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Cast Iron Gnocchi Pizza Bake

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Upgrade your next pizza night with this bubbling, deeply comforting cast iron gnocchi pizza bake. This recipe combines pillow-soft potato gnocchi in a savory homemade pasta sauce, then layers it with flavorful chicken sausage, melted mozzarella, and crisp turkey pepperoni. Baking everything directly in a cast-iron skillet creates those perfect, crispy caramelized edges that make every single bit completely irresistible. It is a lighter, high-protein twist on a classic comfort food favorite!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 541

Ingredients
  

Day-of Prep

Equipment

  • 1 large cast iron

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 350℉.
  2. Bring the homemade pasta sauce to a gentle boil on the stovetop, then lower the heat to keep it warm.
    3 cup homemade pasta sauce (See notes 1)
  3. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Gently drop the homemade gnocchi into the water. As soon as they float to the surface, use a slotted spoon to lift them out and transfer them directly into a large cast-iron skillet
    1 batch Italian Style Potato Gnocchi (see notes 3)
  4. Scoop approximately 3 cups of the warm pasta sauce over the gnocchi in the skillet, ensuring they are evenly covered. Sprinkle 1½cup of mozzarella cheese over the top of the sauce and gnocchi mixture.
    1 1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
  5. Breakdown 3 chicken patties into bite-sized pieces and spread them over one half of the cast-iron skillet. Arrange 2 ounces of turkey pepperoni across the remaining half of the skillet.
    3 homemade chicken sausage patties (see notes 2), 2 ounce turkey pepperoni
  6. Top the entire skillet with ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese and garnish with fresh basil leaves.
    1/2 cup grated parmesan, Fresh Basil
  7. Place the cast-iron skillet in the preheated oven. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cheeses is completely melted, golden brown, and bubbling around the edges.

Notes

  1. If homemade pasta sauce is unavailable, it can be easily substituted with 3 cups of your favorite store-bought premium marinara or pasta sauce.
  2. To save time, substitute the homemade chicken patties with pre-made chicken or pork sausage patties from your grocery store's meat department. Ensure they are completely cooked through before adding them to the skillet.
  3. While store-bought gnocchi can be used in a pinch, making your own from scratch is highly recommended. Nothing replicates the light, pillow-soft texture of freshly made pasta in this baked dish.

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