Easy Dinner #1 - Italian Sausage & Gnocchi

We are deep into August here on the farm which means busy days and busier evenings.  School is back in full force and so are all of the activities that go along with it.  I am doing a little series of "Easy Weeknight Dinners" for you.  All are under 30 minutes and all are dinners that you can make while also fielding homework questions from the kitchen table.  

Easy Dinner #1 is an Italian Sausage and Gnocchi dish that is done all in one pan or skillet.  If you are not familiar with gnocchi, you have been missing out!  It is a delicious small potato dumpling or pasta that is known for being like "tiny pillows" in sauce and can be found in the pasta section of the grocery store.  You do not have to cook the gnocchi ahead of time, it goes straight into the dish (keeping the promised of truly being a "one pan" dinner.  The sauce in this dish can be modified to your family's taste.  I included possible substitutions below in the ingredients - but you could really add any veggies your family likes in here! ​

Italian Sausage & Gnocchi

• 1 lb HHF Italian Sausage (Hot, Mild, or Sweet)
• 4 minced garlic cloves
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
• 1 cup of fresh cherry tomatoes (or sub one can of diced tomatoes with juice and cut down wine to 1/3 cup)
• 3 cups (or big handfuls) of fresh spinach (kale or chard work great as well), coarsely chopped
• 1 full size can of coconut milk or 1 cup of heavy cream
• 1 lb uncooked gnocchi (we have used regular and gluten free with success)
• Liberal amounts of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste (I add a half of a teaspoon or so of kosher salt to the dish but that may be too much or too little for others - so go slow here and taste as you go)

Cooking Instructions
1.  Saute the sausage in a 12" or larger skillet over medium-high heat.  If using sausage that is in links, just push the sausage out of the casing and into the pan, breaking the sausage into small pieces with a wooden spatula.  Once lightly browned, add garlic and stir around in pan for a minute or so.
2.  Add wine and cook for a minute or two.  Then add veggies, coconut milk (or cream), and gnocchi stirring well to combine.  The sauce will start to bubble - at this point I like to take the back of my spatula and push lightly on those tomatoes (if using cherry) with my wooden spatula to pop them into my sauce.  Then, cover with a lid at this point and turn the heat down to medium.  Cook for about 5 minutes.
3.  Uncover, and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, stirring well once or twice or until the gnocchi has cooked through and the sauce has thickened up some.
4.  Be sure to taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.  I sometimes add fresh basil or a sprinkling of Italian seasoning at this point as well.
5.  Serve with liberal amounts of parm.  (One of my favorite things is an Oxo parm grater with the little arm that you turn that can stay in the fridge loaded with a chunk of parmiagiano reggiano ready to go at any time!  The kids also love using this to add their own flair to their dishes.)
6. Enjoy!  Hopefully you were able to enjoy a bit of a glass of wine while cooking and helping with homework on this weeknight! :)