Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Browned Butter and Fried Sage

Happy Halloween!

Perhaps the candy corn cookies might have been more appropriate for today, but instead I have this bright orange gnocchi. Halloween dinner, anyone?

I’ve had the itch to make homemade gnocchi for a few weeks now and have had a butternut squash sitting on my counter staring at me, just waiting to be roasted, pureed and made into delicious little Italian dumplings.

I made these last week to take over to my friend Korina’s house for a girl’s night dinner. The three of us girls sat on Korina’s couch and ate the gnocchi alongside a rich and creamy butternut squash soup that her husband had made. Then we did each other’s hair and tried not to turn orange.

I’ll just be upfront and tell you that there’s a ridiculous amount of butter in this recipe. But, did you know that when you brown butter you eliminate all fat and calories? Sooooo this dish is practically fat-free.

Okay, I kid. I kid. But it’s worth it to make on a special occasion. Like, tonight.

Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Browned Butter and Fried Sage

serves 6-8

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Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash (about 2.5-3 lbs)

2 1/4 cups flour (plus additional for rolling out gnocchi)

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 stick salted butter

5-6 fresh sage leaves

1 tbsp oil

Freshly grated Parmesan for serving

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Peel and slice squash and roast on a lined baking sheet for 30-40 minutes until very tender. Remove and let cool.

Once cool, puree squash in a blender or food processor then transfer to a large bowl and add flour, egg and salt. Mix until a dough forms then knead on a heavely floured surface until smooth.

Brown the butter over medium heat, swirling the pan continuously. Watch out–the butter will brown quickly! For more of a browned butter tutorial see here (and then make the cookies!). After the butter has browned, remove from the heat and bring a large pot of water with a pinch of salt to a boil.

Divide gnocchi dough in half and roll each half into a large, thin rope then cut the rope into small one inch slices. Once the water is boiling, drop the gnocchi in and boil until they float. Then drain the gnocchi, put them back into the pot and pour over the browned butter and a handful of Parmesan cheese.

To fry the sage leaves, heat the oil over medium high heat. Once very hot, drop the sage leaves in and fry for about 3-4 minutes until crispy. Remove leaves and drain on a paper towel before crumbling into gnocchi.

Serve warm with extra Parmesan.

Time:

1.5 hours

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Tagged as: Italian, main-dishes, pasta, vegetarian