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This cottage cheese gnocchi with turkey sausage and tomato has about 40 g of protein per serving and takes 50 minutes. The protein comes from cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan and turkey sausage, not powder, so it tastes like real gnocchi in a real tomato sauce.
The dough is blended cottage cheese, two eggs, Parmesan and 200 g of flour. There’s no potato to bake or rice, which saves time. The trade-off is a sticky dough, so flour your hands and your counter before you start rolling.
Each bowl is roughly 400 g of food, a full dinner. My two kids don’t care about macros, and they still asked for seconds.
Boil one test gnocchi before you cook the batch. If it falls apart, knead in 2 tbsp more flour and test again.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- About 40 g protein per serving from whole foods
- No potatoes to bake, peel or rice
- Gnocchi cook in 3 minutes in gently boiling water
- Uncooked gnocchi freeze well for a fast dinner later
Ingredient Notes
- cottage cheese: Use 2% small-curd. Full-fat works the same, and nonfat works but tastes flatter. Whole-milk ricotta can replace it at the same weight.
- turkey sausage: Buy raw Italian turkey sausage links, mild or hot, and squeeze out the casings. Protein runs from about 14 to 18 g per 100 g depending on brand, so check your label.
- Parmesan: Grate it finely so it blends into the dough. Pecorino works but is saltier, so skip the pinch of salt in the dough.
- all-purpose flour: Weigh 200 g instead of scooping. A scooped cup runs heavy and makes dense gnocchi.
Cottage Cheese Gnocchi with Turkey Sausage in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
Method
- Set the cottage cheese in a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl to drain for 5 minutes. While it drains, dice the onion, mince the garlic, and bring 3 L of water with 1 tbsp kosher salt to a boil in a 5-quart / 4.7 L pot.
- Blend the drained cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan and 1/4 tsp fine salt in a food processor for about 30 seconds until smooth. Scrape into a bowl, add 200 g flour, and stir with a spatula until no dry patches remain. The dough will be soft and tacky, like thick biscuit dough.
- Flour the counter and your hands generously. Divide the dough into 4 pieces, roll each into a rope about 2 cm / 3/4 inch thick, and cut into 2.5 cm / 1-inch pieces. You'll get about 80 to 100 gnocchi. Move them to a floured sheet pan, 33 x 46 cm / 13 x 18 inch.
- Let the gnocchi rest for 10 minutes so the surface dries a little. During the rest, drop one into the boiling water as a test. If it holds its shape after 3 minutes, carry on. If it falls apart, knead 2 tbsp flour into the remaining dough, then re-roll and re-cut.
- Heat the olive oil in a 30 cm / 12-inch deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and break it up with a spoon. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until browned with no pink left, 165 F / 74 C. Add the onion and cook 3 minutes until soft, then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and add the black pepper. Simmer over medium-low heat for 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick enough to leave a trail when you drag a spoon through it.
- While the sauce simmers, cook the gnocchi in two batches in gently boiling water. Each batch floats in about 2 minutes, then give it 1 more minute, 3 minutes total. Lift with a slotted spoon straight into the sauce, and keep the pot water for later.
- Add the spinach and up to 120 ml of the gnocchi cooking water to the skillet. Fold gently for about 2 minutes until the spinach wilts and the sauce clings to the gnocchi. Tear the basil over the top and serve right away.
Notes
- Weigh the flour. 200 g is the number, and scooped cups run heavy.
- Boil one test gnocchi during the 10-minute rest before cooking the batch.
- Cook gnocchi in two batches in gently boiling water, never a hard boil.
- Check your sausage label, because protein per 100 g varies between brands.
Tips for Success
- Drain the cottage cheese in a fine-mesh sieve for 5 minutes, because leftover whey is the main reason the dough turns slack.
- Flour your hands as well as the counter before rolling the ropes, since the dough sticks to bare skin faster than to a floured board.
- Keep the water at a gentle boil and cook the gnocchi in two batches so they don’t bump together and tear.
- Boil one test gnocchi during the rest, and knead 2 tbsp flour into the dough if the test piece collapses.
- Lift the gnocchi into the sauce with a slotted spoon and loosen with a splash of the cooking water until the sauce clings.
Variations
- Swap the turkey sausage for chicken sausage and add 1 tsp fennel seed to the pan with the onion.
- After boiling, sear the gnocchi in 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet for 2 minutes per side, then add the sauce.
- Use hot Italian turkey sausage and add 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes with the garlic for a spicier bowl.
Storage and Reheating
Leftover cottage cheese gnocchi keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. The gnocchi soften as they sit in the sauce, but they hold their shape.
Reheat in a 30 cm / 12-inch skillet over medium heat with 2 tbsp water. Cover and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring once, until the sauce is bubbling and the sausage reaches 165 F / 74 C.
For the freezer, freeze uncooked gnocchi on a floured sheet pan for 1 hour, then bag them for up to 2 months. Boil from frozen for about 4 minutes. Freeze the sauce separately for up to 2 months.
Serving Suggestions
Cottage cheese gnocchi with turkey sausage is a full dinner in one bowl. Add extra grated Parmesan and torn basil at the table.
A lemony arugula salad cuts through the cheese and sausage. Roasted broccoli works too, and so does 1 slice of garlic bread per person if you’re feeding hungry teenagers.
There’s already about 40 g of protein in each bowl, so you don’t need another protein side.
FAQ
Why are my cottage cheese gnocchi falling apart in the water?
The dough is usually too wet. Drain the cottage cheese in a sieve for 5 minutes, and boil one test gnocchi before cooking the rest. If it collapses, knead in 2 tbsp flour. Keep the water at a gentle boil too, since a hard rolling boil can shred soft gnocchi.
How do I know when cottage cheese gnocchi are done?
They’re done 1 minute after they float, about 3 minutes total in gently boiling water. Cut one in half to check. The center should look evenly pale and moist with no dry streak of raw flour, and the surface should feel springy when pressed.
Can I use ricotta instead of cottage cheese for the gnocchi?
Yes, use the same weight, 450 g, and drain it for 5 minutes. Ricotta is already smooth, so you can skip the blender and just stir it with the eggs. Protein stays close to the cottage cheese version, but the flavor is milder and less tangy.
Can I freeze cottage cheese gnocchi with turkey sausage sauce?
Yes, but freeze the parts separately. Freeze cut, uncooked gnocchi on a floured sheet pan for 1 hour, bag them, and boil from frozen for about 4 minutes. They keep 2 months. Cooked gnocchi already sitting in sauce turn soft after freezing, so I don’t do that.
What goes well with cottage cheese gnocchi and turkey sausage?
Something sharp and green. A lemony arugula salad or roasted broccoli cuts through the cheese and sausage, and a slice of garlic bread rounds it out. The bowl already has about 40 g of protein, so you don’t need another protein side dish.
Is cottage cheese gnocchi gluten free?
No. This version uses 200 g of all-purpose flour, so it contains gluten. A 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend is the swap to try, but I haven’t tested it here, so expect to adjust the flour by a tablespoon or two until the dough holds together.
