Slow Cooker Sausage & Gnocchi Pizza Casserole
Slow Cooker Sausage & Gnocchi Pizza Casserole – with tender gnocchi, Italian sausage, marinara, and mozzarella, it’s a saucy, cheesy, crowd-pleaser! Customize it with your favorite pizza toppings!
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Slow Cooker Sausage & Gnocchi Pizza Casserole is the easiest, most delicious, one-pot meal!
It’s made with tender gnocchi and chunks of Italian sausage in a cheesy, saucy, pizza-like casserole. Top with your favorite pizza toppings like pepperoni, olives, or onion, for the perfect finishing touch!
This cheesy dish takes everything you love about pizza – marinara, gooey cheese, and delicious toppings, and turns it into the ultimate cozy casserole with gnocchi!
Slow Cooker Sausage & Peppers is another great Italian slow cooker recipe!
Ingredients needed (scroll down to recipe card for complete recipe):
- Gnocchi
- Marinara sauce
- Italian sausages
- Shredded mozzarella
- Optional toppings – pepperoni, black olives, onion, etc.
- Optional seasonings – dried oregano, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes
📍The full recipe with exact ingredient amounts and instructions is on the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
If gnocchi is your love language, Italian Meatball Gnocchi Soup and Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup should be next on your dinner menu!
How to serve this casserole
This pizza casserole is delicious right out of the warm slow cooker!
We like to add dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese to the top for the perfect pizza-like finish!
Some delicious side dishes for this casserole are:
- Calabrian Chili Garlic Bread
- Green salad/Caesar salad
- Slow Cooker Herbed Focaccia Bread
- Roasted broccoli or green beans
💡Tips & Tricks
- Substitutes: Instead of Italian sausage, you could add 16-ounces of frozen meatballs.
- Gnocchi: I recipe tested this with the shelf-stable gnocchi that you find in the pasta aisle of the grocery store. There’s no need to cook it first.
- Sausage: Mild or hot Italian sausage links work great. I’m sure plant-based sausage would work well too, but I haven’t tested it.
- Toppings: To ensure the cheese doesn’t get soggy, be sure to add toppings that won’t release liquid. Olives, onion, pepperoni, fresh garlic, ham, sliced banana peppers or jalapeno rings are great options.
Looking for more slow cooker recipes? Here are some favorites:
- Slow Cooker Jalapeno Popper Chicken
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks
- Slow Cooker Japanese Chicken Curry
- Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Cornbread Casserole
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Slow Cooker Sausage & Gnocchi Pizza Casserole
Equipment
- 5 quart slow cooker
Ingredients
- 16 ounces gnocchi
- 4-5 cups marinara sauce see notes below
- 1 pound Italian sausages cut into bite-size pieces
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella (2 cups) see notes below
- optional toppings pepperoni, olives, onion, jalapeno, etc. (see notes below)
- garlic powder to taste
- dried oregano to taste
- crushed red pepper flakes to taste
- grated Parmesan cheese to taste
Instructions
- Add the gnocchi to the slow cooker and break up any that are stuck together. Add the Italian sausage and then pour the marinara sauce over everything. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 3-4 hours.
- Stir the ingredients in the slow cooker, then distribute the mozzarella cheese evenly over everything. Place toppings on cheese, then sprinkle on the garlic powder, dried oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Return the lid and cook until cheese is melted, about 15-20 minutes. Garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy! *If your pepperoni is greasy, you may need to dab the grease off the top with paper towels.
Notes
- 5 cups of marinara is pretty sauce. Use 4 cups to make it less saucy. Marinara from the store is usually sold in 24-ounce jars, which is only 3 cups.
- I have made this with shredded mozzarella and I’ve made it with a combo of sliced fresh mozzarella and shredded mozzarella. Both are great!
- To prevent the cheese from getting watery, use toppings that won’t release liquid as they cook: olives, onion, banana peppers, jalapenos, fresh garlic, ham, cooked bacon, and pepperoni are great choices.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
The whole family loves this one! Bonus, it couldn’t be easier to make!