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With just a few ingredients, you can make homemade butternut squash gnocchi that is tossed in a delicious brown butter sage sauce. It is ideal for fall and offers a unique way to enjoy the flavors of the season.
I'm a fan of gnocchi - from gnocchi carbonara to baked ricotta gnocchi to pesto gnocchi.
There are two things during the fall that I'm all about - butternut squash and gnocchi. Well I'm about homemade gnocchi year round but I figured why not combine the two!
I've used homemade gnocchi many times when friends/family have come over. It's a great recipe to impress your guests! So if you're like me and craving some butternut squash this time of year, you can never go wrong with butternut squash gnocchi.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Homemade gnocchi - Homemade gnocchi is made with fresh ingredients, allowing you to control the quality of the butternut squash, flour, and other components. Plus they just taste better!
- Sneak in veggies for kids - A great way to sneak in veggies for kids, making it a delicious and healthy meal option.
- Versatile - You can dress up butternut squash gnocchi with a variety of sauces, from a simple sage-butter sauce to a rich cream sauce, or even a tomato-based one, allowing you to enjoy it in different ways.
Ingredient Notes
- Butternut squash - Adds sweet and earthy undertones with hints of nuttiness to the gnocchi.
- Ricotta - helps act as a binder and also keeps the gnocchi light and pillowy.
- Egg - Important in binding the gnocchi together.
- Parmesan cheese - Grated Parmesan adds a savory, umami element to the dish, both mixed into the dough or sprinkled on top before serving.
- Salt - Salt enhances the flavor of the squash and balances the sweetness, making the gnocchi more savory and well-rounded.
- Nutmeg - A pinch of nutmeg adds warmth and depth to the gnocchi.
- All-purpose flour - You want to add just enough so the dough comes together.
- Olive oil - Used to pan-fry the gnocchi.
- Unsalted butter - By browning the butter, you add a nutty flavor which complements the gnocchi and makes for a great sauce.
- Garlic - Fresh garlic adds a robust, savory flavor.
- Sage - When I think of fall, sage is the herb that comes to mind and is enhanced by cooking in the butter.
Ingredient Swaps
As with any recipe you can swap out some of the ingredients. Some variations include:
- While I use butternut squash, pumpkin or sweet potatoes are good substitutes.
- Ricotta cheese is great for gnocchi, but cottage cheese or even goat cheese are good substitutes.
- If you want to go gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend instead of all-purpose flour.
- I'm a fan of sage as the prominent herb flavor, but rosemary or thyme work great as well.
- While not a substitute, if I want some protein, pancetta is my go-to.
How to Make Butternut Squash Gnocchi
Please note full ingredient list and instructions can be found in recipe card below.
Step 1: Cut the butternut squash in half and season with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Step 2: Roast the butternut squash at 425°F in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until tender. Scoop out and mash when cool
Step 3: Place in a bowl with the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, salt and nutmeg. Mix until combined.
Step 4: Add flour ½ cup at a time, mixing until just incorporated.
Step 5: Place on floured surface and form a disc. The dough should be sticky still. Cut into 4-6 equal pieces.
Step 6: Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll and stretch into a rope that is about 1 inch thick. Cut 1 inch wide pieces.
Step 7: Transfer to a baking sheet with some flour so they don't stick.
Step 8: Boil the gnocchi until they float and then transfer to a large skillet over medium-high heat with some oil. Pan-fry for 2 minutes to get it crispy. Remove from the skillet.
Step 9: Cook butter in same skillet until browned before adding garlic and sage, cooking for 30 seconds.
Step 10: Toss the butternut squash gnocchi in the sauce.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. They great thing about this butternut squash gnocchi recipe is you can easily used canned pumpkin as well.
Pumpkins and butternut squash are part of the same food family (squash) so are pretty interchangeable when it comes to recipes.
Gnocchi that falls apart when boiled probably has too much moisture. When kneading the dough, it should feel slightly sticky but not excessively so. If it’s too sticky, simply add more flour to help absorb the excess moisture.
Add the butter to the skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, it will foam up and then subside.
This is when you watch carefully as lightly browned specks will start to form at the bottom of the pan. You will know the butter is ready when there is a nutty aroma. I suggest watching this video if you are still concerned.
Yes. Once the butternut squash gnocchi is cut and placed on a baking sheet, just put in the freezer for an hour before transferring to a bag.
