The perfect weeknight dinner to satisfy your pasta cravings and get your greens!
There’s nothing my family and I love more than a hearty pasta dish, especially with the most recent Dallas cold snap. However, I want the pasta to be equally as nutritious as it is satisfying—that means sneaking in a few servings of veggies without anyone being the wiser!
This simple and tasty weeknight recipe checks all the boxes. With cauliflower gnocchi, broccolini, and homemade arugula pesto, this pasta dish is as delicious as it is nutritious. Plus, the whole family loves it!
Frozen cauliflower gnocchi is a staple in our house, so I always love to find new ways to serve it to the fam.
This version is smothered in a peppery, garlicky arugula pesto with Italian sausage and baby broccoli, aka, broccolini! The whole dish comes together in less than 30 minutes and saves well if you’re serving less than 3-4 months.
You can have your veggies and enjoy them too!
You can watch a step-by-step video of this recipe on The Savvy Spoon Instagram, here!
Here’s how you’ll make my Sausage & Broccolini Cauliflower Gnocchi:
For the pesto
- Add everything but the oil to a food processor and pulse to chop.
- Drizzle in oil slowly as you continually process—you may need to scrape down sides with spatula halfway through.
- When pesto is desired thickness, set aside.
For the pasta
- Remove sausage links from casings and place into a large skillet over medium heat.
- Cook, breaking apart with a spoon, until no longer pink. Remove from pan with slotted spoon and place aside.
- In same pan, add broccolini florets and toss to coat in sausage renderings. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook until slightly tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add to sausage plate.
- Add a little oil to pan if none remains, and when warm, add frozen cauliflower gnocchi.
- Cook until browned on each side, about 8 minutes total.
- Add a few tablespoons of water to the pan to help steam and soften the gnocchi, then turn off heat.
- Add sausage and broccolini to the cauliflower gnocchi. Add ~1/2 cup pesto and toss gently. Top with warm Parmesan cheese and serve warm!
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Sausage & Broccolini Cauliflower Gnocchi
Ingredients
Pesto
- 1/3 cup pistachios, walnuts, or pine nuts
- 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 2 handfuls arugula
- 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese grated, shredded, or shaved
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup oil I used avocado
Pasta
- 2 pkgs frozen cauliflower gnocchi from Trader Joe’s
- 1 lb uncooked sausage
- 2 cups broccolini florets
- 1/2 cup arugula pesto recipe below
- parmesan for serving
Instructions
For the pesto
- Start by making the pesto.
- Add everything but the oil to a food processor and pulse to chop.
- Drizzle in oil slowly as you continually process—you may need to scrape down sides with spatula halfway through.
- When pesto is desired thickness, set aside.
For the pasta
- Remove sausage links from casings and place into a large skillet over medium heat.
- Cook, breaking apart with spoon, until no longer pink. Remove from pan with slotted spoon and set aside.
- In same pan, add broccolini florets and toss to coat in sausage renderings.
- Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook until slightly tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add to sausage plate.
- Add a little oil to pan if none remains and when warm, add frozen cauliflower gnocchi.
- Cook until browned on each side, about 8 minutes total.
- Add a few tablespoons of water to the pan to help steam and soften the gnocchi, then turn off heat.
- Add sausage and broccolini to the cauliflower gnocchi. Add ~1/2 cup pesto and toss gently. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve warm!