With toasted bread crumbs and toasty brown butter, this sheet pan gnocchi with sausage and green beans is the perfect family-friendly dinner. The dish is high in protein and packed with flavor thanks to andouille sausage and parmesan cheese. It comes together in 30 minutes, and is all cooked on one sheet tray making it SO simple, but will wow friends and family with how elevated it tastes and looks!
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Jump to:
- Recipe Quick Notes
- Why you need this sheet pan gnocchi
- ingredients & substitutions
- do I need to cook the gnocchi first?
- how to make sheet pan sausage, green beans, and gnocchi (with photos & video!)
- watch how to make this recipe
- expert tips
- troubleshooting & testing notes
- common questions
- recipe variations
- how to store & meal prep it
- more easy high protein dinner recipes
- Recipe
Recipe Quick Notes
The best part according to Mika: This sheet pan gnocchi and vegetables is a dish I’ve been making nonstop since having my son so I’m excited to finally share it! It’s a great dinner that I know the whole family will love; even my 10-month-old loves to eat almost everything on the sheet tray (the sausage is his favorite!).
Protein: 22 grams
Time: 30 minutes
Best for: busy weeknights (maybe hectic weeknights is a better description) and family Sunday dinners when you’d rather spend more time with your actual family
Why you need this sheet pan gnocchi
Gnocchi is a quintessential ingredient in our household. It’s so simple to combine it with protein to make a delicious and high-protein dinner. You can enjoy lemon gnocchi with Mediterranean salmon or browse any number of ideas for what to serve with gnocchi.
Sheet pan gnocchi and a roasted vegetable with chicken sausage is our go-to because those are what’s in our fridge. One day they had gorgeous, vibrant green beans at the local farm stand so I grabbed them (of course!). I paired them with a brown butter sauce inspired by our butternut squash ravioli recipe for a super easy dinner recipe and the rest is history!
So, here’s why this sheet pan gnocchi recipe is truly the best:
- Baked gnocchi is easier to make with everything else rather than cooking it separately. Let’s save some time and energy!
- Brown butter and toasted breadcrumbs make any dish feel fancy but are actually really easy to make and incorporate.
- More fat sounds like a bad thing but gnocchi is typically served with a lot of sauce so when baking it, we NEED sauce and moisture. Adding oil and butter at two different points in the cooking process ensures the gnocchi is not dry.
let us know your favorite thing about the recipe ⭐️ →
ingredients & substitutions
All substitutions are a 1:1 substitute unless otherwise noted. See the recipe card for full quantities for this simple sheet pan gnocchi.
- Green beans: Always use fresh. You can also use butternut squash, kale, brussels sprouts, asparagus, mushrooms, or any other in-season vegetable. Some people like cherry tomatoes but I've never found them very good cooked so do what you wish with that information.
- Sausage: We prefer andouille chicken sausage but smoked, Italian, pork, or other will work. You can also make this with uncooked ground sausage but check out the variations below for how to do that.
- Gnocchi: We use potato store-bought gnocchi or a cauliflower potato blend. But, any kind including frozen, homemade gnocchi, butternut squash gnocchi, sweet potato, or other can be used. If using a gluten-free vegetable one like Trader Joe’s cauliflower or kale check out the recipe notes or variations section for the different cooking times.
- Cheese: We use parmesan but you can also use goat cheese for a more creamy vibe.
- Fats and herbs: The sheet pan portion of this uses olive oil or avocado oil but you can use melted butter. For the topping, you need butter and fresh sage leaves to make the brown butter sauce. You can also switch it up and add red pepper flakes, fresh basil, or Italian seasoning for a different flavor profile.
allergy swaps
- Gluten free: To make these gluten-free, use gluten-free gnocchi and gluten-free bread crumbs. To use gluten-free, vegetable-based gnocchi check out the variations for the different cook time required.
- Dairy free: I’m mostly dairy free so I’ve made this many times with vegan parmesan and Miyoko's vegan butter. It’s the only vegan butter that actually browns. Margarine won’t work for this but if that’s all you have, you can use it and just skip the brown part and melt the margarine. Add the sage leaves by chopping them finely and mixing with the bread crumbs.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
do I need to cook the gnocchi first?
Nope! The beauty of this recipe is that the gnocchi can be cooked directly on the sheet pan with no pre-boiling or anything. If you are looking to boil or pan-fry it, we’ve got a whole post on how long to cook gnocchi!
how to make sheet pan sausage, green beans, and gnocchi (with photos & video!)
Be sure to scroll to the recipe card for the full sheet pan recipe!
- Prep by preheating the oven, grabbing a large rimmed baking sheet (it doesn't need to be lined with parchment paper), and chopping the green beans and sausage.
- Toss the gnocchi and green beans in the oil and seasoning then arrange everything on the pan in one even layer to bake.
- Make the sauce by browning the butter with the sage leaves.
- Top everything with the brown butter, sage leaves, bread crumbs, and parmesan, and broil till golden brown.
watch how to make this recipe
expert tips
- The brown butter: Keep stirring constantly and as soon as it turns golden, turn the heat off. This will prevent it from burning. Butter will bubble a lot right before it turns brown so just push the bubbles to the side to see.
