• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Wine Lover's Kitchen
  • About
  • Summer
  • Recipes
  • Wine
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Summer
  • Recipes
  • Wine
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Summer
    • Recipes
    • Wine
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Pasta

    Malloreddus alla Campidanese (Sardinian Gnochetti)

    Published: May 5, 2022 by Carolyn Hetke · This post may contain affiliate links,

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    The traditional Malloreddus Sauce is a delicious bright tomato ragù with fennel and saffron notes.

    I cheated and served it over traditional potato gnocchi for a quick meal. Okay - full disclosure-my malloreddus didn't turn out... see my tale of woe below!

    I was researching Italian regional recipes and wine pairings and malloreddus definitely came up as a very traditional dish.

    The ragù typically has fennel sausage, fennel seeds and another hint of saffron. I can't tell you how bright and flavourful this sauce is! It was the real surpise hit of the dish.

    As for the malloreddus... full disclosure - mine didn't turn out but it may have been a happy mistake! I substituted store bought potato gnocchi, tossed in a mixture of olive oil and butter and then topped with the sauce.

    Delicious - and way easier than home made pasta!

    Here is a traditional malloreddus recipe from Great Italian Chefs in case you want to give it at try. I have successfully made pasta in the past so I didn't have any qualms about trying the malloreddus but mine took forever to cook - like 25 minutes before they even thought about floating... and they were dense, little pasta nuggets. The instructions do talk about the dough being very dry....

    So... back to using a store bought gnocchi - just follow the package instructions. I chose to melt a Tablespoon of butter and mix it with a tablespoon olive oil and tossed the gnocchi in it before topping them with the sauce and fresh grated cheese.

    Easy and a keeper!

    Wine Pairing for Malloreddus Campidanese

    I prepared this as part of researching Sardinian cuisine so I wanted to stay true to Sardinia in the wine pairing. For a red look for Sardinian Cannonau, which is actually the Grenache grape. The Sardinian version tends to be low in acid, high in alcohol and big on dark fruit flavour. This is the signature red of Sardinia. Failing finding a Cannnonau I would look for a Barbera d'Asti or a French or Spanish Grenache. A Rhone GSM blend would also work.

    On the white spectrum Vermentino is the best known white wine of Sardinia. It is typically a light bodied bright wine with good acidity, green apple, citrus and ripe pear notes. Another non-Sardinian choice would be a Soave or a Sauvignon Blanc.

    Bowl of malloreddus pasta topped with Italian fennel sausage and saffron ragu.

    Malloreddus Campidanese (Sardinian Gnochetti)

    Saffron kissed, gnocci-like pasta topped with a fennel sausage, saffron sauce.
    Author: Carolyn Hetke

    If you tried this, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know it went in the 📝 comments below!

    5 from 1 vote
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    SaveSaved!
    Print Pin Facebook Text
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time: 14 minutes mins
    Total Time: 1 hour hr 34 minutes mins
    Servings: 4 servings

    Ingredients

    Malloreddus or Gnocchi

    • 1 recipe Great Italian Chef malloreddus or
    • 1 pkg gnocchi
    • 1 tablespoon butter melted
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil

    Ragu

    • 5 mL olive oil 1 tsp
    • 340 grams Italian fennel sausage, casing removed ¾ pound
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 5-10 mL crushed fennel seeds 1-2 tsp
    • 800 grams canned tomatoes (or fresh, peeled & chopped) 28 oz
    • 60 grams sun dried tomatoes, minced ½ cup
    • 15 mL tomato paste 1 Tbsp
    • 5 mL fine sea salt 1 tsp
    • 5 mL saffron dissolved in 30 mL (2Tbsp) warm water 1 teaspoon
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 6 fresh basil leaves cut in strips
    • 60 grams grated Pecorino cheese ½ cup

    Instructions

    Gnocchi

    • Prepare gnocchi according to package instruction. Be sure to cook a couple of minutes more after they have all come to a float.
    • When done, drain and toss in butter/olive oil mixture.

    Ragu

    • Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet. Crumble the sausage and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes until cooked but not browned. Transfer sausage to a bowl and set aside.
    • Discard all but 1 teaspoon of the fat left in the skillet. Add the garlic and fennel seeds and cook 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, sun-dried toamatoes, tomato paste, salt, saffron, bay leaf and basil leaves. Return the sausage to the pot and simmer over medum-low heat, covered about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Uncover and cook 5 minutes more.

    Assembly

    • Remove the bay leaf from the sauce. Transfer the gnocchi to a large bowl, add the sauce and toss to combine.
    • Top with fresh grated cheese and serve.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 841kcal | Carbohydrates: 100g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 1603mg | Potassium: 1608mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 723IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 301mg | Iron: 10mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @thewineloverski or tag #thewineloverski!

    Reader Interactions

    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi! I am Carolyn - the Wine Lover in the Wine Lover's Kitchen! I absolutely love having friends and family around my table with great food and wine to enjoy. If you want great recipes and wine recommendations you have come to the right place!

    Learn more about me →

    Summer Recipes

    • Potato salad in a bowl.
      Potato Salad With Celery and Cucumber
    • Beet, heirloom tomato and burrata wedges on a plate.
      Viking Cruise Recipe: Beet and Burrata Salad
    • A bowl of cold, creamy, almond soup with toasted almond and green grape garnish.
      Chilled Spanish Garlic Soup (Sopa de Ajo)
    • A bowl of cold cherry soup.
      Cherry Soup with Cinnamon Croutons

    Popular Recipes

    • Close up of creamy Cafe de Paris sauce.
      Café de Paris Sauce - The Original 'Secret Sauce'
    • Puffy, crispy flour tortilla flavoured with olive oil and chili, lime seasoning.
      Air Fryer Tortillas
    • Golden brown spinach feta scones on a plate.
      Savoury Spinach and Feta Scones
    • Piece of Italian crumb cake with pistachio cream filling, topped with crushed pistachios and icing sugar.
      Pistachio Cream Crumb Cake
    • Medium rare beef tenderloin sliced on a platter.
      Air Fryer Beef Tenderloin
    • Baked sweetened condensed milk buns piled in a basket.
      Bread Machine Sweetened Condensed Milk Dinner Rolls

    Footer

    ↑ Back to top

    Home

    Recipes Wine

    About

    • Privacy Policy & Disclaimer
    • Accessibility Policy
    • About

    Newsletter

    Tired of wandering around looking at wine labels? Get recipes and my Best Buy wine picks every two weeks!

    • Sign Up!

    Contact

    • Contact

    Follow me on:

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • X -Former Twitter

    Copyright © 2025 The Wine Lover's Kitchen

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.