Roasted Sweet Potato & Sausage with Pesto


This three-ingredient Roasted Sweet Potato and Sausage with Pesto is one of the easiest meals you’ll ever make! Roast sweet potato gnocchi and Italian chicken sausage together on a sheet pan and then toss with fresh basil pesto.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Sausage with Pesto

Roasted Sweet Potato and Sausage with Pesto

This Roasted Sweet Potato and Sausage with Pesto meal is part of our Back-To-School Lifesavers — a series of recipes that are intended to have little (or no) veggie chopping, minimal prep time, around 10 ingredients or less (not including pantry staples), and use kid-friendly ingredients. Click here to see all the recipes in the series!

Roasted Sweet Potato and Sausage with Pesto

It doesn’t get much easier than this three-ingredient recipe and you won’t believe how much flavor is in every single bite!

The ingredients are fairly specific to Trader Joe’s (I haven’t been able to find the seasoned sweet potato gnocchi anywhere else). But, if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s nearby, you can still enjoy a variation on this recipe using regular (or cauliflower) frozen gnocchi.

Frozen gnocchi can be less than exciting when warmed on the stovetop or in the microwave, but when you ROAST it — it’s unbelievably good! It has a slightly crisp exterior with a soft pillowy interior. You are going to love what roasting does to an innocent-looking bag of frozen gnocchi! 

Ingredient shot-- image of all the ingredients used in this dish

Ingredient shot-- image of all the ingredients used in this dish

Roasted Sweet Potato and Sausage with Pesto Ingredients

  • Sweet Potato Gnocchi: Pick up a bag of sweet potato gnocchi with butter & sage (pictured above) — this gnocchi is already seasoned and in a delicious sauce, so this cuts down greatly on ingredients needed. (We don’t need olive oil or butter or seasonings!) 
  • Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage: We’re obsessed with the sweet Italian chicken sausage at Trader Joe’s (pictured above). The flavors pair so nicely with the pesto and gnocchi.
  • Pesto: The pesto is the perfect finishing touch that ties everything together. I’d recommend getting a refrigerated, freshly-made basil pesto, which you can find near refrigerated fresh pasta and gourmet cheese. Rana’s® Basil Pesto is our personal favorite store-bought pesto sauce (not sponsored). Freshly made pesto can certainly be spendy, but it lasts a good amount of time and a little goes a long way to add loads of flavor to so many dishes.

Process shots-- Add the frozen gnocchi and sliced sausage to the sheet pan; roast and stir midway through.

Process shots-- Add the frozen gnocchi and sliced sausage to the sheet pan; roast and stir midway through.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Sausage with Pesto Tips

  • Generously grease the sheet pan! The butter and sage sauce that coats the gnocchi can get fairly sticky and messy on the sheet pan if you haven’t sprayed it first. I like to give the tray a good spritz with olive oil cooking spray before adding anything on.
  • Add pesto to taste. This recipe doesn’t specify how much pesto, because it’s really up to personal preference. We like tons of pesto coating the gnocchi and chicken sausage, but you may prefer less. Serve the container of pesto on the table alongside the meal and everyone can add as much or as little as they’d like as they enjoy the meal.

Up close overhead image of the roasted sweet potato & sausage with pesto

Up close overhead image of the roasted sweet potato & sausage with pesto

More gnocchi recipes

Roasted Sweet Potato and Sausage with Pesto

This three-ingredient Roasted Sweet Potato and Sausage with Pesto is one of the easiest meals you’ll ever make! Roast sweet potato gnocchi and sweet Italian chicken sausage on a sheet pan and then toss with fresh basil pesto.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Sausage with Pesto

This three-ingredient Roasted Sweet Potato and Sausage with Pesto is one of the easiest meals you’ll ever make! Roast sweet potato gnocchi and sweet Italian chicken sausage on a sheet pan and then toss with fresh basil pesto.

Instructions

  • PREP: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Generously grease a large baking sheet with olive oil spray.

  • ROAST: Pour the gnocchi (straight from the freezer) onto the pan. Thinly slice chicken sausage and add on top. Toss the two together and spread in an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes; remove and toss with a metal spatula. Bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the gnocchi is tender and sausage is lightly caramelized/browned. Toss again once more and serve on plates.

  • ENJOY: Add dollops of pesto (to personal preference — we love lots!) on plates and enjoy immediately.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition information does not include pesto as the amount you use will vary.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 720kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 190mg | Sodium: 1940mg | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 600IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Iron: 1mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.