Cheesy Skillet Gnocci recipe is very easy to make and, can I just say, my husband LOVES this dish!
When I married Tommy Tabler in 1987, I married into an authentic Italian family. His mom, Contina, cherishes her roots. His uncle? Rocky. That’s his name. No kidding. But the matriarch of the family was Nana. Constance Balletta. Thick Italian accent. Amazing work ethic. Always smiling and sweet yet the undisputed head of the family.
Sweet Nana, the family matriarch, with our son Patrick (now 26!)
Nana was strong. Disciplined. Hard working. And rooted in traditions! She was as friendly as they come and LOVED sharing her cooking traditions with otheres. She had her ways. They ran deep. A love for sharing!
One of my very favorite things about Nana was her love of God. She prayed while she cooked. She prayed while she cleaned. And while she folded laundry. A true prayer warrior, she was! But prayer wasn’t the only tradition Nana passed down.
I’m so thankful Nana passed along her love for Italian cooking to me to continue that tradition in our family. Yeah, I may write about all my healthy, paleo endeavors. But don’t think I don’t LOVE a good Italian dish when I get the chance! So when Ragu asked me to share my family’s Italian cooking traditions, I was thrilled. Starting with Ragu is perfect!
After looking at all the amazing pasta sauce options, I selected the Ragu Sundried Tomato & Sweet Basil. YUM! The hubs had bought some gnocci (for the first time, honestly) a few weeks ago. I decided to pair my Ragu with the gnocci to see what I could come up with!
Can I just say… this was the easiest, most delicious dish I’ve made in ages? I just LOVE one-pot dishes. This one has just a few (tasty!) ingredients… Ragu Sundried Tomato & Sweet Basil Sauce, gnocci, chicken Italian sausage, olives, basil and mozzarella. So simple! Plus it’s so amazingly hearty and filling that your family and friends will think you slaved for hours making this cheesy skillet of heaven!
The recipe starts with simmering all the ingredients except the cheese on the stop top. Then add the cheese, bake it all a bit, and enjoy a no-fuss, delicious meal!
- One jar of Ragu Sundried Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce (or another Ragu sauce of your choice)
- 16 oz gnocci
- 8 oz chicken Italian sausage
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup whole pitted olives (green or kalamata)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Combine the sausage and sauce in a cast iron skillet
- Cook over medium heat until warmed through
- Stir in the gnocchi, olives and most of the basil
- Heat for another 3 minutes
- Top with the cheese and bake in oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly
- Garnish with remaining fresh basil
- Serve immediately
One of the things I really enjoyed about writing this post for Ragu was learning the history behind the brand. It’s so fascinating! Ragu pasta sauce was created by Assunta Cantisano, and her story is really quite amazing! A single mom, she came to the United States from Italy. Her pasta sauce was a favorite of all who knew her, and it eventually became what we now know as Ragu! Hope you’ll take a moment and read more about her story here.
What cooking traditions were passed down in your family? I’d LOVE to hear about them in the comments below! As for me, I resonate with Ragu’s holiday theme… Simmered In Tradition. Thanks, Nana! God bless you, and I know you are smiling down from heaven!
xoxo,
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Love this post. First of all, baby Tommy looks exactly like Patrick. looks like Ragu has come up with some new sauces I will definitely try. The recipe you posted looks terrific. Thanks for sharing!
This sounds so good. We have to have this at our house. I love Ragu sauces. We buy them often. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe