Let me tell you about my latest breakfast obsession that's totally rocked my mornings. Picture this: fluffy gnocchi, with tasty sausage and colorful fresh peppers, creating a twist on your traditional breakfast hash. Stick with me as we shake up your breakfast routine with this Italian-inspired bowl of goodness. Get ready to dig into my newfound love for breakfast gnocchi—it's like a flavor party in every bite, and it's about to become your new Sunday morning favorite too!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- It’s so easy to make, especially if you already have fresh gnocchi in your freezer
- It takes about 20 minutes to make, which is way faster than peeling and frying potatoes! Also, you don’t have to peel potatoes.
- It’s versatile and you can add any veggies or other ingredients you like. There are no rules here.
- The entire family will enjoy this breakfast, because who doesn’t like pan fried gnocchi???
- This can easily be made gluten-free, dairy-free vegetarian or vegan.
Ingredients you'll need
- Homemade potato gnocchi or store-bought potato gnocchi
- Italian sausage, mild or hot, that’s up to you
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Red bell pepper
- Cherry tomatoes
- Onions, red or white will work
- Butter
- Eggs
- Microgreens, like pea shoots or fresh Italian parsley. I like to add something green and fresh, but this one is totally up to you if you want to omit.
See recipe card for quantities.
Tools you'll need
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Medium pot
- Large frying pan
- Small frying pan
- Slotted spoon
A little bit about potato gnocchi
Potato gnocchi are light fluffy pillows of potato and flour mixed together into a dough and pan-fried to perfection. They are a traditional Italian dumpling that you can find on dinner tables across all of Italy. They are incredibly versatile, coming in many shapes and sizes and can be paired with a variety of sauces. While you can easily find store-bought gnocchi in most grocery stores, there is a certain satisfaction from making gnocchi yourself. Homemade gnocchi also tend to be much lighter in texture when you make them in your own kitchen. You can boil them, pan fry them or pop them in the air fryer to make them crispy on the outside. They are a delightful comfort food that has found their way into the hearts and kitchens of people around the world.
Instructions
Cook the Sausage. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the frying pan over medium heat. You will also want to start boiling a pot of salted water for the gnocchi at this time. Squeeze the sausage out of its casing into the frying pan and mash it up into smaller bits with a wooden spoon. I like to do this because then you have smaller bits of sausage throughout the dish, rather than large chunks of sausage every other bite. It also saves you from having to cut up the sausage, but if you prefer to keep it in larger pieces, go for it! Once the sausage is cooked, transfer it to a bowl and set aside. Put the frying pan back over the heat.
Cook the vegetables. Add the sliced peppers and onions to the frying pan. Cook them for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and starting to caramelize, but not burnt. If they are burning your heat is too high. The cherry tomatoes will only need to cook for about one minute so, do not add them until your other veggies are just about ready. Once all the veggies are cooked, transfer them to the same bowl as the sausage. Wash the pan, or grab a new clean one for the next step.
Cook the gnocchi. The water should be boiling by now, so drop the frozen gnocchi in the water and wait for it to float at the top. This should take about 3-4 minutes depending on the size of your gnocchi. If you are using fresh gnocchi (not frozen) you can completely skip this step. Heat the remaining oil in the clean pan over medium-high heat. When the gnocchi is ready, use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the pan with hot oil. Be careful not to get any water in the pan. Pan-fry the gnocchi for 3-5 minutes to get the outside golden brown and crispy.
TIP: If you want to make any kind of potato, including potato gnocchi, crispy on the outside and soft in the middle you need to cook them first and then blast them with oil and high heat. Butter does not make things crispy, although it does give lots of yummy flavor. And cooking them for longer does not make them crispy. This is why the crispiest french fries are double fried. The first fry at lower heat to cook the potatoes and then the second fry at high heat to make them crispy.
Fry the eggs. Add 1 teaspoon of butter to a small frying pan and melt over medium heat. When the pan is hot, crack the eggs onto the pan and cook to your liking.
Assemble the bowls. First add the gnocchi, then the sausage and veggie mixture, followed by the egg and whatever greens you have selected to finish it off. And there you have it!
Substitutions and additions
- Add cheese. Because everything tastes better with cheese on it. I would go with something melty to turn this dish into something ooey-gooey. Perhaps a monterey jack, mozzarella or fontina.
- Add more Vegetables. You can add mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, arugula or any other veggies you can think of to make this dish a healthy start to your day.
- Substitute ricotta gnocchi. This would give an even lighter texture and less potato flavor to the dish.
- Make it spicy. Add some bomba (Calabrian chili paste) to keep with the Italian theme, or your hot sauce of choice.
Variations
You can try all kinds of different flavor combinations with this dish. Here are a few suggestions:
- Mushroom and truffle breakfast gnocchi. This would be absolutely decadent with some parmesan cheese on top.
- Bacon and jalapeno breakfast gnocchi. Top this off with a little cheddar cheese and you got a delicious dish!
- Caprese breakfast gnocchi. Try adding cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil pesto to the dish.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Breakfast gnocchi bowl with sausage and peppers
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Medium pot
- Large frying pan
- Small frying pan
- Slotted spoon
Ingredients
- 3 cups homemade potato gnocchi or store-bought potato gnocchi
- 4 Italian sausages mild or hot, that’s up to you
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ medium red onion sliced thinly
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup microgreens like pea shoots or fresh Italian parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the frying pan over medium heat and boil a pot of salted water.
- Squeeze the sausage out of its casing into the frying pan and mash it up into smaller bits with a wooden spoon. Once the sausage is cooked, transfer it to a bowl and set aside. Put the frying pan back over the heat.
- Add the sliced peppers and onions to the frying pan. Cook them for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and starting to caramelize.The cherry tomatoes will only need to cook for about one minute, so do not add them until your other veggies are just about ready. Once all the veggies are cooked, transfer them to the same bowl as the sausage. Wash the pan, or grab a new clean one for the next step.
- Drop the frozen gnocchi in the boiling water and wait for it to float at the top. This should take about 3-4 minutes depending on the size of your gnocchi. If you are using fresh gnocchi (not frozen) you can completely skip this step.
- Heat the remaining oil in the clean pan over medium-high heat. When the gnocchi is ready, use a slotted spoon to transfer it to the pan with hot oil. Be careful not to get any water in the pan. Pan-fry the gnocchi for 3-5 minutes to get the outside golden brown and crispy on the outside.
- Add butter to a small frying pan and melt over medium heat. When the pan is hot, crack the eggs onto the pan and cook to your liking.
- Assemble the bowls by adding the gnocchi first, then the sausage and veggie mixture, followed by the egg and whatever greens you have selected to finish it off. And there you have it!
Notes
- The calories in these recipes are estimated and can vary based on the ingredients you use as well as differences in portion sizes.
- One serving of gnocchi is approximately ¾ of cup.
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