Gnocchi with Italian Sausage and Tomato Sauce

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound sweet or mild Italian sausage
1 28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
1/4 large yellow onion, chopped
1/4 green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 large mushrooms, halved and sliced
1 cup chicken or beef stock or half red wine and half stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste (from tube)
1 tablespoon anchovy paste (from tube)
dried basil
dried oregano
salt to taste
ground pepper to taste
1 pound potato gnocchi (Delallo or frozen brand)

I sometimes add chopped fresh spinach leaves to the meat.

Add 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil to pan and heat over medium heat. Add ground Italian sausage and cook, breaking up pieces, until browned and cooked through. Drain and remove.

Heat another 1 to tablespoons olive oil to new pan and heat over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook until softened. Add mushrooms and cook until lightly browned. Add garlic and cook and stir about 30 to 60 seconds until fragrant but not browning. Add tomato paste and anchovy paste and stir until well combined.

Add crushed tomatoes to pan along with stock and/or combination of stock and red wine. Add basil, oregano, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Let the sauce simmer 30 to 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water until they float to the top (about 3 to 4 minutes). Remove from water and toss with a small amount of olive oil.

When sauce has simmered, add cooked sausage and gnocchi and heat everything through.

Top individual servings with freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley.

Serving Size: Makes 6 servings

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user EILEENNP.