One of my all-time favorite dinners from last year that quickly became an AK reader staple! I had been wanting to make a baked gnocchi recipe for a while now (instead of boiling them and adding sauce), and this one turned out even better than I imagined.
This sheet pan butternut squash gnocchi with sausage has simple ingredients, fresh herbs, and delicious toppings like feta and hot honey to pull it all together. You get to bake the gnocchi and veggies all together right on one pan for easy cleanup and delicious flavor!
I love this one for easy weekday meal prep when I’m looking for something comforting and nourishing. Have fun customizing with different toppings and garnishes, and enjoy!
Everything you’ll need to make this sheet pan butternut squash gnocchi
This beautiful sheet pan meal is bursting with flavor from fresh herbs, sweet squash, and savory sausage. Don’t forget those delicious garnishes, too! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Butternut squash: every winter I get on a huge squash kick, and butternut squash is my go-to. You’ll cube it and roast it right up with the other veggies and sausage. Sweet potato also works well here!
- Red onion: the red onion gets naturally sweet and caramelized when you bake it on the sheet pan.
- Gnocchi: yes, you can bake the gnocchi right on the sheet pan! It will come out golden brown and tender.
- Herbs & seasonings: you’ll also add fresh thyme leaves, fresh sage (if you’d like), garlic powder, salt, and pepper to add flavor to the sheet pan meal.
- Sausage: I like to use spicy Italian chicken sausage for a kick of heat!
- For topping: once the sheet pan comes out of the oven, top everything with feta cheese or goat cheese, hot honey, extra thyme leaves, and a little lemon zest for brightness. YUM.
Customize this sheet pan gnocchi with sausage
There are plenty of ways to make this dinner your own:
- Swap the squash: feel free to use cubed pumpkin or sweet potato!
- Add some greens: serve everything on a bed of arugula.
- Pick your sausage: as I mentioned, I like using spicy Italian chicken sausage, but you could use pork sausage and/or opt for a mild sausage.
- Kick up the heat: you’ll get a spicy kick if you use spicy sausage and hot honey, but feel free to add red pepper flakes to the finished product as well to get even more of a kick!
Can I make it dairy-free, gluten-free, or vegetarian?
- To make dairy-free: simply omit the crumbled feta or goat cheese.
- To make gluten-free: use a gluten-free gnocchi or even Trader Joe’s frozen cauliflower gnocchi — just let the frozen gnocchi thaw for a few minutes at room temp before baking.
- To make vegetarian: swap the sausage for a can of rinsed, drained chickpeas. Toss them with the squash, onion, gnocchi, olive oil, and seasonings before adding them to your sheet pan.
Do I have to pre-cook the gnocchi?
Nope! The best part about this recipe is that everything gets cooked together right on the sheet pan — no boiling required! You’ll toss the gnocchi, butternut squash, and red onion with olive oil, herbs, and seasonings, and bake it all up on one pan. The gnocchi will come out crispy on the outside and perfectly tender in the middle.
Tips for assembling this sheet pan gnocchi
Instead of removing the sausage from the casing and forming perfect meatballs, I typically just “plop” 1-inch pieces of sausage right onto the baking sheet. It doesn’t have to be perfect! Be sure to spread everything out on the sheet to give everything enough room, but don’t worry if some of the sausage covers the gnocchi or veggies.
Make your own hot honey
If you don’t have any store-bought hot honey, you can easily make it with a few simple ingredients. Head to page 231 of The Ambitious Kitchen Cookbook for my go-to recipe!
Our fav sides to serve with this meal
You’ll get 24g of protein and lots of vitamins and nutrients from the butternut squash, but I also love serving this sheet pan gnocchi with a little side salad if I want another veggie boost:
- Brussels Sprouts Kale Honeycrisp Apple Salad with Maple Cider Dressing
- Winter Butternut Squash Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad
- Asiago Arugula Pear Salad
- Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Roasted Sweet Potato, Pear & Pomegranate Spinach Salad
Storing tips
You can store any leftover sausage and butternut squash gnocchi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Simply reheat in the microwave, on the stovetop, or, to keep the gnocchi crispy, in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.
More one pan meals you’ll love
- Sheet Pan Hot Honey Chicken and Veggie Glow Bowls
- One Pan Chicken Caprese Orzo Bake
- One Pan Creamy Tomato Gnocchi with Chicken Sausage
- One Pan Baked Pesto Orzo with Chicken Meatballs
- One Pan Creamy Thai-Inspired Peanut Chicken Couscous
Get all of my one pan meals here!
