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We couldn’t help ourselves at dinner… my husband and I couldn’t stop saying how ‘money’ this recipe is 🤣. Do not pass on the ricotta or the crispies…life changing!
Allison
Alert alert alert — the coziest, rich, deeply comforting, easy meets decadent, saucy, stunning, ding dang TREASURE of a dish is here for you.
Soft pillowy gnocchi swimming in a delicious and easy red sauce speckled with Italian sausage, dollops of zesty herbed ricotta melting into each creamy bite, surprise little crunches from the savory golden brown breadcrumbs you sprinkled on top. Wowowowowowow, we cannot get enough of this one.
There are a few extra steps involved to make each separate piece come together, but once they’re all in the same place at the same time, you will not regret one single extra chop or stir it took to make this darling happen. You’ll have to make your crispies (or perhaps you already have a jar made in your fridge because they are your new best friend?), you can mix together the herby ricotta while the sauce is simmering, the gnocchi is prepackaged but, hey, if you’re really feeling it this evening, you could also make your own!
Point being, shortcuts or not, this one is special and we think you’re going to love it.
Ingredients You’ll Need To Bring This To Life
The ingredient list for each separate part of this masterpiece is pretty simple and the lovely thing about that ricotta and those crispies is that they are simply dying to be plopped and sprinkled on other things so, make ’em here and have them ready for some other delicious fun this week.
For the gnocchi, you’ll need:
- Italian sausage
- can of whole peeled tomatoes
- onion, garlic, oregano
- pre-packaged gnocchi
For the love of your life herbed ricotta & golden crispies:
- ricotta
- garlic
- chives, parsley, thyme, rosemary and sage
- lemon zest
- panko breadcrumbs
- pre-packaged crunchy fried onions
- olive oil, salt & garlic powder
Get them all together and then let them party. Like, it will really be a party. Get ready.
How To Make This Incredible Gnocchi
Like we said, a few separate elements to bring this superstar combo together but pretty easy peasy to make it happen.
- Get your sauce going. Brown the sausage and break it up in the pan. Saute the onions, garlic, herbs and a can of crushed tomatoes. Get the sausage back in there and give her a lazy simmer for a bit on low!
- Make the ricotta. Mix together ricotta, garlic, lemon zest, and minced herbs to taste. Boom bam! Try not eat it all with a spoon before you get to your gnocchi.
- Make your golden crispies! Check out this post for more detail, but you’ll want to toast up some panko breadcrumbs with olive oil and herbs, mix in some crispy onions, and then just get ready to joyously crunch on them all the days of your life.
- Cook gnocchi. Prepare according to package instructions (or maybe you’ve made your own – wow, you!) and then add them to the simmering sauce to get them all coated and delicious.
- Dish, dollop, sprinkle & serve! You get it. Train’s headed to YumTown.
What a dream. WHAT A DREAM. Just, very excited for you to work this into your life.
Fill Out That Dinner Table
It’s fair if you just want to put this all in one giant bowl and have at it but if you MUST share with other people around your dinner table, it’s nice to round out the meal with a little simple green salad (why not sprinkle some crispies on that as well?), maybe a lovely warm hunk of no-knead bread, a small extra side bowl of that herbed ricotta?
However you’re serving it up, small dinner party with friends, a cozy night in for two, or maybe your toddler has very delicious and specific meal demands, this one is worth it.
Millionaire Gnocchi: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Love that journey for you. You can find our homemade gnocchi recipe here.
So glad you asked because they’re really going to make this gnocchi DELUXE! Get the recipe here.
Ooo the whipped ricotta is kinda its own masterpiece, so we’d really recommend a quick grocery store run for this.
Millionaire Gnocchi with Red Sauce, Herbed Ricotta, and Golden Crispies
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 generous servings 1x
Description
You’re going to feel like a million bucks when eating this delicious Millionnaire Gnocchi! Pillowy gnocchi, melty herbed ricotta, fresh herbs, and surprise little crunches from the savory golden brown breadcrumbs you sprinkled on top.
Ingredients
Red Sauce
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage or meatless alternative
- 1–2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, minced
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- one 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and red pepper flakes to taste
Herbed Ricotta
- 6–8 ounces of ricotta cheese
- 1 small clove garlic, grated
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- salt to taste
- minced herbs to taste (chives, parsley, and/or thyme)
Gnocchi
- two 16-ounce packages pre-cooked gnocchi
Instructions
- Brown the sausage: Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the sausage; break apart until well-browned and fully cooked. Remove sausage from the pan. If you want you can drain off excess grease from the pan (I often keep it for extra flavor).
- Simmer the sauce: Turn the heat down (so you don’t burn the garlic). Add the olive oil, onion, and garlic; sauté for a few minutes over medium low heat until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and oregano. Add sausage back in and simmer over low heat (think of it as a “lazy” simmer) for 30-45 minutes. Taste and season with salt and red pepper flakes.
- Make the ricotta: While the sauce is simmering, mix the ricotta ingredients in a small dish. Taste and adjust as you like.
- Cook the gnocchi: Cook gnocchi according to package directions (usually this involves a short boil). Add cooked gnocchi to the pan with the sauce. Bring to a low simmer to get the gnocchi and sauce bubbling and well-coated.
- Serve: Serve hot gnocchi topped with a dollop of herbed ricotta and a generous sprinkling of golden crispies. ✨ Heck to the yes.
