Simple Pulled Pork Gnocchi

This Pulled Pork Gnocchi features tender pulled pork and potato gnocchi in a butter sauce with sage and pine nuts.

» You might also like Pulled Pork Stuffed Sweet Potato.

Potato Gnocchi is one of my favorite dishes and when I learned how easy it was to make at home, I started making it in all different ways, including this recipe. 

Gnocchi is potato dumplings, so it makes sense that it would pair so well with pulled pork. The two together make this a substantial meal that is an exciting way to dress up gnocchi.

Also featured in this dish is crispy sage leaves, toasted pine nuts, and finely grated Parmesan cheese.

I am not kidding when I say that all of these ingredients together make a really addicting dish. When you eat the last bite, you’ll already be wishing you had seconds.

Gnocchi goes well with so many flavors! Try this creamy and delicious gnocchi carbonara, tomato and mozzarella baked gnocchi and easy homemade beet gnocchi.

What You’ll Need

• Pulled Pork – Pork shoulder or pork butt cooked until fall apart tender. Crisp up in a pan for a little extra crunch and flavor
• Gnocchi – Store bought or homemade gnocchi.
• Butter – Salted or unsalted is fine, whatever you have on hand.
• Pine nuts – These are the edible seeds of a pine. They can be expensive but well worth it for the flavor and crunch they add to the dish.
• Sage leaves – They add a wonderful flavor to the dish. They get a crunchy texture from toasting them in the pan with the pin nuts.
• Salt and pepper – Season to taste
• Parmesan cheese – Parmesan cheese is a type of Italian cheese that has a hard texture. It usually comes in blocks. Parmesan cheese has a nutty yet fruity flavor and is very refreshing.

How to Make Pulled Pork Gnocchi

There are a few steps to making this dish, including making the pulled pork and making the gnocchi, then putting it all together.

You can purchase both of these ingredients already made, which will cut down dramatically on the time it takes to make this recipe. Or you can make them yourself. I go back and forth on the gnocchi, but I always make the pulled pork myself.

Below are instructions for both.

Step 1: Making the Pulled Pork

To make the pulled pork, follow this recipe, which can be made on the stove top or in the Instant Pot. The slower option is stove top and takes around 4 hours to cook.

Once it’s done, you can shred the pork and use it for this pulled pork gnocchi. I also like to crisp the pork in the pan before adding it to the dish. It gives it a little extra crunch and flavor.

To do this, just get a large pan – big enough so the meat can be spread out and not piled up; that’s what allows it to get crispy. Add some cooking oil (I use olive oil) to the pan and get it very hot. Then add the pork and don’t touch it for 2-3 minutes.

Once a crust is formed, you can flip over the meat and crisp again on the other side.

Step 2: Make the Gnocchi

You can use store-bought gnocchi for this dish. There are many brands of gnocchi you can purchase that are very good. However, I’ve had a few not so good ones too, so you might have to try a few brands before you find one that is light and fluffy, the way it should be.

OR you can learn to make gnocchi at home! It’s not difficult, but it’s not a super fast process, either.

If you’ve decided to make your own, hop over to this post where we show you how to make it. It’ll take a few hours, since you have to boil the potatoes and then roll out the gnocchi. 

Step 3: Cook the Gnocchi

Whether you’re using store bought or homemade gnocchi, it has to be boiled first. Cook it in a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes, until it floats to the top. Don’t over do it, or they’ll fall apart in the water.

As soon as they float, remove them from the water and toss the gnocchi with butter in a pan for about 3-5 minutes.

Remove the gnocchi to a plate.

Add the pine nuts and sage to the pan in order to toast the pine nuts and crisp up the sage.

As those are cooking, top the gnocchi with the pulled pork on the plate. When the sage is crispy, add that and the pine nuts over the top of the pork. Grate fresh Parmesan cheese over the whole dish. Add a little bit of salt. And serve.

I like to serve this dish for lunch or dinner. It’s substantial enough for a main dish. You might want to be sure you make extra, because it’s really good and you’ll definitely want more the next day.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to cook pork shoulder so that it shreds well?

If you’re cooking pork shoulder on the stove top, it can take about 3-4 hours to tenderize and fall apart enough to shred it. That’s why we use the Instant Pot to make pork shoulder, because it becomes super shredable in just 45 minutes under pressure.

How hard is it to make homemade gnocchi?

It’s not difficult, but it’s not a super fast process. It takes a few hours, since you have to boil the potatoes and then roll out the gnocchi. 

You can use store-bought gnocchi for this dish. There are many brands of gnocchi you can purchase that are very good. However, I’ve had a few not so good ones too, so you might have to try a few brands before you find one that is light and fluffy, the way it should be.

Can you freeze gnocchi?

Yes. The best way to do this is to lightly flour each piece, then place them (without touching) on a plate and put them in the freezer for 20 minutes to firm them up.  Make sure you remove the the plate within 20 minutes. If you leave them much longer, they get frozen to the plate and are very hard to get off.

You can then transfer them to a freezer bag without having them stick together. The gnocchi will keep for a few months in the freezer and longer if you’ve packaged them well so they don’t get freezer burned.

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Pulled Pork Gnocchi

This dish includes pulled pork, potato gnocchi, sage, pine nuts and Parmesan cheese.

4.87 from 15 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Pork, Potatoes

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 417kcal

Author: Laura

Ingredients

• 4 ounces pulled pork
• 8 ounces gnocchi homemade or store bought
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 6 fresh sage leaves chopped
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

• Cook the gnocchi in a pot of salted water on a low boil for 3-5 minutes, or until they float to the top. Remove them with a slotted spoon.
• In a pan over medium-high heat, crispy the pulled pork, then transfer it to serving bowls. Melt the butter in the pan. Add the cooked gnocchi to the pan and toss to coat. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the gnocchi to the serving bowls.
• In the same pan, toast the pine nuts and sage in the remaining butter. Cook until the sage is crispy, about 4 minutes.
• Sprinkle the crispy sage and pine nuts over the top of the pulled pork and gnocchi. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the whole dish.

Notes

The amount of time we calculated to make this dish is dependent on using pre-made pulled pork and gnocchi. If you choose to make your own, the time will increase accordingly.

Nutrition

Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 813mg | Potassium: 60mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 262IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 5mg

Other Potato Main Dish Recipes To Try

• Creamy Chicken & Potato Pasta
• Loaded Baked Potato Casserole
• Rich & Delicious Instant Pot Stew
• Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup
• Pulled Pork Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• Creamy & Delicious Gnocchi Carbonara

Click for Even More Potato Main Dish Recipes

• 23 Delicious Potato Main Dish Recipes

🥧 If you’re interested in more great recipes, I share all my favorite Instant Pot recipes over at A Pressure Cooker Kitchen, air fryer recipes at Air Fry Anytime, and cocktails and drinks at Savored Sips. Check it out today!

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Laura

Laura is a home cook who loves making new recipes and finding new favorite things to eat, whether at home or abroad. She also runs a popular travel blog and spends a lot of her time traveling for food.