I hope you love this sheet pan butternut squash gnocchi with sausage! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Spicy Sausage, Butternut Squash & Hot Honey
Ingredients
- For the veggies and gnocchi
- 4 cups cubed butternut squash
- 1 red onion, halved and sliced
- 1 (16 ounce) package shelf-stable gnocchi
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage leaves (optional!)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 uncooked spicy Italian chicken or pork sausages (I prefer chicken!)
- For topping
- 4 ounces feta or goat cheese, crumbled
- 2 to 3 tablespoons hot honey (plus more if you’d like), for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- Lemon zest, for brightness
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Season the veggies & gnocchi: On the prepared baking sheet, add the butternut squash, red onion slices, and gnocchi. Drizzle with olive oil, then add fresh thyme, sage, garlic powder, salt, and a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper. Use clean hands to toss everything together until it is well coated in oil and spices. Spread into a single layer on the baking sheet.
- Add the sausage: Remove the sausage from its casing and place in 1-inch pieces on the baking sheet. (This is an easier tactic than rolling into meatballs, and oftentimes I just ‘plop’ the sausage right out of the casing onto the sheet pan!) It's okay if some of the sausage covers the gnocchi or veggies, but try and find some open space to nestle the sausage into.
- Bake for 25 minutes total, gently stirring the veggies and gnocchi halfway through.
- Warm the cheese: Remove from the oven and crumble feta or goat cheese all over the top of the veggie and gnocchi, then bake for 5 more minutes to warm the cheese.
- Once done baking, immediately drizzle with hot honey (about 2 tablespoons, but use more if you’d like), then garnish with fresh thyme leaves and add a little lemon zest on top. Enjoy warm! Serves 4 to 6.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on January 14th, 2025, and was republished on January 13th, 2026.
This is so good! Better than I expected. I used honey garlic sausage and it paird with the other ingredients beautifully. Roasting gnocchi, omg crispy and delicious. My family devoured this meal and want it in regular rotation. Also so quick and easy to make and clean up!!
So glad it was a hit!!
Delicious! I added Brussel spouts and zucchini to the pan for some more veggies. Everyone loved it and the house smelt AMAZING.
Perfect! Glad it was a hit!!
This recipe was easy, fast, delicious, and unique. The gnocchi were perfectly crispy and all the flavors worked so well together! I used goat cheese and loved how it paired with the squash and honey. My husband repeatedly said “this is SO good!” as he was eating it. The little sausage meatballs were such a fun idea too!
Delicious!! So happy you both enjoyed!
AMAZING! Comes together QUICK! Yes to the sage. Yes to the feta. Yes to the lemon zest. Yes to the hot honey. Spooned over a bed of organic baby arugula. PERFECTION!
So easy and delish!!
Can I use frozen gnocchi
Can’t wait to make this sounds delicious
Great question – I haven’t tested it, but I think it will work!
Delicious and easy! Will be om repeat at our house!
So happy to hear that!
Made recipe exactly as written. Used Feta cheese. And it was DELICIOUS!! So easy to make for a weeknight dinner and so satisfying. First time having gnocchi and will be making this again!
Love that! Perfect dinner 🙂
Can I use frozen cubed butternut squash?
A reader commented that it made the dish a bit mushy, so I’d suggest using fresh or thawing and draining off the liquid first!
I thought I screwed up this recipe when I used a bag of frozen butternut squash chunks from the back of my freezer and it came out all mushy and the gnocchi looked soggy. But the flavours were so good, it made up for the lacklustre texture! Will definitely make again with fresh squash and expect it will be even better.
I’m glad it still turned out delicious!
SO good!! The perfect sheet pan meal!
Agreed!!
You need to make this meal, it was delicious!
We have made it 3 times now, mixing it up a little each time.
We used Italian pork sausage and another time garlic pork sausage. Both were great.
Enjoyed the goat cheese the most but the time we used feta was still good.
Buying the pre-diced squash is a great time saver and makes this really quick.
Love the addition of sage. I used dried thyme.
This one’s great for customizing! Glad you love it!
Came out great. Loved by everyone. Will definitely make it again. Thanks
So happy to hear that!!