Notes
If you don’t need a full 6-person batch of this gnocchi, just make one package of gnocchi with half of the tomato sauce, and freeze the other half of the sauce for later!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: Italian-Inspired
Keywords: gnocchi with red sauce, red sauce pasta, whipped ricotta recipe
More Gnocchi Recipes We Love
- Ridiculous Baked Gnocchi with Vodka Sauce (so cozy, so addicting)
- Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Broccoli Rabe and Garlic Sage Butter Sauce (making sweet potato gnocchi is a breeze!)
- Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup (gnocchi in soup gets a big YES from us)
Could you use frozen gnocchi? Just add to sauce to cook?
Yes!
Lindsay-love your recipes! How can I make this recipe earlier in the day and then reheat that evening?
Thanks!
Karen
Loved this recipe. One change I would make is only use zest and juice of half a lemon. Did one who one and it was too strong. I had twice the amount needed of ricotta so I basically ended up doubling that part of the recipe and doubled everything but the zest and juic e.
Terrific tastes in this meal 👍🏻
The crispy panko crumbs were delicious.
Must say it all took a while with the multiple steps and ingredients, but it was worth the effort.
We make this regularly! We (2 ppl) usually split the sauce in half before adding 1 pkg gnocchi, and then when we wanna eat the next half all we have to do is reheat it and cook the gnocchi. So gooood. Also fun to make lol, I feel like a lil chef adding oregano to tomato sauce
This gnocchi recipe has become a household favorite. It is great for impressing guests. The ricotta always gets compliments and the herb toasted breadcrumbs bring it to the next level!
Made this for NYE and the crowd went absolutely wild! I cheated and used a whole jar of Rao’s to save time, and it was still so good. The texture of the crispies, the zestiness of the ricotta. Chef’s kiss!
Another winner!! Followed recipe exactly. The lemon zest and juice in the ricotta is killer. Instant classic!
can this be made ahead? if so directions.. thank you
Yes, you can make this ahead of time. I would make the recipe through step 4, but wait to simmer the gnocchi with the sauce until you’re ready to serve.
This was amazing! I cook a lot and my husband said this is the best meal I’ve ever made! The recipe shows whole tomatoes in one spot and crushed in another. I had while so I pureed and turned out beautifully. Thanks for this recipe!
This is the ultimate comfort food. All of the elements work so well together! I would have never thought to add a toasted breadcrumb mixture to a dish like this. Brilliant!
This sounds and looks wonderful!
Amazing
I never leave comments and I rarely eat gnocchi because I don’t like it all that much. But it’s my daughters favorite and she’s about to go off to college in a few weeks so I wanted to make her some good food so she’ll remember to come home and visit once in a while. This was by far one of the best dinners I have had in a while. The herbed ricotta was insanely good, using fresh thyme and parsley from my garden. I didn’t have any fried onions for the golden crispies but the toasted herbed breadcrumbs still added a nice little crunch and deliciousness. Everyone cleaned their plates tonight. This recipe is definitely going into rotation!
I made this for dinner last night and it was amazing!! I can’t wait to eat my leftovers today!! I subbed ground beef for sausage, doubled the amount of ricotta, and added premade tomato sauce to garlic and onions in pan. I also didn’t have fried onions so improvised with seasoning on panko crumbs. Still amazing! Will make again and again!
Yowza!! Easy, scrumptious, makes a lot. The ricotta transforms the gnocchi into something very, very special. I was skeptical about the lemon, but it added a whole different dimension to the dish that was simply brilliant.
Any suggestions for a ricotta substitute? This looks amazing!
You could try mascarpone!
Wow… It looks amazing.
Did you use frozen or refrigerated gnocchi?
We’d suggest refrigerated gnocchi here!
The base recipe is excellent and fully customizable. I made changes to suit our dietary preferences and the dish came out so delicious! We don’t eat land meat so I used minced, browned vegetarian Italian sausage in place of meat based sausage in the sauce. And, we have some in our home who don’t fancy lemon so much so I cut out the zest in the ricotta and only used the juice. Lastly, we try to skip fried foods so for the crunchy topping I just made crunchy fresh bread crumbs using small diced whole wheat bread, garlic, olive oil and salt then browned in a pan until crispy. Lastly, we like our gnocchi on the chewy side so I pan roasted it instead of boiling it before adding to the prepared sauce. This dish won rave reviews in our home! Thanks for the great recipe!!
Can you suggest a good packaged gnocchi? Everyone I have tried is heavy and gummy, nothing like the light almost melt on your tongue ones I had at a restaurant in S.F.
Sure can! We love DeLallo’s gnocchi! You can find it here: https://www.delallo.com/delallo-potato-gnocchi-16-oz/. We also have a post for making your own homemade gnocchi here, if you want to try it out. https://leichter-leben.today/how-to-make-homemade-gnocchi%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I’m obsessed with this and have made it a few times. I’ve used jarred sauce too to make it even simpler. The ricotta and golden krispies are where it’s at!
What a wonderful tasty dish. I used cauli crumbles and fresh basil. My plant based son and meat eater husband both loved it. Such a hit and it only took 30 minutes to make. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe.
Great recipe and really a nice one. Will surely try this
My husband and I loved this recipe! I’m not a big gnocchi or pasta person and I ate two bowls! The golden crispies were an awesome addition and I can’t wait to add them to other dishes! Thanks 🙂