Slow Cooker Gnocchi in Creamy Pork Sauce
I made this slow cooker gnocchi for Sunday dinner the week before Christmas and everyone absolutely raved about it. It was so incredibly easy to make and is the perfect cold-weather dinner now that winter seems to have finally arrived. A pork shoulder is simmered in crushed tomatoes and some simple seasonings; once it is so tender it’s falling apart, cream and gnocchi are stirred into the mixture. A sprinkling of grated cheese and some parsley, a loaf of crusty Italian bread, and dinner is served.
I saw the original recipe over on Bev Cooks and made a couple of adjustments…
I doubled her recipe, which I’ve reflected below, because we typically have at least five people for dinner on Sundays and we love to load up on leftovers for the week.
Secondly, her recipe called for diced tomatoes, but I much prefer a thicker, richer tomato sauce without big chunks of tomatoes, so I opted to use crushed tomatoes instead.
This turned out absolutely amazing and will be stashed away as an easy go-to slow cooker meal in my rotation.
Four years ago: Chicken Noodle Soup
Six years ago: Rugelach
Slow Cooker Gnocchi in Creamy Pork Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 to 5 pound (1.8 to 2.3 kg) bone-in pork shoulder
- 56 ounce (1.59 kg) canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ cup (119 g) heavy cream
- 2 pounds (907.18 g) dried gnocchi
Instructions
- Spray a 6-quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place the diced onion in the bottom of the slow cooker and top with the garlic. Place the pork shoulder on top of the onion and garlic. Pour one can of the crushed tomatoes over the pork and around the sides. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning all over and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the second can of crushed tomatoes over. Cover and cook on low for 11 hours.
- Remove the bone and the layer of fat on the pork and discard. Stir in the heavy cream and then stir in the gnocchi. Cover and cook for an additional 1 hour on low. Serve with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
Delicious! It been a family favorite for years. Â
We made this for dinner this evening. We had a ton of extra liquid (from the meat?) it was almost overflowing the slow-cooker crock. I poured it into a pan to reduce it before I added it back to the slow-cooker, which gave everything a really meaty flavor. And we couldn’t find dried gnocchi so we had to use frozen. But even with all the minor inconveniences this was totally worth it. Delicious!
This was wonderful and so easy to make!
I was wondering how large a serving size is. All nutritional information is there but there isnt any serving size reference.
Your recipe here, which sounds delicious, calls for a bone-in pork shoulder, but I already have a boneless Boston Butt pork roast on hand to prepare today. Can I use that instead and will it be tender enough? Are there any modifications that I will need to make? Thank you for your assistance :)
is there a way to adapt this for a pressure cooker??
Hi Shelley, I’m sure there is, but unfortunately I’m not at all knowledgeable about pressure cookers :(
Is it possible to translate this to be prepared stove top? (only my 2 quart crock pot is currently operational which seems too small)
Hi Charlotte, I don’t think you could make this effectively on the stovetop. If you couldn’t use a slow cooker, I would recommend a Dutch oven or other heavy covered pot in the oven at 300 or 325 for a number of hours until the pork is falling apart tender.
Are you able to freeze the leftovers or do you keep them in the fridge? Â If the latter, how long do they keep?
Hi Pegy, I’ve never tried to freeze this, just kept in the refrigerator (up to 4 days). If you need to freeze it, you may need to add more liquid when you thaw/reheat.
This was so good! I had some gnocchi and a pork roast in the freezer, and I’m super glad I did. It was really convenient to just let the pork go in the slow cooker all day and then add the gnocchi a few minutes before we were ready to eat. I’ll definitely be making this one again!
This looks amazing! I saw that someone asked about substituting half-and-half to make the dish a little healthier. I was thinking of perhaps using full-fat sour cream. That would keep the dish creamy; what do you think?
Hi Jodi, I think it would thicken up the dish more than heavy cream would; if you try it, let me know how it goes!
Hi Michelle,
I made this dish last night but for some reason it didn’t work….
It began really well, the meat smelt amazing every time I walked into the room and I was SO looking forward to eating it.
But it was the gnocchi that didn’t cook even though there were plenty of juices to cook it in.
It went on 2 hours and still it wasn’t cook.
I ended up putting it on the stove and cooking it there but it still wasn’t cooked enough in the end.
Can you tell me what could have gone wrong please?
Maroula
Hi Maroula, I’m so sorry this didn’t work for you. I can’t imagine why gnocchi wouldn’t have been cooked after 2 hours and then on the stove. I’d think they’d be beyond mushy at that point! It doesn’t sound like you did anything wrong.
Could I use half-n-half to cut some of the fat/calories for this recipe?
Hi Carrie, You can, but your sauce just might not be as thick.
A delicious recipe that I just made for Valentine’s supper in 2017. Thank you for sharing such a fantastic recipe. My husband loved it.
Looks amazing! Can’t wait to try.
Can you use a pork loin and it still work okay?
Hi Valerie, A pork loin is a much leaner cut of meat than the pork shoulder, so it may not end up as tender or flavorful.
I made this tonight and it was incredible! So easy and so delicious!
