Gnocchi in Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

My idea of a good time - evening pilates, a small glass of white wine, an episode of The Pitt (my utmost obsession), & this pasta. This buttery, cheesy, perfectly savory Gnocchi in Creamy Pumpkin Sauce. Truly, just the idea of shutting my laptop to make this pasta + do a little couch rotting was my motivation to make it to 5pm. I have been craving this gnocchi for weeks! Just as hearty + cozy as a classic gnocchi in red sauce, but this pumpkin adds a little seasonal flair. And this sauce is “eat it by the spoonful” delicious - hence why I’ve been dying to get my hands on it. The pumpkin is cooked low + slow with shallots, wine, and plenty of cheese, + the gnocchi is crisped to perfection before being added to the sauce. I like to think I went the extra mile by topping ours with our fave plant based meat to give it a little bit of a “sausage pasta” feel. Final touches - a little thyme + even more parmesan. Lots of Winter flavor, a little rustic, and just dreamy. The perfect girly dinner for a cozy Tuesday night in.

 
 

Low + slow. And don’t skimp on the cheese!

Making the sauce is simple + really doesn’t take too long to cook up. Take the time to get the shallots browned + perfectly tender - they’ll take on a buttery texture if you cook them on a low heat for 10-15 minutes. It’s the base for all the flavor in the sauce.

Once the pumpkin goes in + you’ve got it lightly simmering, adding in the cream + cheese is next. Stir in the cheese so it’s evenly mixed in, and add just a small pinch of cheese at a time. Giving the cheesy time to melt + fully incorporate before adding in anymore.

 
 

Wine makes everything better.

In case you haven’t discovered it on your own, wine makes almost any pasta dish better. Have yet to find a pasta sauce that didn’t get better thanks to a splash of wine. The rule applies here!

It’s amazing how delicious canned pumpkin cooked with white wine, a little cream, and some parmesan can be. It’s simple, fool proof, and the sauce comes together quite quickly. The secret ingredient is always the wine. Deglazing the garlic + shallots with wine just adds a little extra layer of flavor. Like a little tanginess + brightness that seems to play when with parm + creamy sauce. Nothing ground breaking in terms of making it - just let the wine reduce by half with the veggies, and you’re in business!

My hack anytime I’m cooking with wine - get a canned wine + enjoy the small amount of leftover hooch while I cook. Not having a bottle limits the temptation, and just a little wine on a Tuesday never hurt anybody.

Just delicious

This is one of those dinners that I just really love. I’m not sure why and I don’t even want to put the brain power towards further justifying why I enjoy it so much - I just do. This is the type of Winter dinner that I get obsessed with. Hearty, warming, and grown-up flavors. It’s my jam and it was nice treat to enjoy at the end of a busy + productive Tuesday. This time around it also came with the core memory of Jordan doing some lego building at the kitchen counter while I worked on dinner, and it was just one of those small, pretty perfect moments.

 
 

For the gnocchi

  • 2 tbsp butter

  • 2 shallots, sliced

  • 5 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 c. riced cauliflower, optional (I used frozen riced cauliflower & it just beefs up your sauce)

  • salt + pepper

  • red pepper flakes

  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme + a little extra for garnish

  • 3/4 c. dry white wine

  • 1 can of pumpkin puree

  • 1 1/2 c. broth

  • 1/2 c. heavy cream

  • 1/2 c. parmesan

  • Meatless patties (I used two - one for each person)

  • 1 package of frozen cauliflower gnocchi

  • serve with cooked asparagus or another green veggie

Start by making the pasta sauce. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the garlic + toast for a minute. Add in the shallots + cook on medium low for 10-15 minutes. Stir them regularly to make sure they don’t burn. When they’re done cooking, they should be butter-y + super tender. Next add in the cauliflower rice - cooking for another 5-7 minutes. Add in the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, thyme, and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium + deglaze the pan with the wine. Let the wine simmer with the veggies until it is reduce by half. Add in the pumpkin + broth, bring the mixture back to a simmer. Once simmering, decrease the heat to medium low + let it continue to cook uncovered for another 20 minutes while stirring regularly (you may want a little mesh splatter guard to avoid a mess).

At this time, you can start simultaneously cooking the beyond meat patties (simply brown on both sides) + then the cauliflower gnocchi . Just follow the package instructions.

Reduce the heat to low + stir in the cream along with a small pinch of the parmesan. Add the cheese a small pinch at a time, stirring so that it fully melts into the sauce before adding anymore. When all the cheese has been added in, spoon the desired amount of sauce into the pan with the gnocchi. Toss to coat the gnocchi. Cover the pan + cook the sauce with the gnocchi on low for 10 minutes.

Spoon the gnocchi into warmed bowls. Top with a sprinkle of parmesan, cut up pieces of the beyond meat, and thyme. Nestle cooked veggies on the side. Enjoy!

Lesley ZehnerComment