One pan Tuscan Vegan Gnocchi features pillowy soft gnocchi, a flavorful creamy sauce, garlic, vegan sausage, fresh spinach and sun dried tomatoes. A fancy dinner ready in 20 minutes!
If you love gnocchi as much as I do, make sure to try this Creamy Pesto Gnocchi as well.
Gnocchi is the ultimate comfort food that couldn’t be easier to make! For years, I assumed those little pillowy delights contained dairy, eggs or both. But I was wrong! I picked up a box of dried gnocchi (right next to all the other dried pasta) and was thrilled to see the only ingredients were basically potato and wheat.
Now, this recipe is super quick and easy, so we aren’t making our gnocchi from scratch. If you want to though, try this recipe for Easy Homemade Vegan Gnocchi or this gluten free version.
How to make vegan gnocchi
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
It will go very quickly, so before you begin have everything ready near the stovetop. There isn’t much prep work involved, simply slicing a few vegan sausages and chopping garlic and fresh basil.
Sauté vegan sausages in a large skillet until browned. Add the garlic.
Pour in vegetable broth, coconut milk, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, sun dried tomatoes and uncooked gnocchi. Stir. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Add salt + pepper, to taste. Stir in the spinach.
Add the vegan parmesan and stir in, if using. I like Violife and Follow Your Heart brands.
Serve immediately, garnished with more vegan parmesan and fresh basil.
Tips & substitutions
- Serve immediately for best results. The sauce will thicken as it cools, so if you do make it ahead of time, thin it out with a little more coconut milk, broth or even water.
- Gluten free? Use gluten free gnocchi, either store bought or homemade. And leave out the vegan sausages, unless you can find a gluten free version.
- Coconut milk substitutions – I used full fat coconut milk, but you could use light if desired. Homemade almond milk or cashew milk would also work quite well for the creamy sauce.
More fancy vegan dinners
- Vegan Risotto with Roasted Butternut Squash
- Mushroom Bourguignon
- Favorite Vegan Bolognese
- Creamy Vegan Carbonara
- Vegan Stuffed Jumbo Shells
Tuscan Vegan Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 vegan Italian sausages (7-8 ounces), sliced I used Field Roast
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 13.5 ounce can full fat coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, sliced if whole
- 1 pound uncooked gnocchi the dry packaged kind
- salt + pepper, to taste
- 2 cups loosely packed baby spinach
- 1/2 cup Vegan Parmesan, + more for garnish, optional I used Violife
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- In a large skillet, sauté the vegan sausage in the olive oil over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until browned.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in the vegetable broth, coconut milk, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, sun-dried tomatoes and gnocchi. Give everything a good stir.
- Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium and cook, uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add salt + pepper to taste, and stir in the spinach. Cook for another 2 minutes, until the spinach has wilted.
- If using, stir in the vegan parmesan. At this point, the gnocchi should be cooked through but not mushy, and the sauce thickened somewhat. Cook an additional minute or two if necessary.
- Serve immediately garnished with vegan parmesan and fresh basil. Enjoy immediately for best results. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Add a little extra broth or water when re-heating, as the sauce will thicken as it cools. It can be frozen if needed.
Video
Notes
- May leave out the vegan sausage, if needed. I used Field Roast Italian sausages.
- If desired, you can substitute light coconut milk for full fat. You could likely also use homemade almond milk or cashew milk instead.
- I used sun dried tomatoes in oil, but you can also use the kind that come dry in a package. Slice them if they are whole.
- Gluten free? Try this gluten free homemade gnocchi from ElaVegan. And omit the vegan sausage.
So easy and so delicious. Only one person was vegan but everyone devoured it. It is so great to find a recipe that pleased everyone.
I have made this multiple times and it is now in my meal rotation.
Hi Whitney. I’m so glad that you discovered the recipe and that it is a hit with everyone! This is definitely a favorite recipe loved by many! Thank you for sharing your awesome review and recipe experience! I’m thrilled this is now part of your meal rotation! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Sooooo delicious it was actually a little mind blowing. Just to have so much flavor so quick and easy. I added a little oil from the sun dried tomatoes and nooch at the end…
Hi Kara. I am thrilled that you loved the gnocchi recipe! I agree, it is packed with flavor and cozy deliciousness, and it comes together so quickly! Thank you for taking time to share your glowing review! Wishing you happy cooking!
This was so flavorful and easy. I make a lot of your recipes and they are always fantastic. Also I like that your ingredients are simple and things I usually have available. This one will be on repeat. I did not use the Parmesan. I really don’t think it needs it.
I made this last night as the recipe called for and found it was almost overwhelmingly rich and salty? I am thinking that I must of just got the wrong Italian sausage type.
May I ask which exact field roast sausage you recommend? I got the field roast one that said Italian sausage with fennel seeds-but am thinking maybe that wasn’t the right one to get? Which one did you use? Thank you!