When you are ready to cook, it will take slightly longer to float but will still be ready quickly.
My preferred method is placing the leftover gnocchi in a skillet with a splash of water or cream. Cook on medium-low until heated through.
With this dish, avoid using the microwave as it can cause the sauce to separate.
Side Dish Options
This gnocchi is rich and filling, so I prefer to have some veggies. Some options include:
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Add just enough flour. Let me be clear. While most times, you need 1 ¾ cups of flour for this recipe, there are times you need slightly more or slightly less. Every butternut squash is different in moisture content which is what controls the amount of flour you use. Use either a wooden spoon or your hands to mix in the flour until just incorporated and where the dough forms a loaf. It should be a soft dough.
- Don't overmix. Just like anything with flour, if your overmix or knead too much, you'll get a tougher gnocchi. It won't be soft and pillowy. You want to mix until it just comes together.
- Don't make them perfect. Gnocchi doesn't have to be perfect shapes or have ridges. Mine never look exactly the same but they taste great! Also you can skip the ridges. It's time consuming and not worth the effort.
- Sprinkle with flour when cutting and transporting. Gnocchi can get sticky if there isn't flour sprinkled on it. As I'm rolling out the dough to cut and then cut into gnocchi and then transfer to a sheet, I sprinkle with flour to make sure it doesn't stick. Learn from me as I didn't do this in the past.
- Boil until they float. When cooking gnocchi, boil it until they float and then remove and add to a sauce.
Other Recommended Gnocchi Recipes
If you’ve tried this butternut squash gnocchi recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Butternut Squash Gnocchi
Ingredients
Butternut Squash Gnocchi
- 1.5 lbs butternut squash (need 1 cup pureed)
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour plus more if needed
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Brown Butter Sage Sauce
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds with a spoon. Place cut side up on baking sheet and brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 45-50 minutes or until tender. Let cool then scoop out flesh. Mash with potato masher or place in food processor and puree until smooth.
- Place 1 cup of the pureed butternut squash in a large bowl. Add in the ricotta, egg, Parmesan cheese, salt and nutmeg and mix until combined. Add in flour ½ cup at a time. Mix until just combined and you form a ball. Do not over knead, otherwise it will be tough. The dough should be sticky.
- Flour a clean surface and place the dough there. Cut into 4 equal pieces. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll and stretch the dough until it forms a long skinny rope, about 1 inch thick. Cut about 1 inch wide and then transfer to a baking sheet, making sure each gnocchi is covered in flour so they don't stick to each other.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the gnocchi until they float, which should be about 3-4 minutes. Drain and toss with some olive oil so they don't stick.
- Heat 2 tablespoon olive oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the gnocchi and pan-fry on one side until golden brown, about 2 minutes. You will have to do this in batches if you can't have gnocchi in single later. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- In same skillet, bring heat to medium and add butter. Cook until the butter is browned and fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and sage and cook for 30 seconds. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the gnocchi, so it's coated. Serve immediately with some Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Add just enough flour. Let me be clear. While most times, you need 1 ¾ cups of flour for this recipe, there are times you need slightly more or slightly less. Every butternut squash is different in moisture content which is what controls the amount of flour you use. Use either a wooden spoon or your hands to mix in the flour until just incorporated and where the dough forms a loaf. It should be a soft dough.
- Don't overmix. Just like anything with flour, if your overmix or knead too much, you'll get a tougher gnocchi. It won't be soft and pillowy. You want to mix until it just comes together.
- Don't make them perfect. Gnocchi doesn't have to be perfect shapes or have ridges. Mine never look exactly the same but they taste great! Also you can skip the ridges. It's time consuming and not worth the effort.
- Sprinkle with flour when cutting and transporting. Gnocchi can get sticky if there isn't flour sprinkled on it. As I'm rolling out the dough to cut and then cut into gnocchi and then transfer to a sheet, I sprinkle with flour to make sure it doesn't stick. Learn from me as I didn't do this in the past.
- Boil until they float. When cooking gnocchi, boil it until they float and then remove and add to a sauce.
Chris says
Love me some gnocchi!
Marion says
Adapted to use what I had on hand: I used mozzarella instead of Parmesan, and frozen butternut squash. Had to add about 1/3 more flour because very wet. I roasted the whole batch with sliced ham+garlic+lard+olive oil in my ninja foodii instead of a separate butter sauce ... Very very yummy.
Ryan says
Glad you enjoyed!