If I wanted to cook it on high instead of low would I just cut the cooling time in half?
Hi Syd, If you want to cook this on high, do 7 hours.
Hi Michelle,
I’ve had a quick look through the comments but haven’t found anything regarding the gnocchi and cooking time.
On the pack of the gnocchi it says cooks in 2 minutes…will they not be soggy if I’m putting them in, in the last hour of cooking?
Thanks Maroula :)
Hi Maroula, Did you purchase dried gnocchi per the recipe, or fresh? It sounds like fresh, and if so, yes, they might get soggy.
Hi Michelle,
It is from the dried pasta section so it is dried.
Will it still be soggy…as is says will be cooked in 2 minutes….or is that because normally it would be cooked in water.
Thanks again
If it’s indeed dried, then you should be fine.
Perfect. Thank you.
Can’t wait to make it :)
Hello
Im making this for Easter dinner…Im not big on “chunks” of tomatoes either..
Do you think tomato puree would work?
Thanks!
Hi Laura, The crushed tomatoes as instructed in the recipe will have no chunks of tomato!
Hey Michelle! I’m wondering how much to reduce the cook time if I’m using a boneless shoulder (small town and I couldn’t get one with the bone in). Thanks!
Hi Heather, I would cook it for the same amount of time, it won’t dry out with the sauce and will get super tender.
Looks like there are many others confused about the dried gnocchi. I live close to one of the largest Italian markets in the country, so when I inquired, I was told that this (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnocchi#/media/File:Barilla_gnocchi_03.jpg) is dried gnocchi. But yours looks like normal, fat, rounded gnocchi, not the flat pasta, correct? Do you mean shelf-stable gnocchi? Thanks. :)
Hi Julie, Yes, they are sold in the same aisle as the dried pasta, sort of in a shrink wrapped package. They are normal fat rounded gnocchi, but not in the refrigerated, fresh pasta section.
Before we ate, my husband said it smelled “hella good” and wanted to know if we could eat it in tacos…….I told him to hold on and try it as an “italian” dish. I added red pepper flakes and my husband really liked the slight after burn.
I made this yesterday for dinner and I have to give you the biggest thank you! I started it at 5am and then shredded the meat, added the cream and gnocchi at about 5:30 pm. We were able to eat at 6:30 pm. The best part is my picky 14 year old saw me adding the gnocchi and was disgusted! She muttered to me, can you at least make me some separately, without sauce! I convinced her to taste one bite. That’s all it took! She was hooked! Everyone went back for seconds! Thank you! This was amazing!
I accidentally got boneless pork butt. :-/ can I still use that?
Hi Jessica, Yes, it should!
Hi Michelle! Not sure if I have ever left a comment before, but I have been following/subscribed to your blog for a couple years now, and it (only with Annie’s Eats and Pink Parsley) are my go-to’s for food/baking inspiration! As soon as I saw this post for this dinner, I *KNEW* it would be one that I had to try. I made this last night for dinner for my family of five (including two teens and one pre-teen) and it was devoured by all!! My husband could not stop raving about it! Even my eldest daughter, who does not like gnocchi after having tasted it in Italy (of all places!), said she liked it and actually enjoyed the gnocchi this time! haha Anyways… just wanted to finally comment and say thank you for sharing yet another great recipe!
ps. Wishing Joseph a VERY happy (belated) first birthday! I have so enjoyed your posts regarding pregnancy, and his first year. I know you probably hear this time and time again, but seriously…. ENJOY your time with him, for it truly does pass in the blink of an eye… my kids are now 16 1/2, almost-15, and 11 1/2… and I often wonder where the time has gone!
Hi Makala, Thanks so much for the sweet comment. I’m so glad your family enjoyed the recipe!
Is it possible to cook this on high for a shorter period of time?
Hi Jenn, I’m sure you could, but I always find that large cuts of meat come out the best low and slow.
I can not wait to make this recipe. I want to cook my pork through the night like you did. I am wondering if you put the gnocchi and cream in as soon as the pork was ready and let it sit on warm until you were ready to eat or did you wait and add the gnocchi and cream an hour before you planned to eat? As always, thanks for all you do.
Tasty and easy. I forgot the cream and it was still good.
I’m making this recipe this weekend for the family. But, it can be pretty hard to find pork shoulder around here sometimes ? I have one, it’s just 9 pounds!! Would you just increase the cooking time??
Hi Meredith, You might need to!
I have everything to make this except the “dried” gnocchi. I do however have two bags of frozen ones. Do you think I could get away with using those?
Hi Jackie, I’ve never used frozen gnocchi so I’m not sure how quickly they cook and if they’re prone to getting mushy. You could use it but just keep an eye after you add them and turn the slow cooker off and serve if the gnocchi start to get too soft.
I made this last night and it was fabulous! Anyone wondering if it is as good as it looks….YES! I did go with a smaller roast – 3.5 pounds boneless. As Michelle said above, definitely do stick with shoulder/butt roast and not a pork loin. For this size I cooked 6 hours, then shredded, added the cream and the gnocchi and cooked on low for final hour. My company loved it so much they all asked to take leftovers home. Thank you so much for this delicious recipe!
