Pumpkin Gnocchi Recipe with Brown Butter and Crispy Sage

Homemade pumpkin gnocchi is made from mashed potato, pureed pumpkin, and a hint of warming spices that make this pasta dish feel like fall! The gnocchi is paired with a simple brown butter sauce with toasted pine nuts and crispy sage, making a truly restaurant-worthy dish you can make at home.

Course Main Course, Primi

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 15

Total Time 45

Servings

Calories 513kcal

Author Caroline Lindsey

Equipment

Ingredients

For the gnocchi

1 Russet potato medium to large
15 oz puréed pumpkin excess water squeezed (See note)
1 cup flour 00 or all-purpose
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice

For the sauce

4 tablespoons butter salted
2 cloves garlic smashed
2 tablespoons pine nuts
fresh sage leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan for topping/garnish

Instructions

For the gnocchi

Pierce potato all over with a fork and bake until a fork goes in easily. You can bake either in the oven (400 degrees for 45 minutes) or in the microwave (on high for 3-4 minutes, flip, and another 3-4 minutes).
1 Russet potato
Let the potato cool enough to handle and peel off the skin. Pass the potato through a potato ricer (recommended) or mash thoroughly with a fork or potato masher until there are no lumps. (If using leftover mashed potatoes, heat until slightly warm throughout) You should have about a cup of mashed potato, but if there's a little more or less don't worry - you can adjust the flour accordingly.
Empty canned pumpkin puree onto a clean kitchen towel (recommended) or a few layered paper towels. Bring up the four corners to make a little pouch around the pumpkin and squeeze over your sink or a bowl until the volume of the pumpkin is reduced by half, to about 1 cup. You may need to open the towel and rearrange the pumpkin once or twice, or replace the paper towels a couple times.
15 oz puréed pumpkin
Mix mashed potato, pumpkin, egg yolks, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and allspice together in a large bowl until smooth. Add flour a little at a time until you have a dough that's not too sticky to work with. You may add a little extra flour if necessary, a tablespoon at a time, trying not to add more than necessary.
1 Russet potato, 15 oz puréed pumpkin, 2 egg yolks, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon allspice, 1 cup flour
Turn gnocchi dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and pliable. Use a bench scraper/pastry cutter or kitchen knife to cut the dough into 8 segments. Roll each section into a long snake about 1/2 inch thick, or the diameter of your thumb or index finger. Add additional flour to your work surface as necessary. Cut with the pastry cutter into little nuggets about 3/4 inch long.
Roll each dumpling gently with your thumb along a gnocchi board (recommended) or the inside of a fork. This will form ridges on the outside of the pasta and a shell shape on the inside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, make the brown butter sauce.

For the brown butter sauce/assembly

Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat and add smashed garlic cloves.
4 tablespoons butter, 2 cloves garlic
Cook, stirring occasionally, until butter foams and milk solids start becoming golden brown. Add pine nuts and fresh sage leaves. If butter is browning too quickly, reduce the heat. Remove sage leaves onto a paper towel once they cook through to preserve the color.
2 tablespoons pine nuts, fresh sage leaves
Begin cooking the gnocchi in your boiling water. Add a few at a time using a spider strainer or slotted spoon so they don't stick together. Cook 2-3 minutes until they begin to float.
The first gnocchi will likely be cooked (floating) before you've finished adding all the gnocchi to the water. Remove floating gnocchi with a spider strainer or slotted spoon, drain water, and add directly to the brown butter sauce. Continue removing cooked gnocchi and adding uncooked gnocchi to the boiling water until all your gnocchi is cooked and in the pan with the brown butter sauce.
Sauté cooked gnocchi in the butter sauce for a few minutes until there is some golden brown on the outside of the dumplings. You can turn the heat up to medium high if necessary. Add additional kosher salt to taste.
salt and pepper
Divide gnocchi between plates and add back in the sage leaves. Top with additional freshly ground pepper and freshly grated or shaved parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
salt and pepper, Parmesan

Nutrition