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Nothing compares to Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Meatballs with Gnocchi. You can also make them in a skillet, either way they are the epitome of comfort food to love. My family loves this dish on a cold night and yours will too.
Why Make Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Meatballs & Gnocchi
This meal is insanely delicious. Full of comfort flavors and texture. You will just love the cozy creaminess it provides. My husband asks for this one often, it’s a favorite.
- Meal Prep Friendly. It reheats quickly and keeps well.
- Versatile. Make it in the slow cooker or speed things up and make it all in one skillet. Both ways are great.
- Crowd Pleaser. Everyone LOVES this meal.
Ingredient Notes
All other ingredients and measurements can be found in the recipe card towards the bottom of this post.
- Ground Chicken. You can also use ground turkey.
- Breadcrumbs. This is to hold the meatballs together. Panko will also work.
- Seasonings. Dried Italian seasoning blend, garlic powder, salt, pepper, paprika.
- Soy sauce. This add a ton of flavor to the meatballs. You can use tamari as well or skip if you want.
- Sun-dried Tomatoes. Use the ones packed in oil. This oil adds extra flavor to the dish and the meatballs are cooked in that oil. Plus, the tomatoes are softer and melt into the sauce more.
- Onions & Garlic.
- Gnocchi. Use the dried shelf-stable gnocchi that you can find in the pasta aisle in most major grocery stores.
- Wine. Use any white wine that you like to drink. If you don’t consume alcohol, you can replace it with extra broth.
- Broth. Low sodium chicken broth works best.
- Heavy Whipping Cream. This adds a luxurious texture and flavor.
- Spinach. I like to use fresh baby spinach, but if you only have frozen chopped spinach, that will work, too.
- Parmesan. Use any style you’d like it will all melt great.
Recipe Variations
- Replace the ground chicken with ground turkey or sausage.
- Add red pepper flakes for a little spice (I always do for garnish).
- Add extra veggies by cooking some chopped bell pepper or zucchini with your onions.
- If you can’t find gnocchi nearby (in the pasta aisle) you can add cooked pasta instead.
Steps To Make This Recipe
- Step One. In a large bowl, mix up the meatballs well using a spoon or hands. Form 1 inch meatballs with hands and place them on a plate.
- Step Two. Add sun-dried tomato oil to a skillet, on medium heat. Add the meatballs to the skillet and brown them on both sides for about 3-4 minutes on each side until they have a nice golden color.
- Step Three. If making in the slow cooker: Add the browned meatballs into the slow cooker. Add in chopped onions, garlic, wine, broth Set the slow cooker on high and cook for about 2.5 hours. After this, add in the gnocchi, sun-dried tomatoes, cream and spinach. Cook for another 15-20 minutes. Mix in parmesan cheese and serve. Garnish with extra parmesan if desired!
- Step Four. If making in the skillet: Once meatballs are browned, add onions to the pan, continue to cook with meatballs for another 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and wine. Let it simmer for 2 minutes on medium heat. Pour the broth in, add the gnocchi and simmer for another 10-15 minutes to let the meatballs finish cooking, be sure to turn them often.
- Step Five. If making in the skillet continued: Add spinach in, pour in the cream and sun dried tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and add in the parmesan. Serve while warm and garnish with extra parmesan if desired.
Recipe Pairings
This is a knockout meal that’s full of flavor and boy is it filling and cozy. But I love to pair it with a nice Kale Crunch Salad. Crispy Zucchini Fries also pair well for dipping and a veggies side dish!
Recipe Tips
- This dish can be cooked in the slow cooker or on the stovetop. Both instructions are given in the recipe card. Both are great but I lean into the skillet most often as it cooks up quick.
- Don’t overcook the meatballs! They will continue to cook in the broth and sauce, that being said I always recommend using a digital thermometer to be sure they are cooked through.
- Make it a little healthier. Use 2% milk to cut some fat if needed. It won’t be as luxurious but will still have great flavor.
Recipe FAQs
I can’t find gnocchi, what else can I use?
Use al dente cooked pasta in place of the gnocchi if you desire, the sauce won’t be as thick but still delicious! You can also serve this dish over rice.
Can this be made dairy free?
Absolutely. Use dairy free creamer and dairy free parmesan. You can skip the parmesan if desired but the sauce may not be as thick.
Other favorite Comfort Meals
Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Meatballs with Gnocchi
Nothing compares to Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Meatballs with Gnocchi. You can also make them in a skillet, they are the epitome of comfort.
Equipment
- 6qt slow cooker
- deep sided skillet
Ingredients
Chicken Meatballs
- 1 lb ground chicken, *see notes
- ⅓ cup breadcrumbs
- 2 ts p soy sauce , or tamari
- 1½ tsp dried Italian seasoning blend
- 1½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp sun dried tomato oil , for cooking the meatballs
Tuscan Sauce & Gnocchi
- ¼ cup yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup white wine , *optional for flavor, skip if needed!
- 2 cups chicken broth, low sodium
- 1 lb dried gnocchi , *17.5 oz "shelf stable"
- ⅓ cup sun dried tomatoes in oil, chopped , *more for topping if desired
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ½ tsp salt & pepper , more salt to taste if needed
- 3 cup baby spinach, ripped
- ¼ cup parmesan, more as needed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix up the meatballs well using a spoon or hands. Form 1 inch meatballs with hands and place them on a plate.
- Add sun-dried tomato oil to a skillet, on medium heat. Add the meatballs to the skillet and brown them on both sides for about 3-4 minutes on each side until they have a nice golden color.
- Add the browned meatballs into the slow cooker. Add in chopped onions, garlic, wine, broth Set the slow cooker on high and cook for about 2.5 hours. Next, add in the gnocchi, sun-dried tomatoes, cream and spinach. Cook for another 20 minutes. Mix in parmesan cheese and serve. Garnish with extra parmesan if desired!
- If making in the skillet: Once meatballs are browned, add onions to the pan, continue to cook with meatballs for another 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and wine. Let it simmer for 2 minutes on medium heat. Pour the broth in, add the gnocchi and simmer for another 10-15 minutes to let the meatballs finish cooking, be sure to turn them often.
- If making in the skillet continued: Add spinach in, pour in the cream and sun dried tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and add in the parmesan. Serve while warm and garnish with extra parmesan if desired.
Notes
- This dish can be cooked in the slow cooker or on the stovetop. Both instructions are given in the recipe card. Both are great but I lean into the skillet most often as it cooks up quick.
- Make your own ground chicken. It’s much more affordable to place 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breasts into a food processor and grind it up that way. If you do it this way, you can add all the meatball Ingredients into the food processor once it’s ground and mix it in.
- Don’t overcook the meatballs! They will continue to cook in the broth and sauce, that being said I always recommend using a digital thermometer to be sure they are cooked through.
- Make it a little healthier. Use 2% milk to cut some fat if needed. It won’t be as luxurious but will still have great flavor.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5 cup | Calories: 572kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 165mg | Sodium: 1252mg | Potassium: 1130mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2719IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 186mg | Iron: 7mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Leave a comment below!
Delish can’t wait to share this with friends
A huge crowd pleaser!
This was so good and easy! I actually used the precooked chicken meatballs from Trader Joe’s and turned out great!
Hi Kristen, I am thrilled to hear this and so happy you found a super easy work around – I need to try this! xoxo