That’s the one I usually use. Did you add extra salt? If it was too salty for your taste, don’t add extra salt and use a salt-free or low-sodium broth. Hope that helps!
Thanks for this simple delicious versatile recipe. I had to sub coconut milk for soy cream because that’s what I had and I used cubed liquid smoked tempeh instead of sausage. I added some crushed chile peppers at the end. Definitely will be making this again.
Hi Nora! Tku for your delish meal. I have made it multiple times & have commented previously. I do have a ? Company is coming in a few weeks & there will be 6 of us. I plan on doubling the meal. Is it still necessary to add 4T of olive oil to pan. If you think I still need to put in 4T that is fine , just checking w you! Blessings to you 💗
Hi Amy! I’m so happy you love the gnocchi. 🙂 You don’t have to use 4 tablespoons, I bet 2 would still work fine even if you double it. I hope your company loves the meal!
I was thinking of making this tomorrow but I’ve only got the cooked Gnocchi, so is it possible or am i buying the dried Gnocchi 🤷🏻
Oh I think that should work just fine actually. Hope you enjoy it! I’d use what you have.
Hi Nora! Tku for your delish meal. I have made it multiple times & have commented previously. I do have a ? Company is coming in a few weeks & there will be 6 of us. I plan on doubling the meal. Is it still necessary to add 4T of olive oil to pan. If you think I still need to put in 4T that is fine , just checking w you! Blessings to you 💗
You are welcome, Amy. I’m so glad that you are enjoying the recipe! This is a great recipe for company! No need to double the olive oil. You just an amount that’s enough to nicely brown the sausage. I appreciate your support and terrific review! Enjoy your company!
I have made roughly a dozen Nora Cooks recipes. But, I’ve never felt compelled to write a review until now. Spot on. Simply scrumptious! Thank you.
Thank you Adam!
Made this for dinner tonight, and followed the recipe exactly as written. So delicious! Fast, hearty, and so full of flavor! I will be making this again and again. Thank you for a scrumptious recipe!
You are welcome, Lori! I’m so glad that you loved this recipe! It is one of my all-time favorites! Thank you for sharing your glowing review and feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
I did home-made gnocchi from tofu and flour, but followed your sauce and loved it! Thanks for another winner!
You are welcome, Emily! Thank you for sharing your cooking experience and your terrific review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Another great lunch, and had everything already, just needed this recipe! I am grateful to have your recipes as they are sooooo reliable. Baking the coconut cake at soup kitchen today – yes, even without trying it at home, I know it will be a hit. Thank you so much!
Hi Paula. Thanks for the recipe love, as well as your fabulous review! I appreciate you using my recipes! I’m so glad you are loving and sharing them! Wishing you happy cooking!
I have made this recipe several times, always delicious. I did not have vegan sausage that I normally use I had the ground impossible spicy sausage in the roll and it was still delicious. Thank you so much for all of your recipes. I love them.
Sylvia
Hi Sylvia. I appreciate you using my recipes and am so glad you are loving them! This is one of my favorites, and it sounds amazing with spicy sausage! Thanks for sharing your glowing review and idea! Wishing you happy cooking!
Absolutely delicious. Added yellow and red tomatoes plus parmesan cheese and a little bit of cheddar (leftovers).
Hi JD. I’m so glad you loved the recipe! I always love this one, and just made it this week! Thanks for your glowing review and feedback! Happy cooking!
This recipe is unreal! So flavorful, super easy to make. I am now required by the fam to double the recipe anytime we make it now.
Hi Kimberly! I get the need to double the recipe! This is loved in our home as well! Thanks for sharing your awesome review and feedback! Happy cooking!
I made this today but substituted mushrooms for spinach because I had some on hand. This was extremely easy and delicious!
I’m so glad you loved the recipe, Andrea! Sounds really delicious with mushrooms! Thanks for sharing that idea, as well as your terrific review! Wishing you happy cooking!
Make this all the time, it’s easy and tasty and great for the whole family.
How awesome your family is loving the recipe! Mine does as well! Thanks for sharing your glowing 5 star review! Happy cooking!
Can you make this with an instant pot?
I’ve never tried it so I’m not sure. It probably could work!
Delicious! I want to make extra batches of gnocchi so that I can have it at the ready. Do the raw gnocchi freeze well?
Well, I don’t make the gnocchi themselves from scratch, so I’m not sure. I do think store bought gnocchi freeze quite well.
I made this for the first time this evening as part of our christmas dinner (l know, super risky!) It turned out AMAZING! I can’t believe how easy it is to make and how fast it came together. The added bonus is, its all made in one cast iron skillet. My husband loved it and specifically stated that this dish needs to be made on the regular. 😄
This was easy to make and super delicious! My husband said it made his top 3 favorite dishes list! Can’t wait to make it again. Thank you for sharing.