This is as good. Used Trader Joe’s
Sweet potato gnocchi And half a head cauliflower and used dried herbs because that’s what I had. Easy to throw together for dinner. Would make again with fresh herbs to see if the flavor was different and need to buy a bottle of hot honey vs making my own. But a good meal prep dinner/busy weeknight with this one. Looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow
Such a great weeknight dinner! Glad you enjoyed!
I used Gia Russa gluten free gnocchi for this dish and it was AMAZING! Highly recommend!
Perfect!! Such a great dinner 🙂
This was SO delicious!!!!!! I used oregano instead of thyme as I did not have any available. The hot honey is the perfect touch to this.
Perfect! Glad you loved it!
Tried this this week and absolutely loved it. Used a beef sausage, added in the chickpeas and made with sweet potatoes. I had to cook it a little longer than I thought just to ensure the potatoes were nice and cooked but that didn’t affect anything else. Made hot honey with honey and a little siracha and apple cider vinegar. Served on a bed of spring mix. Still thinking about it days later! My 3 and 5 year old ate it, they don’t get on board with sweet potatoes but their loss! They kept going back to steal more sausage and gnocchi!
Perfect! So glad you loved this one!
Delicious! And easy! Which is the best combo. It’s everything as described, flavorful, easy, and a great meal to have in your back pocket for a busy week day night.
Absolutely! Such a great weeknight meal 🙂
This was absolutely delicious! My husband went back for seconds and my teenage son devoured it! I reheated it the next day for my lunch and everyone at work wanted the recipe! Loved how easy it was to prepare. I made it with goat cheese and bourbon sausage. I will definitely make this again!
So happy to hear that! One of our go-to weeknight dinners these days 🙂
I have been making this on repeat lately!!!! It’s such a different sheet pan meal but is the perfect combo!!! Easy to throw together, my toddler loves it, and the chili flakes on top is just the chef’s kiss!! Definitely a new favorite!
So good!! One of our new favs, too 🙂
Awesome dish. It’s insane how well the gnocchi come out! I added brussels sprouts and a handful of baby kale at the end, and used Beyond hot Italian sausage, to make it vegetarian. So darn good – will definitely make again!
The perfect dinner! So easy to customize, too 🙂 Glad you loved it!
This is seriously the best and easiest recipe! We’ve already eaten it twice in the last week. So good! Also I just used frozen cubed squash and it worked perfectly. So good!
Amazing! So glad it’s a hit!
Really easy to put together and can add a variety of different vegetables that I had on hand. Loved it
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!
The best quick dinner! I put it on a bed of arugula and drizzle a Tuscan herb olive oil in addition to the hot honey. To die for.
Love that!!
Can I use previously frozen gnocchi for this recipe?
I haven’t tested it, but I think it will work!
SO GOOD! Will definitely be making this again. My pan was a little too crowded so I finished under the broiler for 5 mins to get the gnocchi a little crispy.
Perfect!! Glad you enjoyed!
Hello was wondering options if don’t want to use hot honey as not overall inclined for spicy foods thank you
Yes, feel free to leave it off, and use a non-spicy sausage as well!
This is on weekly rotation in our house! My 7 month old, 3 year old, my husband and I are OBSESSED!!! I usually sub the squash for sweet potato (personal preference) and use Trader Joe’s precooked chicken Italian sausage. Trader Joe’s has seasonal pumpkin gnocchi that is excellent in this dish as well. Sooooo good!! This week I prepped it then froze it for about 5 days and just defrosted enough to spread it on the sheet pan then baked on 425° for 20 min, mixed around, then about 20 more min. Perfection!!
Amazing! This one’s great for customizing 🙂 Perfect winter meal!
What is shelf-stable gnocchi? I only see refrigerated or frozen in my grocery store. Thanks!
You should find it in the pasta aisle of your grocery store!
How many ounces of sausage. Mine is a single coil not links. Thanks
It should be about 12oz!
Oh my heavens this is tasty! I just love sheet pan dinners, and this one just went to the top of the list. Fortunlately, it’s that time of year when Costco has the big tub of cut up butternut squash, I buy it at least once a week for use in salads, pasta or just a roasted side dish. That makes short order of throwing this dinner together. I had both cheeses on hand but went with goat this time around. The hot honey is a nice touch, and I squeezed half a lemon over the pan just before serving. We both said multiple times how good it was. My husband has already claimed the leftovers for our clean out the fridge night. Rats!! Thank you for the wonderful recipe, I know to make just a little more next time around so I can enjoy it as leftovers, too.
