A FIVE ingredient Trader Joe's Recipe

That comes together in 30 minutes!

Hi there,

How are you? How’s your kitchen? Lately, I’ve had meal prep on the mind. Abigail and I just announced our Summer Meal Prep Class Series (join us!) and couldn’t be more excited to get back in the kitchen with you. I also spent a little time in my kitchen talking about what not to meal prep last week, and plan to share a 5 minute meal prep game changer this week (pssst, subscribe to my YouTube channel to stay up to date).

Between all the meal prep madness, I’ve also been in the kitchen doing a bit of recipe testing for you, which brings me to today’s tip and related recipe:

If you’re not already pan frying gnocchi and adding it to your dinner plans on a regular basis, you’re missing out.

I know this kitchen tip may seem a bit specific, and that’s because it’s actually just the guise under which I’m sharing today’s very delicious recipe that I really think you should make! And honestly, I really think you should make it—I tested it for the first time a few weeks ago, and it came together so quickly and easily and with such huge flavor payoff that I’ve made it multiple times and in multiple variations since. So I’d be remiss not to share the magic that is this skillet gnocchi meal with you ASAP, even if there’s no revelatory kitchen tip to go along with it, right? Right.

A bit of a note: If you live near a Trader Joe’s, you’re likely familiar with the viral sensation that is cauli gnocchi, which is what I’ve been using for my various gnocchi skillet meals. But if you’re not in range of a TJ’s, never fear. I did a little poking around the web and my local non-TJ’s grocery store frozen aisles and turns out there are many brands making frozen gnocchi. And the rest of the ingredients for today’s recipe can easily be sourced at any grocery store as well! Accessible groceries slay!

Our 5 ingredient lineup

This recipe comes together in just around 30 minutes, has only 5 ingredients (if we don’t count our cooking fat, salt, or garlic), and also actually holds up pretty well for meal prep! I think we’re all ready to get down to it, so without further ado here’s the recipe for my…

Sausage and Peppers Gnocchi Skillet Meal

Serves 2-4 (depending on how hungry you are!)

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided

• 12oz. Pack par-cooked spicy Italian chicken sausage (or vegan alt), cut into ½ inch rounds

• 12oz. Pack frozen gnocchi of choice

• 1 Tbsp salted butter

• 10oz. Cherry tomatoes

• 16oz. Frozen pepper medley

• 4-5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

• ½ tsp sea salt

• 2-4oz. Feta, crumbled

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil, followed by the pieces of sausage in a single layer. Cook each side until golden brown (about 2 minutes per side), then transfer to a dish.

2. Heat the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil, then add the gnocchi. Follow the package directions for pan frying. For the TJ’s cauliflower gnocchi, I find that as long as you’re working with enough oil, and you let the cauliflower crisp up before trying to flip it (about 2-4 minutes per side), it stays mostly intact. Don’t worry if you lose a little bit of crisp edge here or there. Once cooked through and crisp on each side, transfer the gnocchi to the dish next to the sausage.

3. Add the butter to the pan, followed by the cherry tomatoes, bell peppers,  garlic, and salt. Cook until the bell peppers are soft, the tomatoes are bursting, and the garlic is fragrant (about 5-7 minutes).

4. Add the sausage back to the pan and stir to incorporate. Top the veggies and sausage with the gnocchi, followed by the crumbled feta, and transfer the entire skillet to the oven. Bake 15 minutes, or until the feta is warmed through and slightly melted. Serve and enjoy!

---

The last time I shared a Trader Joe’s recipe with a short ingredient list here, you ate it up (literally, I’ve seen quite a few photos and you crushed it!)—should we make this a series? Let me know you’re thoughts!

Alright, I hope you have a lovely, well-fed week ahead.

With love and a tip of my chef’s hat.

Want more? I’m so flattered! You can also follow me on Instagram, pop over to my YouTube channel, or check out my blog where you can find my tips-laden e-book collection.