When I collect recipes, they often languish for a while (sometimes years) before I try them. Witness my 16 three-ring binders packed with untried recipes. But not this one. We recently defrosted our basement freezer and came across a package of chicken sausage among the forgotten treasures. Then I found this recipe on Pinterest.
I added extra tomatoes and used Wild Wonders, a mix of small tomato varieties that I like and that add more color. Only very lightly brown the sausage before adding the tomatoes; it will brown more, and you don’t want it to get tough, as low-fat sausage tends to do. I feared an ounce of fresh basil might be too much, but it was great.
This recipe was adapted slightly from Kitchn, a blog I have found to be trustworthy.
An Italian cheese or cheese mix would been amazing in this dish, but I was trying to keep the fat and calories down. We enjoyed it anyway.
Gnocchi Skillet with Chicken Sausage & Tomatoes
1 pound gnocchi
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 links cooked chicken sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick coins
3 to 4 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
1 ounce fresh basil, julienned (1/2 cup loosely packed)
Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling; cook the gnocchi for 2 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and dry gently in a towel. This will help them brown in the skillet.
Heat a large skillet (NOT nonstick) or saute pan over medium heat with a light drizzle of olive oil. Add the sausage and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until it just begins to brown. Push the sausage to the edge of the skillet and turn the heat up.
When the skillet is quite hot, add the tomatoes, skin down. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until they are blistered, then stir in with the sausage and gnocchi. Cook for a few more minutes, until everything is lightly browned but the tomatoes have not broken down into sauce.
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
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