Gnocchi and Sausage in Herb Butter Sauce

     I do enjoy a simple and easy recipe. Especially when it's one I came up with myself. We happened to have a huge surplus of packaged gnocchi and I felt like making a new sauce. This sauce could not be any more simple. Just a few ingredients and a few minutes and you've got a hearty meal! I will suggest maybe doubling up on the pasta measurement. The gnocchi was buried in sausage and sauce. This may not be a bad thing for many people, but if a high sauce to pasta ratio isn't your thing, do two pounds of gnocchi (or other pasta) for this recipe. Give it a try and see what you think! As always, don't tell me if it sucks and notes are in blue!

Gnocchi and Sausage in Herb Butter Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 pound gnocchi (I used a pumpkin-potato gnocchi, but you can use what you want. You could probably get away with just about any pasta you want)
• 1/2 large sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage (I used uncased sausage. Feel free to use the links and cut them in to about 1/2" discs)
• 4 ounces (1 stick) butter, cut into cubes
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon Bavarian Seasoning from the Spice House (if you don't have access to this, it's a mix of brown mustard seed, rosemary thyme, garlic, sage and bay leaf)
• Optional: 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Put onion and sausage in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Brown sausage and drain excess oil. 
2. Add butter and herbs. Lower heat to medium and stir until butter is melted.
3. Cook gnocchi (or pasta of choice) according to directions. Drain and set aside.
4. Add cheese to sausage and butter mix. Stir until cheese is incorporated. 
5. Add gnocchi to sauce and toss until gnocchi are covered in sauce and sausage is distributed.

Good times!