Gnocchi Bun Sausages
A juicy spicy italian sausage tucked inside an entire bun made of gnocchi??!?! Sign me up! It’s almost like a corndog in a way, but with a big old gnocchi instead of cornbread batter! The pillowy gnocchi is the perfect vehicle for the deep savory flavors in the Italian sausage, and the simple pesto and caramelized onions on top make it a sandwich you won’t forget anytime soon! Yes, I am calling this a sandwich. Haters get your keyboards ready!
Where I came up with this idea
I had Italian sausages in the freezer, and I had extra beautiful sub rolls I had grabbed for something else, so I thought it would be nice to come up with a simple recipe for sausage sandwiches. I started brainstorming and thought of putting gnocchi in the sandwich, then came up with the idea of gnocchi as the bun for the sausage. Welp, there goes my “simple” recipe idea. It’s ok though because I was cracking myself up the whole time I was thinking of this recipe, and it came out great! I tried a few different ideas for the bun but when I squared it off it really worked best.
Lets make the dough
Normally when I make gnocchi, it starts with roasting potatoes. Growing up though, my grandmother used to use instant mashed potato flakes for her gnocchi. Once in a while I do it this way and it takes me back to childhood dinners. The main difference though, is the gnocchi is a little more gummy and starchy. These could be bad words when it comes to gnocchi for some people, but there is something nice about the texture and it has its place. I thought for this recipe the gummy starchy texture would help not only make it a little easier to make, but also help the gnocchi bun sausage not totally fall apart when you eat it.
If instant mashed potatoes were good enough for my grandmother, they are good enough for me! After you make the potatoes, mix in flour and egg.
I made the dough a little stiffer than I normally would to make sure it would hold together in gnocchi bun sausage form. I kept the sausage nearby so I always had a visual to help make the buns the right size.
Shaping the gnocchi buns
I had a dowel that was the right size to wrap the gnocchi bun around to fit the sausages later.
As I mentioned before, I squared off the bun a bit and tried to make it as thin as I could. I dropped this whole thing into the water.
I first tried to make the buns more of a thin sheet but they didn’t work. Once I squared it off and connected it on the top is when I started having success.
Toasting the Gnocchi Bun Sausages
After you cook all the gnocchi buns, put the sausages in and toast them up on all sides.
This was another advantage to making the gnocchi buns more square- it helped them sear nicely on all sides when the sausage was inside. At first I thought square buns would be weird but then I remembered split top buns are pretty square.
Serving the gnocchi bun sausages
After you sear the gnocchi bun sausage on the outside, then top with the toppings! Mine had pesto and caramelized onions! I also added a little mustard after I took the photo. You could add whatever you like on your sausages! If you need more details on properly caramelizing onions check out this resource.
They came out so good! Georgina said it was one of her favorite things I have ever made! The chewy gnocchi bun was so good to hold the tender sausages and the potato flavor goes so good with a spicy italian sausage!
The buns were nice and thin and the perfect size to match with the sausage. They still tasted like gnocchi and had a great chewy texture. The pesto and onions paired great with this sandwich!
Twists on this recipe
I mentioned I added mustard to this gnocchi bun sausage, and you could add any of your favorite sausage toppings. I also think they would be great with any sausages you wanted! Bratwurst would be great with a little sauerkraut on top. Hmm maybe I should make a spaetzle bun next.
If you want more sausage recipes, check out my sausage with cheesy spaetzle, or these sausage cheese and shishito skewers.
Gnocchi Bun Sausages
Equipment
Ingredients
Pesto
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1/4 cup grated parm
- 1/4 cup almonds
- 1 clove garlic
- salt and pepper
Gnocchi
- 1 1/2 cups potato flakes
- 1 1/4 cup hot water
- 1 egg
- 1 cup flour
Sausage
- 2 large onions sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 Italian sausages
Instructions
Pesto first
- Mix the pesto ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Make the "buns"
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil
- Mix the water and potato flakes in a bowl and stir until it becomes mashed potatoes. Season with salt. Stir in the egg and flour and mix to form the dough.
- Transfer dough to a work surface and knead for a minute or less until it comes together. Don’t over knead.
- Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Form them into logs and sprinkle with flour. Use a dowel that is a similar width as the sausages and wrap the dough around it, pushing it against the work surface on 4 sides to flatten and form it into a square. Make sure the top touches. Drop the whole thing into the boiling water and cook about 4 – 5 minutes. Remove from water and carefully remove the dough from the dowel. Put the bun on an oiled surface and repeat with the rest of the dough balls.
Cook the onions and sausages
- In a large frying pan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add in the onions and cook about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, and adjusting the heat as needed until deeply caramelized.
- Meanwhile, cook the sausages in a pan on medium heat with a little oil to brown and cook through.
Bring it all together
- Put the cooked sausages into the “buns” and sear them on all 4 sides in a hot nonstick pan with plenty of oil or butter.
- Remove from the pan, top with the onions and pesto, and serve.