Hearty yet tender dumplings packed with the nutritional goodness of butternut squash and drenched in a buttery sage sauce.
I confess that I have never made gnocchi from scratch before. I was actually a little intimidated by this recipe as a result.
But when I read through the recipe instructions in the Mad Hungry Family cookbook, it seemed really doable so I decided to give it a shot!
The cookbook is perfect for people like me, who are home cooks without formal culinary training. The instructions are written so clearly that even beginners can easily produce wonderful dishes.
Lucinda Scala Quinn, the author, definitely has experience cooking for a hungry family on a budget, as she learned to be resourceful and smart about her recipes in order to feed her three growing boys!
Since I myself am a mom of two teenage boys, I can totally relate to that!
By following the instructions, I was able to roll gnocchi dumplings using a table fork. They weren’t perfect, but my technique increasingly improved, and by the end my gnocchi were looking much prettier.
As far as how the dish went over with the family, it was a big hit! I wasn’t completely sure that Thing 2 would appreciate the sage butter, as sage is not a flavor I have often used, but he loved it and happily gobbled up a second serving.
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
Squash Gnocchi with Sage Butter
If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars!
I also invite you to follow me on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, or INSTAGRAM to keep up with what's going on in my kitchen.
Squash Gnocchi with Sage Butter
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 winter squash (such as butternut or acorn, quartered and seeded (about 2 pounds))
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more as needed)
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt (plus more as needed)
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 5 sprigs fresh sage (leaves removed)
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (for serving)
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the squash in a baking dish along with 1⁄4 inch of water. Cover with foil and bake until soft throughout, about 40 minutes. When cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh from the skin into a large bowl, mash it until smooth, and let cool (this is important because hot squash sucks up flour, which makes for leaden gnocchi).
- Whisk together the flour and salt in a separate bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the cooled squash, using your hands to combine completely, until the dough pulls away from your hands in a soft mass. Add more flour as necessary to achieve the desired consistency (which should resemble a rough pizza dough).
- Sprinkle some flour on a clean work surface. Separate the dough into several pieces and roll each into a log the size and shape of a large cigar. Cut each “cigar” into 1-inch pieces. To form the gnocchi, dip a fork in flour, and then place the tines on top of a piece of dough. Applying medium pressure, gently roll the gnocchi toward you with the fork, releasing pressure gradually as you roll, until it is completely rolled off the tines (repeatedly flour the fork to prevent sticking). Repeat with each piece of dough, placing the finished gnocchi on a floured baking sheet. (You can use your thumb instead of a fork if desired.) The gnocchi should resemble tiny footballs with a cup in the center.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When it boils, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and swirl in the butter. Add the sage leaves and cook until lightly crisp. Stir to coat them in butter. Meanwhile, drop about 8 gnocchi into the boiling water at a time and cook until they float to the surface, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and add directly to the sage butter. Toss to coat the gnocchi in the butter. Repeat the process with the remaining gnocchi. Add up to 1⁄2 cup of the gnocchi cooking water to the sage butter to make a pan sauce. Serve in shallow bowls, spooning some sage butter sauce over each serving. Sprinkle with Parmesan and a couple grinds of black pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
Sponsored by Workman Publishing, our #WeekdaySupper event features Mad Hungry Family by Lucinda Scala Quinn. I really love that this cookbook is directed towards busy families, with simple yet delicious recipes and lots of tips and tricks for saving time and getting great results. This book is sort of like a survival guide for us scrappy home cooks who sometimes need to pull together a plan at the last minute. Lucinda Scala Quinn certainly has a wealth of experience to draw upon; some of her credentials include having her own line of kitchenware on QVC called Mad Hungry Kitchenware, working as a senior vice president and executive editorial director of food and entertaining at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and hosting her own television show, Mad Hungry: Bringing Back the Family Meal.
Make sure you check out this interview with Lucinda
You can find out more about Workman Publishing on their website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
You can win a copy of the book for yourself, just enter via the Rafflecopter form below. We will be giving away 10 copies of the book, so don’t wait, enter now!
Or if you just can't wait, you can order the Mad Hungry Family book from Amazon (affiliate link)!
Would you like to see what other amazing dishes you can make? Check out a few more recipes from the Mad Hungry Family cookbook!
Week One
Straight-Talk Turkey – Family Foodie
HamJam Cheddar Puffs – Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
Chocolate Hazelnut Orange Potstickers – Grumpy’s Honeybunch
Squash Gnocchi with Sage Butter – Dizzy Busy and Hungry
Thanksgiving Leftover Pie – Meal Planning Magic
Week Two
Fig and Pancetta Stuffing – My Life Cookbook
Yorkshire Pudding – A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Buttery Spiced Poached Pears – April Golightly
Upside-down Apple Tart – Alida’s Kitchen
Princely Potatoes – Crazed Mom
This post is sponsored by Workman Publishing Company in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.
Thanks for stopping by. Before you go, you might be interested in these products!
And check out my Dizzy Busy and Hungry store on Amazon for some great kitchen products I love!
Jann Olson
This sounds absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Jodie Fitz
This dish look gorgeous. Thanks for sharing with us at Reader Tip Tuesday! Hope to see you at this week's party.
Sheri
This made me so hungry. Thanks for sharing at the To Grandma's House We Go DIY, Crafts, Recipes and More Link Party! Pinned this! hope to see you again next week.
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome
Pinning this one - it looks and sounds amazing! I'm a little bit behind but I wanted to make sure to check out your post - and thank you for joining the What's for dinner party. Have a wonderful weekend and hope to see you at tomorrow's party too!
Chelsey
Awesome flavor combinations in this dish! Love the sage, looks delicious! Definitely going to have to give this recipe a go!
Karen Del Tatto
You had me at the title! This recipe sounds amazing!!
Thanks so much for sharing.
Cat | Curly's Cooking
This looks like something I would be pleased to order in a restaurant! Love the flavours, it looks so tasty.
April
This looks extremely yummy. Great photos. Can't wait to try it.
Alida
What a gorgeous dish! All of these tasty flavors combined would be incredible!
Italian Belly
Great job for your first time making gnocchi. I made Squash gnocchi as well but added potatoes and an egg to mine. I ended up with a stickier dough than what was desired and had to fix it with more flour. So, it tasted more like standard pasta than squash. I think the trick is to leave the egg out. As for the sauce, fresh ricotta and pancetta. Really good, but a 'calorie bomb' as they say in Italy.
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome
This is a must try - I love gnocchi! Thanks for sharing on the What's for Dinner link up!
Marsha
I love Lucinda's cookbooks and the author herself. She is down to earth and practical. I can't wait to get this newest cookbook too!
Renee @ReneesKitchenAdventures
Your plate full of gnocchi look so inviting! Gnocchi are really so easy to make...but I don't think of making them often enough. I'm a huge fan of sage and butternut squash, so that would be my choice of squash for this recipe!
shelby
I love gnocchi! The flavors in this are divine!