Pumpkin Gnocchi

Pumpkin gnocchi with sage is a vegetarian dish and a great mid week dinner. A warming bowl of comfort food that hits the spot on a cold Autumn day.

Pumpkin gnocchi with sage is a quick mid week dinner that all the family can enjoy. As its Halloween tomorrow we thought we'd treat you to a Halloween inspired pumpkin dish. This pumpkin gnocchi is super quick to prepare and serve up.

As any parent will tell you, speed is essential when you've hungry mouths to feed and nothing cooks quicker than gnocchi. This is especially important at Halloween when children are eager to finish dinner and head outdoors trick or treating.

However, living where I do, it's important that the kids have something warm and filling in their bellies before they head out the door into the cold Autumn night. Aside from anything else it'll be the last healthy thing they eat for the remainder of the evening, preferring instead to fill themselves with chocolate while you're not looking!

Gnocchi is super quick to cook, pop it into a pan of boiling water and it's ready in no time, usually less than 5 minutes! The sauce itself doesn't take too long to prepare either, as long as it takes to cook and soften the pumpkin, before adding a few fresh herbs. The whole meal cooked and ready in around 40 minutes.

At this time of year its too easy to view pumpkin as something to carve up, rather than eat. Which is a pity as pumpkin is a delicious vegetable and one my kids are always happy to eat. The sage works beautifully with the pumpkin, a really great pairing. So for a quick mid-week dinner, why not give it a go?

Points worth noting

We have used some of the many wonderful pumpkins available on our shelves at the moment. However, if you can't find these a butternut squash will work just as well. Any pumpkin or squash works well in this pumpkin gnocchi dish.

Substitutions

Gnocchi or pasta?

If you don't like gnocchi, then simply substitute the gnocchi for some freshly cooked pasta instead. My two daughters are split down the middle, one loves gnocchi, the other doesn't so I cook a small pan of pasta just for her.

Using alcohol?

White wine is added to the pumpkin sauce as it adds a lovely acidity to balance out the sweet pumpkin and helps cut through the rich cream. You don't have to add the wine if you would prefer not to. However, as the sauce is being reduced by half, all the alcohol is burned off during the cooking process.

Cream

I have suggested using single cream in this dish, however low fat creme fraiche is a great substitute if you would prefer. I don't recommend using double cream in this dish as it is too heavy.

Fresh herbs

Not everyone likes the taste of sage, however, if that's the case leave it out or add some fresh thyme leaves instead. Just ensure if using thyme you only use the leaves and remove any woody stem.

Why use ready made gnocchi?

The simple answer is for speed and convenience. If you want to make your own gnocchi, by all means do so and add it to the sauce. However, this is a quick mid-week family dish and we don't always have time to prepare every element of a dish.

I'm a great fan of taking shortcuts during the week, therefore dried pasta and ready made fresh gnocchi are something I always keep in my store cupboard and fridge.

Can I make this dish ahead of time?

The joy of this pumpkin gnocchi is in the freshness of the dish. You could make the sauce in advance and heat it up when you are ready to eat, but don't add the gnocchi and leave it to sit as it will go soggy. Instead heat the sauce up, cook the gnocchi fresh, drain it and add it to the sauce, with a little of the gnocchi cooking liquid if you need to loosen the sauce up a little.

Can you freeze this gnocchi dish?

I do not recommend freezing any leftovers and it simply will not taste the same once defrosted. This is definitely a dish to cook and enjoy fresh from the pan!

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Alternative recipe suggestions

If you like this recipe then try our some of my quick mid week dinner dishes:

• Gnocchi with Chorizo & Courgette
• Simple Courgette Pasta
• Smoked Salmon Pasta
• Pumpkin Pasta with Brown Butter Sauce

Looking for inspiration for feeding the family mid week, then take a look at my Ultimate Guide to Family Dinners. Full of useful hints, tips and recipes.