cook everything until the gnocchi is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and stir the sausage in. Taste for seasoning and then sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the top and cover with the lid again. Cook for a couple more minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can buy or make gluten-free gnocchi, but be sure to check the package if buying. Often times flour or semolina is used as a binder with the potato.
Yes. Add the spinach at the same time you would the kale in the recipe. I would suggest using a 5 ounce bag of pre-packaged baby spinach.
To make this recipe vegetarian omit the sausage and substitute the chicken broth with vegetable broth. To make the recipe more substantial, add a can of rinsed and drained cannellini or white beans.
Any type of winter squash, except spaghetti squash would work well in place of the butternut squash. You could also use sweet potatoes.
More Skillet Dinners
- Skillet Enchilada Chicken with Black Beans and Corn
- Turkey and Vegetable Skillet
- Greek Meatballs and Orzo Skillet
- Southwest Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Skillet
- Skillet Thai Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry
- Skillet Chicken Fajitas
Butternut Squash, Sausage, and Kale Gnocchi Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 links Italian turkey sausage casings removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 3 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 clove garlic grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 16 ounces gnocchi
- 4 cups chopped kale
- 1 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Over medium-high heat, spray a skillet with cooking oil or drizzle in about a teaspoon. Squeeze the sausage out of the casing and into the skillet. Use a potato masher or wooden spoon to crumble the sausage. Once the sausage is cooked through remove it from the skillet and onto a plate lined with paper towels to soak up any excess grease.
- Add a tablespoon olive oil to the skillet along with the diced onion and cubed butternut squash. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables over medium heat stirring frequently.
- When the squash is tender, approximately 8-10 minutes, add garlic, rosemary, nutmeg, and red pepper flakes. Cook another minute and then pour in the chicken broth. Scrape up any of the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet then stir in the gnocchi and kale.
- Cover the skillet with a lid and simmer over medium-low heat until the gnocchi is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and stir in the sausage. Taste for seasoning. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the top of everything and cover with the lid again. Cook for a couple more minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
