This is a family recipe date. Every year during October my grandpa harvests the first pumpkin and we open the season with these gnocchi with sage and butter. This is by far one of my favorite fall recipes. Probably THE favorite one, since I was little. I really love everything about this pumpkin gnocchi and is not just because they are floating in butter, I guess that helps, but it’s not only that. The full combination of butter and sage mixed with the sweetness of the pumpkin, it’s just divine. Ah I almost forgot, we always sprinkle some smoked ricotta for a more traditional mountain flavor.

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Butter and Sage Ingredients

Pumpkin: you can use butternut squash for this recipe or the green kabocha pumpkin type. The protagonist here is the pumpkin, which needs to be ripe and ready to be harvested. I recommend , if possible, to order it from your trusted farmer place or organic grocery shop. There is nothing more disappointed than make all this effort and then bite a flavorless gnocchi.
Flour: use all-purpose flour.
Eggs: a must ingredient for this gnocchi with butternut squash, it will help you blend the squash with the flour.
Salt & Nutmeg: I recommend you add enough salt to the batter, even though you will cook the gnocchi in salted water. I really like nutmeg, especially during the winter. I could really add it everywhere, but if you don’t like it is not a must.
Butter and Smoked Ricotta: The more the merrier in my opinion. If you cannot find smoked ricotta you can sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
Fresh Sage: indispensable for this recipe.

This gnocchi aren’t prepared like the potatoes gnocchi when you roll the dough into stripes and then cut it into small pillows. In this case the round gnocchi shape is made by using 2 spoons, 1 to scoop the batter and the other to splash the gnocchi inside the boiling water.

Very important in this recipe is to understand if your batter has the right consistency to make the perfect gnocchi. How do you understand that? As my grandma says: you make the test. You splash 1 or 2 gnocchi into the water and once they are floating (which is already a good sign) they are ready. Now the test: eat them! How do they taste? I know they are amazing, but how is the texture? If they are too soft, melting in the mouth, you need to add more flour, and do the test again. They need to be soft but also have a firm consistency.

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Butter and Sage

Recipe by GiadaCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hour

Ingredients

500g Pumpkin, peeled and chopped
500g All-Purpous flour
2 Eggs
Salt & Nutmeg a pinch
3 spoons of oil for the water where you boil the gnocchi
200g Butter
Sage 10-15 leaves

Directions

Cook the Pumpkin. In a large pot steam the chopped pumpkin for about 20-25 minutes, or until you will be able to easily push the fork’s tines inside. This mean the pumpkin is ready. You don’t want overcooking it otherwise it will soak up water and you will have to add more flour. Once it’s ready, drain the pumpkin from water and let it cool down in a large bowl.
Prepare the batter. Add to the pumpkin the eggs, the pinch of salt, the nutmeg and flour. Mix until well combined. If you fill it’s not dense enough add more flour.
Make the sauce. Melt butter with sage in a small pan. When the sauce is ready move it to a large baking dish and place it in the oven at 50°C.
Cook the gnocchi. In a large pot bring the water to a boil. Add salt and oil (so the gnocchi will not stick together while cooking). Make the shape of the gnocchi using 2 spoons, like shown in the video below. You will need to work in batches. When the gnocchi will float to the surface, they are ready. Mix them for a few seconds and remove them with a slotted spoon. Add this batch of gnocchi in the baking dish with the butter and sage sauce Place it back into the oven to keep it warm. Continue until all the batter is finished and all the gnocchi are ready.
Serve. Mix the gnocchi very well with the butter sauce and sage. Sprinkle on top with smoked ricotta or Parmesan before serving.

Recipe Video

Notes

Never EVER pain fried this gnocchi, or any other type of gnocchi. Gnocchi should be soft and smooth, pain fry them will actually ruin all your hard work.