This Trader Joe’s Chicken Sausage & Kale Gnocchi one pan meal will have you sitting down to dinner in less than 30 minutes! With just 8 ingredients, and one pan, both the prep and the clean up will be a breeze! We like to use a large cast iron skillet to get a nice brown on the sausage. Because it is pre-cooked, all you need to do is brown it up for a nice crust!
In this one pan wonder, in addition to the Trader Joe’s Chicken Sausage, we use a bag of their frozen Kale Gnocchi, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh cherry tomatoes. Of course, that is what we had in our fridge, but if you want to swap out the Kale Gnocchi for Cauliflower Gnocchi, make it happen! Love mushrooms? Add those!
One of the things we love about Trader Joe’s Chicken Sausage, is it is a great grab and go item that we can keep in the fridge for a quick meal! It is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner. We used the jalapeño variety of sausage in this recipe, but any flavor will work!
What you will need to make this chicken sausage and kale gnocchi:
- Trader Joe’s Chicken Sausage: Adds savory, flavorful protein to the dish, with seasonings already infused, making it convenient and tasty.
- Garlic Olive Oil (or plain olive oil): Garlic olive oil infuses extra depth of flavor, providing a rich, aromatic base. Plain olive oil works well too for a milder taste.
- Frozen Trader Joe’s Kale (or Cauliflower) Gnocchi: These gnocchi options bring texture and a unique flavor. Kale adds a healthy, leafy green taste, while cauliflower keeps the dish light and gluten-free.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Bursts of sweet and tangy flavor that complement the richness of the sausage and gnocchi.
- Butter: Adds richness and a silky mouthfeel, balancing the acidity of the tomatoes and white wine.
- Olive Tapenade: Provides briny, salty depth, enhancing the Mediterranean-inspired flavors in the dish.
- Sun Dried Tomatoes in Oil: Concentrated, sweet-tart tomato flavor with a slightly chewy texture, bringing complexity and a touch of luxury to the sauce.
- White Wine: Adds acidity and depth, deglazing the pan and bringing all the flavors together with a subtle, refreshing finish.
What can I substitute for the wine?
Use vegatable or chicken broth in place of the white wine. We are using this to help steam the gnocchi and give it a little flavor. Any liquid will work.
What is a substitue for the olive tapenade?
You can just slice up some green or greek olives, or simply leave this out. Adding this gives the dish a bit of flavor and saltiness, so if you leave this out, add a pinch of salt.
How to make it vegan:
Swap out the chicken sausage for a vegan variety, or use another vegatable instead. A great one would be broccoli, as it browns up nicely in this dish.
Equipment
- pan
Ingredients
- 3 sausages package Trader Joe’s Chicken Sausage
- 1 tablespoon garlic olive oil or plain garlic oil
- 12 ounces bag frozen Trader Joe’s Kale Gnocchi
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup Olive Tapenade
- ¼ cup diced Sun Dried Tomatoes in oil.
- Splash of white wine can substitute chicken broth
Instructions
- Heat up a large cast-iron skillet. Slice the chicken sausage into discs. Add to hot pan, and drizzle with a little of the garlic olive oil. Allow to cook for a few minutes to brown on one side. Using a wooden spoon, stir the sausage around to turn them over.3 sausages package Trader Joe’s Chicken Sausage, 1 tablespoon garlic olive oil
- While the sausage is browning, cut up the sun dried tomatoes into bit size pieces about the size of a pea, and set aside.¼ cup diced Sun Dried Tomatoes in oil.
- Once you brown the sausage on one side, and turn it over, add in the bag of frozen kale gnocchi. It only takes 7 minutes to heat up! Add the butter & sun-dried tomatoes and a little of the oil from the jar of tomatoes. Stir.12 ounces bag frozen Trader Joe’s Kale Gnocchi, 1 tablespoon butter, ¼ cup diced Sun Dried Tomatoes in oil.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, and stir so that the tomatoes are on the surface of the pan so they start to blister. Give them a couple minutes to blister with lid on. Now add the olive tapenade and a touch of water, broth or white wine, and cover with a lid for about 4 minutes, then stir, and cook for another 1-2 minutes, till heated through.½ cup cherry tomatoes, ¼ cup Olive Tapenade, Splash of white wine, ¼ cup diced Sun Dried Tomatoes in oil.
- Serve with grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More tasty chicken recipes to try out!
Love a quick & delicious skillet meal and this one sounds amazing! Wish I could get to a TJ’s (closed boarders) so I’ll have to sub some of the ingredients. Can’t wait to try this!
Elaine,
Oh I know you can find some tasty chicken sausage and gnocchi on your side of the border! When we visited a few years ago we were blown away by all the choices! Enjoy your week!
Best,
Dina and Bruce
I don’t see where you add in the butter and oil tapenade?
Megan,
Thank you so much for catching these misses! I have updated the recipe to reflect when you add both of these in! We hope you give it a try! Let us know what you think! And let us know if you make any other additions, or updates! We love seeing the creativity of our followers!
Have the best week,
Dina and Bruce!