Easy Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage Butter Sauce
VIDEO ABOVE. This is a super easy way to make gnocchi and the secret ingredient is ricotta which keeps the gnocchi soft and pillowy inside. Much easier than the classic recipe made with potato. It tastes unbelievable - soft inside, touch of sweet, golden crisp surface and finished with a classic Sage Butter Sauce! Makes 2 very generous servings or 4 as a starter.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Total Time30 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 341
Ingredients
Gnocchi:
- 300 g /10oz fresh pumpkin , steamed or boiled then mashed or 2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup ricotta , full fat (Note 2)
- 1 1/4 cup / 185g plain flour (all purpose flour), plus more for dusting
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese , finely grated
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Black pepper
Sage Butter Sauce:
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 50 g butter (Note 3)
- 20 fresh sage leaves
To serve:
- Black pepper (and salt if needed)
- Parmesan
Instructions
- Line a colander with 4 sheets of paper towel. Spread the fresh mashed pumpkin or canned puree onto the paper towel (see photo in post) then leave for 5 minutes.
- Measure out 1/2 cup of pumpkin.
- Place pumpkin and remaining Gnocchi ingredients in a bowl. Use a wooden spoon to mix well - it should be a soft dough. (Note 4)
- Dust a work surface with flour, tip dough out, sprinkle with flour then pat into log shape.
- Cut into 6 pieces. Roll into 1.7cm / 2/3" ropes, then cut into squares (Note 5).
- Optional: Use a fork to press down lightly on the cut side of the gnocchi.
- COOKING: Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
- Scrape gnocchi onto parchment paper, then tip into water. Cook for 1 minute or until all the gnocchi rises to the surface (means it is cooked), then drain.
- Meanwhile, melt about 1 teaspoon of the butter plus oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add gnocchi and cook, shaking the pan, until the gnocchi is just starting to turn brown (about 1 1/2 minutes).
- Add remaining butter, once it melts, add sage leaves. Stir and cook for 2 1/2 minutes or until gnocchi is golden, sage is crisp and butter is slightly browned. Add salt if you used unsalted butter.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parmesan and pepper.
Notes
1. This can be made with fresh or canned pumpkin. With either, step 1 in the recipe must be followed to remove some of the water from the puree, otherwise the dough is too sticky. If more flour is added to compensate, the gnocchi is not as soft.
Fresh Pumpkin or Butternut: Peel, deseed and cut into 3cm / 1.25" chunks. Cook in boiling water for 10 minutes or until very soft. Drain in a colander and leave for 5 minutes to steam dry a bit, then mash. Then proceed with recipe.
2. There are different varieties of ricotta available. This recipe works best with soft ricotta that is so soft it's spreadable on bread, not the firmer ricotta that can be crumbled like feta with your hands. Woolies and Coles in Australia sell the firm ricotta over the deli - it is best to purchase one of the tubs in the refrigerator section. I've used most of the brands, even good value ones, and they all worked just fine.
3. I highly recommend using a high quality butter for the sauce because it's the crowning glory to finish this dish. I use the Lurpak block with the navy blue silver label which is slightly salted which has the perfect seasoning so I don't need to add any salt at all to the dish.
4. The dough should be a bit sticky but should form a ball i.e. comes away from edge of bowl. If too sticky, add a touch of flour - but the bare minimum required to be able to handle it!
5. Aim for square cuts, when you cut through it will drag the dough down and become a rectangle shape which is what you want to get the classic gnocchi shape.
6. STORAGE / MAKEAHEAD: Cooked gnocchi does not keep well - it sucks up all the sauce, making it bloated and soft on the surface. They become a bit sticky when refrigerated so it's not my favourite way to store it, but you can - add a dusting of flour before refrigerating for up to 2 days. The best way is to freeze it uncooked - spread out in single layers with paper in between in an airtight container, once firm you can transfer into ziplock bags if you prefer. Frozen gnocchi can be cooked from frozen - they will dimple a tiny bit more but they taste like they've been made fresh!
7. Nutrition (4 servings) - I know the calculator says 126g / 4 oz per serve but actually, it is more because the gnocchi expands when cooking because it absorbs water.
Nutrition
Serving: 126g | Calories: 341kcal