- Unclump the gnocchi: We want to gnocchi all individually and in one single layer to ensure even cooking.
- Use a large bowl: Toss the green beans and gnocchi in a large bowl with the oil, salt, and black pepper to ensure it all gets evenly coated.
troubleshooting & testing notes
Throughout our testing of this recipe, we learned what worked and didn't work. Here are the key takeaways!
- Dairy-free versus not: I’ve made this so many times with dairy-free ingredients and it works best with Miyoko's vegan butter and Follow Your Heart shredded parmesan-style cheese.
- Gnocchi being dry: The first few tests of this recipe resulted in super dry gnocchi. The key I learned was to add oil and butter at the beginning AND the end to keep hydrating it. This is a similar principle to basting a steak.
- Types of sausage: I’ve made this with Italian and Andouille chicken sausage, traditional pork sausage, and ground breakfast sausage. All worked but the ground sausage takes an additional step that I’ve detailed in the variations section.
common questions
Sheet pan dinners are great because it has the starch, the protein, and the vegetables all together for a full meal. So, I don’t think it needs to be served with a side dish or anything, ok maybe a dessert.
I prefer to use shelf-stable potato gnocchi or frozen 40% cauliflower gnocchi.
Gnocchi is technically a potato dumpling made with potato and flour while pasta is made with flour and eggs. The potato gives gnocchi that thicker, creamy texture. While the eggs make pasta elastic in nature.
recipe variations
Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Pesto Sauce
To make this variation, make everything as directed but instead of the brown butter sauce, top with a store-bought pesto or your favorite homemade recipe.
Sheet pan roasted veggies over pasta
For this, simply skip on the gnocchi and serve the vegetables and sausage over a bed of your favorite pasta. I love Orzo for this!
Sheet pan Cauliflower gnocchi
To make this with frozen cauliflower gnocchi or kale gnocchi (a gluten free and low carb option), cook the gnocchi first on the sheet pan for 10 minutes with half of the oil and spices. Then add the sausage and the green beans with the remaining oil and spices and cook another 15 minutes, finally top with your brown butter and bread crumbs mixture.
Using Ground Sausage
To make this sheet pan dinner with ground sausage, cook it on the pan alone for 15 minutes, toss with a spoon half way through to turn over all the pieces. Then add the green beans and gnocchi and continue with the recipe as written.
how to store & meal prep it
This recipe is best right away because the gnocchi tends to dry out over time.
storage tips
If you have leftovers, they will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Leftovers should not be frozen.
meal prep tips
Gnocchi is not the best meal prep ingredient, but you can prep the ingredients to make dinner faster. Here are some ways to do that:
- Brown the butter in advance and store it in the fridge in an air-tight container up to 2 days in advance.
- Chop everything up, the green beans up to a week before, and the sausage up to 3 days before. Honestly chopping the green beans takes the most time so I will chop the green beans as soon as we get home from the store.
more easy high protein dinner recipes
Recipe
sheet pan gnocchi recipe with sausage and green beans
Equipment
- 1 large rimmed baking sheet
- 1 small sauce pan
Ingredients
- 16 oz potato gnocchi (shelf stable or frozen, see notes for gluten free)
- 4 chicken sausage (andouille or similar, use Italian if you don't like spicy)
- 2 cup green beans (stems removed and chopped into 2-3" length)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil (or avocado oil)
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper (each)
- ¼ cup butter (see notes for dair-free option)
- 5 leaves fresh sage
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs (gluten free works too)
- ⅓ cup parmesan (see notes for dairy-free options)
Before you start!
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the stems from the 2 cup green beans and cut into 2-3" lengths. Slcie the 4 chicken sausage.
- Add the 2 tablespoon olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt and pepper to a large bowl with the green beans and 16 oz potato gnocchi. Toss to coat.
- Lay the gnocchi and green beans on ¾ths of the large rimmed sheet tray and the sausage on the other part. Everything should be in one single layer. Bake for 15 minutes.
- While that bakes, make the sauce. Heat ¼ cup butter and 5 leaves fresh sage over low to medium heat, stiring constantly. As the butter starts to bubble it will turn golden brown and brown flecks will appear. Remove from heat and keep stiring another 1-2 minutes. Set aside until ready to use.
- Remove the tray from the oven and drizzle the brown butter over everything. Evenly sprinkle the ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs and ⅓ cup parmesan over the top of that. Return to the oven to bake for 5 more minutes, broiling on high for the last 2-3 minutes.
Video
Notes
- The brown butter: Keep stirring constantly and as soon as it turns golden, turn the what off. This will prevent it from burning. Butter will bubble a lot right before it turns brown so just push the bubbles to the side to see.
- Unclump the gnocchi: We want to gnocchi all individually and in one layer to ensure even cooking.
Looking for more information?
Additional substitution information can be found above in the substitution section of this post.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate and for informational purposes only.
I absolutely LOVE the gnocchi cooked like this! The green beans turned out great and the chicken sausage was good, but a little spicy for my tastes. The overall flavor was amazing. I’m looking forward to trying this recipe again with some alternatives, just to mix it up!
Yeah! Glad to hear you enjoyed it and can't wait to hear how future version turn out!