Alert the tastebuds for this flavor explosion of a dish. Soft gnocchi is served alongside vegan italian sausage and sautéed onion, kale, mushrooms with a creamy burst cherry tomato sauce overtop. Garnish it with parmesan and red pepper flakes for a bit of bite and spice, truly delicious!
I love how the flavors of this dish blend together to create a warming yet fresh experience. The burst cherry tomato sauce is rich with a juicy summer essence while the vegan italian sausage adds herby flavor and the gnocchi mellows everything out. This is a true ‘chef’s kiss’ creation!
If you’re looking to make some homemade gnocchi for your own savory creation, check out this original recipe. Sweet Potato Gnocchi that’s pillowy soft with a melt-in-your-mouth texture in bite-sized pieces! And it’s even better than store bought if you ask me 😉
Ingredients in Vegan Italian Sausage Gnocchi
Cherry Tomatoes – To achieve the ‘burst’ effect you’ll need cherry tomatoes. But if needed, simply swap them for larger tomatoes cut into cherry sized pieces. The flavor will be similar just without the ‘pop’ of the cherry tomato skin.
Sweet Onion / Garlic – Two necessary components for any delicious tomato sauce. The bite of sweet onion paired with fresh garlic highlights all the wonderful flavors.
Raw Cashews – Add a creamy texture and substance to the tomato sauce.
Nutritional Yeast – Creates a “cheesy” flavor while remaining 100% vegan! There are a lot of brands and options to choose from, my usual go to is Bragg’s.
Lemon Juice – The slight acidity of lemon juice helps balance out the flavors and pairs well with the tomato base of the sauce.
Coconut Sugar – Adds a hint of sweetness to balance out the acidic nature of tomato sauce.
Seasoning – Basic salt and pepper work fine but adding the Italian seasoning really amps up the traditional tomato sauce flavor.
Italian Sausage – I don’t eat meat so I was quite excited to try these Pure Farmland Vegan Italian Sausages. It just adds great texture and flavor to the dish overall. Feel free to leave the “sausage” out entirely or sub with a meat of your choice.
Mushrooms & Kale – I love the textures and subtle flavors of these vegetables but feel free to sub with whatever is most convenient for you!
Gnocchi – I used store bought vegan + gluten free gnocchi for this recipe, which you can find vacuum packed in the pasta section or sometimes in the fridge. But if you’re feeling adventurous, try making it homemade. My recipe for Gluten Free Sweet Potato Gnocchi is easy and so dang delicious!
How to Make Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce
The idea behind a “burst” tomato sauce is all in the method of preparing the cherry tomatoes. By roasting them at a high heat, pressure builds until they eventually “burst” and release all the juicy flavors for the sauce. I like to think of it as a flavor explosion tomato style 🙂
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Prepare your sauce – add cherry tomatoes, onion, and garlic cloves to a parchment-lined baking tray. Sprinkle with 1 tsp kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Drizzle with ¼ cup olive oil. Move to the oven to roast for 25 – 30 minutes, or until cherry tomatoes have burst and onions have started to brown.
- Remove from the oven and add to a high speed blender along with raw cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, coconut sugar, and italian seasoning. Set aside.
How to Make Vegan Italian Sausage with Gnocchi
Once your sauce is made, it’s time to prepare the base. If you’re making homemade gnocchi, be sure to make that in advance. Otherwise store bought is just as delicious and much easier!
- Cook your vegan italian sausage according to package instructions. Cut into ½” rounds and set aside.
- In a large pan, add 2 tbsp olive oil and preheat to medium. Add your onion and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
- Add your mushrooms and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until mushrooms are cooked. Add kale and cook until wilted. Sprinkle with ½ tsp kosher salt.
- Finish the dish by adding cooked gnocchi and sliced sausage to the pan, followed by your sauce. Optional: garnish with grated parmesan cheese + red pepper flakes and enjoy!
Nutritional Yeast Recipes
If you’re like me in the past, you probably bought a big bag or shaker of nutritional yeast for a recipe then never touched it again. I get it, nutritional yeast can seem like an odd ingredient!
But over the years I’ve grown an immense love for this vegan cheese alternative. I probably use it at least every other day and it’s been present in lots of my savory recipes. Here are a few of my favorites:
Get ready for creamy and “cheesy” deliciousness with this 6 Ingredient Vegan Alfredo that actually tastes like traditional alfredo! Made with a cashew base, this easy vegan alfredo sauce is lighter than most recipes yet still tastes “cheesy” thanks to the nutritional yeast.
Another comfort food favorite made lighter, this Homemade Vegan Hamburger Helper is absolutely delicious. Soft pasta shells with a meatless “meat” crumble and a “cheesy” undertone thanks to nutritional yeast makes this dish absolutely irresistible.
If you try this recipe or any of the above ones, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you, and it also helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST Vegan Italian Sausage Gnocchi and Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce 🙂
Vegan Italian Sausage Gnocchi with Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce:
- 16 oz cherry tomatoes ~2 cups
- ½ ea sweet onion chopped small
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- ¼ olive oil
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ¾ cup water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
Italian Sausage Gnocchi:
- 5 ea Vegan Italian sausage
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ea sweet onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8 oz mushrooms brushed off, cut in half and then sliced (~3 cups)
- ½ bunch curly kale ribs removed and rough chopped (~4 cups)
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 17 oz prepared gnocchi cooked according to package instructions
Garnish
- grated parmesan
- crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Prepare your sauce – add cherry tomatoes, onion, and garlic cloves to a parchment-lined baking tray. Sprinkle with 1 tsp kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Drizzle with ¼ cup olive oil. Move to the oven to roast for 25 – 30 minutes, or until cherry tomatoes have burst and onions have started to brown.
- Remove from the oven and add to a high speed blender along with raw cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, coconut sugar, and italian seasoning. Set aside.
- Cook your vegan italian sausage according to package instructions. Cut into ½” rounds and set aside.
- In a large pan, add 2 tbsp olive oil and preheat to medium. Add your onion and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
- Add your mushrooms and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until mushrooms are cooked. Add kale and cook until wilted. Sprinkle with ½ tsp kosher salt.
- Finish the dish by adding cooked gnocchi and sliced sausage to the pan, followed by your sauce. Optional: garnish with grated parmesan cheese + red pepper flakes and enjoy!
Notes
- I used pure farmland mild italian sausage, but also like the beyond meat hot italian.
- You can leave out the sausage entirely and it will be just as delicious.
- I got vegan + gluten free prepared gnocchi to keep this an easy dinner, you could definitely make your own! I got mine from Whole Foods and it was in the pasta aisle in an airtight package.
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This was probably one of the best meals I’ve ever made. I don’t always save recipes to make again but this one will get kept. 100% will make again.