A simple and cozy fall dish, this pumpkin gnocchi is made with pure pumpkin puree, browned butter, and crispy sage.
It’s rich and flavorful, perfect for a comforting meal or appetizer served with silky brown butter sage sauce.
Gnocchi are Italy’s answer to dumplings. They are typically made with cooked, mashed potato, flour and egg. The dough is rolled and sliced, and boiled. The resulting doughy morsels are chewy and delicious. Reminiscent of pierogy dough.
You pronounce it like this: nee-ock-ee. Emphasis on the “ock”.
Or you can call it gah-noh-chi. Wrongly. But it’s kinda fun. Your choice.
This autumnal version uses pumpkin instead of potato. Sauteed quickly in browned butter and sage, they are unbelievably delicious and surprisingly easy to make.
First you mix the pumpkin with the egg, salt, and nutmeg. Then you add enough flour to make a sticky dough – it will pull away from the bowl, but it will still stick to your fingers.
You divide the dough into manageable amounts, and roll it out to a long rope of about an inch thickness. You slice the rope and pop the gnocchi into a pot of boiling water.
It’s easy to tell when they are done; they simply float to the top!
While the gnocchi are cooking, melt some butter in a big pan along with sage leaves. The butter will brown itself into a blissful state of nutty, toasty brown, while the sage leaves obligingly become delectably crispy.
If you’re new to the browned butter experience, drop everything, and head to the kitchen.
Toss the boiled gnocchi in browned butter sage sauce and serve, topped with a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan and a pinch of sea salt.
Pumpkin Gnocchi (with Brown Butter and Sage Sauce)
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree if using canned, ensure it’s 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 egg
- ¾ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1 ½ cup flour approximately, plus more for hands and work surface
- Brown Butter Sage Sauce
- parmesan cheese grated, for sprinkling on top (optional)
- sea salt to finish
Instructions
- Set a large pot of water to boil. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, egg, salt, and nutmeg. Add flour in several additions, stirring to combine after each addition. Continue adding flour until the dough is firm enough to handle but still slightly sticky.
- With floured hands, pinch off about a quarter of the dough. Roll it between your palms and on a floured surface to form a 1-inch thick rope. Cut the rope into 1-inch pieces. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Drop the gnocchi pieces into the boiling water and cook until they rise to the surface, about 5 minutes. While the gnocchi cooks, prepare the brown butter sage sauce and remove from heat.
- Drain the gnocchi on paper towels, then toss in the browned butter and crispy sage. Serve topped with grated parmesan and a sprinkle of sea salt, if desired.
Notes
- If using canned pumpkin, be sure to choose 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Leftover puree can be frozen in an airtight container for later use.
- The amount of flour needed may vary slightly depending on the moisture content of the pumpkin. Add enough until the dough is just firm enough to handle.
- Brown the butter for the brown butter sage sauce carefully, watching for a nutty aroma and golden-brown color, but don’t let it burn.
- This gnocchi can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Freeze uncooked gnocchi on a tray, then transfer to a freezer bag. Cook from frozen for an extra minute or two.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Pumpkin Gnocchi with Browned Butter + Crispy Sage
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 as a side, 2 as a main
Ingredients
1 cup pumpkin puree (if using canned, ensure it’s 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling)
1 egg
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 cup flour (approximately), plus more for hands and work surface
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup sage leaves
parmesan cheese, grated, for sprinkling on top (optional)
sea salt, to finish
Instructions
Set a large pot of water to boil. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, egg, salt, and nutmeg. Add flour in several additions, stirring to combine after each addition. Continue adding flour until the dough is firm enough to handle but still slightly sticky.
With floured hands, pinch off about a quarter of the dough. Roll it between your palms and on a floured surface to form a 1-inch thick rope. Cut the rope into 1-inch pieces. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Drop the gnocchi pieces into the boiling water and cook until they rise to the surface, about 5 minutes. While the gnocchi cooks, melt the butter in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the sage leaves and swirl the pan frequently until the butter browns and the sage leaves become crispy. Remove from heat.
Drain the gnocchi on paper towels, then toss in the browned butter and crispy sage. Serve topped with grated parmesan and a sprinkle of sea salt, if desired.
Recipe Notes
- If using canned pumpkin, be sure to choose 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Leftover puree can be frozen in an airtight container for later use.
- The amount of flour needed may vary slightly depending on the moisture content of the pumpkin. Add enough until the dough is just firm enough to handle.
- Brown the butter carefully, watching for a nutty aroma and golden-brown color, but don’t let it burn.
- This gnocchi can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Freeze uncooked gnocchi on a tray, then transfer to a freezer bag. Cook from frozen for an extra minute or two.
Ingredients
- Pumpkin Gnocchi
- …with browned butter + crispy sage
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (if canned, be sure to choose 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling – if you have any left over, here’s how to freeze pumpkin puree)
- 1 egg
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cup flour (approximately), plus more for hands and work surface
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup sage leaves
- parmesan cheese, grated, for sprinkling on top (optional)
- sea salt, to finish
Preparation
Set a large pot of water to boil. In a medium sized bowl, combine pumpkin, egg, salt and nutmeg. Add the flour in several additions, stirring to combine. Continue adding flour until the dough is firm enough to handle, but still somewhat sticky.
With floured hands, pinch off about a quarter of the dough. Roll between palms and on floured work surface to make a 1-inch thick rope. Cut rope rope into 1-inch pieces. Repeat with remaining dough.
Drop gnocchi into boiling water and cook until they rise to the surface, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large, heavy saucepan. Add sage leaves and cook, swirling frequently, until butter browns. Remove from heat.
Drain gnocchi on paper towels, then add to brown butter and toss. Serve sprinkled with parmesan and sea salt, if desired.
Serves 4 as an appetizer or side dish; serves 2 as a main course.