YES so easy and delicious! Glad you loved this one!
Delicious. Use the thyme and sage.
Perfect!!
I prepared exactly as written. It was very good! My gnocchi was a bit hard so maybe I’ll try cooking it beforehand because I will certainly make this again! The flavor is excellent and it comes together easily.
Glad you enjoyed! Noted on the gnocchi – what brand did you use?
The flavours!! Absolutely delicious. My one comment is that I didn’t think much into what sausages to use and had honey garlic ones. It was delicious but just really sweet, Definitely recommend another type of sausage.
Noted on the sausage here! I like a spicy kind for this recipe, but I’m glad it was still a delicious dinner!
This was so delicious and easy! Will def make again! Used different colors of baby potatoes instead of gnocchi bc we don’t love gnocchi!
Love it! Glad you enjoyed!
This was SO GOOD! And easy! Peeling and chopping the butternut squash was the most work. We ended up leaving the casing on the sausage and it worked great. Will tryout without next time. Got the seal of approval from hubs – def making again!
Perfect! Glad you loved it!
PERFECT! It’s absolutely delicious, short list of ingredients, and soooo easy to assemble + clean. We’ve made this every week of winter!!
So happy to hear that!
This was so good! I used sweet potatoes and spicy Italian pork sausage. As well as dried thyme. Thank you so much for this recipe!!
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
I used Italian seasoned ground turkey- just plopped small chunks directly from the package and it turned out great! I also broiled a few minutes to crisp everything up. Do delicious and easy!
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
I followed the recipe but swapped out butternut squash to sweet potatoes. It was very flavorful and delicious. Don’t skip the hot honey or feta cheese at the end. Really adds a nice touch!
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
This was great! two small edits we made, in addition to the lemon zest, we also used the juice of one lemon to finish the dish. We also tossed this sheet pan meal with arugula and that just turned it into a lovely little salad! This recipe is so delish, fast, hands off, and really fun! Thanks Monique!
Love it! The perfect meal!
This was so good and easy! I made it with sweet potato, squash, green cabbage and then topped with “honey and hot pepper goat cheese”. Would recommend!
Hot pepper goat cheese? I need some of that in my life! YUM!
Delicious! Super easy to throw together.
It’s such a fun and easy weeknight meal 🙂
Such an amazing meal. I don’t eat meat and use impossible sausage instead. I’d rate it 1000/10 if I could. Quick and easy to throw together. Amazing flavors.
Perfect! So happy you enjoyed!
This recipe is the perfect cozy winter meal! Comes together so quickly with no mess or cleanup. And the goat cheese adds to much flavor!! Keeping this one in my weekly rotation.
Absolutely! Easy and delicious 🙂
This recipe is one of my favorite dinner recipes, especially for a busy weeknight. I make the recipe exactly as it calls for. Sometimes I don’t have the thyme and it still tastes wonderful.
Made this recipe last week and absolutely loved it! So easy to put together, felt nourishing and tasty to eat, and the herbs made my whole kitchen smell amazing. I’ve even tried subbing sweet potato for squash and it worked just as well.
Perfect! Such a great dinner 🙂
What a delicious recipe! I bought frozen cubed squash which made it a lot quicker to prep ! Loved everything about this recipe, a bit spicy and a bit sweet, you can adjust as you wish.
Perfect! Yes, this one’s great for customizing 🙂
Just made this for dinner, and it will absolutely be going into our rotation. I love how simple this was to bring together! Love the one sheet pan as well making it a quick clean up afterwards!
So easy and delicious!
I haven’t actually made this yet but I can tell already that it’s a home run! Just one question, some of my folks don’t tolerate spice very well… would you have a suggestion to replace the hot honey? Seems like regular honey might be a bit bland but I’m not coming up with an idea so I thought I’d come to the source 🙂
It’s SO delicious! I don’t find hot honey particularly spicy as is, but if people are particularly sensitive, plain honey will still be delicious 🙂
Long overdue with a 5-star review. This recipe is on regular rotation in our household. It is SO delicious every single time we make it. Never disappoints!
So happy to hear that! One of our all-time favs, too 🙂
Great recipe – made as written but added beyond mild Italian veggie sausage and worked great, will be making again!
Love it! Perfect dinner!