Thank you for the tips!
Made this last night, it was a big hit!! So perfect for a cold night!
Hi Chelsea, So glad you enjoyed it! It’s definite winter comfort food!
I was wondering if a boneless pork loin would work , not tenderloin but the bigger loin pieces , loin has always cooked great in the crockpot
Hi Gayle, I typically don’t use loin because it’s super lean and I like the fattier shoulder/butt cuts, but if you like it, then by all means go for it!
Definitely I’ll be making this delicious dish soon! Reminds me of an entree I enjoyed 2 years ago & have never forgotten. A question regarding the dried gnocchi- is it packaged in cryovac in the pasta aisle? It’s not a “hard” pasta?
Thanks,
JG
Hi JG, Yes, you are correct – it’s sort of shrink wrapped in the pasta aisle, but it’s not “hard” pasta.
This looks amazing!! I may just have to include it on the menu for my Super Bowl party!!!
So got all the ingredients except the dried gnocchi, so I bought the pasta shell-like gnocchi. Woke up at 05H00 am and put it in my slow cooker as per the recipe. Came to work while it’s doing the “thing”. In the mean time I will make a few phone calls to find out where to buy the dried gnocchi for the last step of the recipe. So good luck to me!
Hi Michelle,
This recipe looks absolutely amazing and will try it out today. Will buy the ingredients after work. Got myself a slow cooker for Christmas and have not tried it out yet. The dried gnocchi; are they almost like pasta shells?
No, not quite – they look like regular gnocchi but are in a vacuum-sealed package.
oh my goodness this looks sensational.
I had no idea they sell dried gnocchi.. will get on it.
I’ve never combined gnocchi and pork together. What a yummy sounding combo!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
If I cut the recipe in half, do I let it cook for a shorter amount of time since I’m using only a smaller cut of pork? How much time would you suggest?
Hi Linda, I don’t think so, I would cook it the full time.
Wow! Gnocchi is a personal favorite and it looks like there is so much depth of flavor in this recipe! Cannot wait to give it a try.
Finally it’s cold in Pittsburgh, and this looks so delicious, like the perfect dish to hit the “comfort food spot”. I’m definitely thinking this is a must-try recipe. Thanks for posting/sharing it. Hope you’re enjoying the little bit of snow and cold we finally have :)
Question about the gnocchi, after cooking for an hour, how would you rate its al dente-ness? Is it more mushy than to the tooth? Thanks.
This recipe looks delicious!
Hi Molly, Not mushy at all! The key is to use the dried gnocchi, not fresh. I think fresh gnocchi would get way too mushy.
Thanks Michelle! Appreciate the info.
Due to the 12 hour cooking time, did you make this the day before or do you just plan for a late dinner? How do you reheat leftovers? I am thinking this looks great for the playoff game on Saturday!
Hi Carrie, I started the pork before bed and let it cook through the night, then finished it in the morning and let it sit on warm until we were ready to eat! Leftovers we just heated up in the microwave.
When cooking the pork through the night, do you add the gnocchi and cream as soon as the pork is done and then let it sit on warm until it’s time to eat or do you wait and add the gnocchi and cream an hour before eating?
Thank you.
Hi Marla, I let the pork sit on warm (my crock pot has a timer, so once the cooking time is done it automatically switches to warm), then I add the gnocchi and cream an hour before eating.
Great recipe!! I’ve already pinned and planned on making it once we get back north. Now, I have never heard of “dried gnocchi”. Do you mean the packaged ones we see in the store? I imagine our homemade gnocchi might be too tender?
My question is the same as two others I see posted…not sure what “dried gnocchi” is– I was think perhaps using store bought frozen ( we have a great Italian deli/grocery store here) and not thawing to keep it al dente as another person asked – to me, nothing worse than over cooked pasta. This recipe looks amazing – cannot wait to try it!
Hi Marisa (and Laura), Yes, dried gnocchi would be the packaged ones you buy in the pasta aisle at the grocery store. Not fresh or refrigerated – they will get too mushy.
I think the “dried” confusion is coming from what dried gnocchi actually looks like because in the pasta section when you see dried pasta it is very hard. But the dried gnocchi still has a soft appearance to it and the packaging says that it cooks in 2 to 3 minutes. It almost looks as if it is not dried enough to be dry pasta. At least I hope I am right because I have this in the crock pot for tonight’s dinner and I have my “dried” gnocchi sitting on the counter waiting to be added after work. Thanks for the recipe – can’t wait to try it.
Hi Kelly, You are 100% correct!
Thank you for posting a slow-cooker recipe, thats one thing I was wanting to see more of this new year, didn’t have to wait long!!
I know the recipe is for pork but could I use beef instead, I’m not a massive pork fan and have a beef roasting joint that I need to use up, thank you
Obviously I’m not Michelle, but I have to paraphrase a comment I read at another site. When it comes to cooking, you can do anything you want. Recipes are guides; they’re not written in stone.
Hi Faye, Yes, I’m sure beef would be delicious too!
This looks delicious. I’m with you on preferring a smoother sauce. This must be the gnocchi time of year, because this is the third recipe I’ve pinned in two days!