Creamy Baked Pumpkin Gnocchi with Italian Sausage

This Baked Pumpkin Gnocchi with Italian Sausage is made with plain gnocchi and baked with a creamy, easy-to-make pumpkin sauce.

This Creamy Baked Pumpkin Gnocchi is my absolute favorite fall dish. It gets made year after year, and I save it for pumpkin season only so we always have a special dish to look forward to.

It’s so simple to make and I always keep a shelf-stable package of gnocchi in the pantry just to make this dish.

Creamy Baked Pumpkin Gnocchi couldn’t be simpler to make, especially since the spices in the Italian sausage is enough flavor that you don’t have to be measuring out any additonal spices.

With shallot and garlic as the base, then whole milk, a little chicken stock and smooth pumpkin puree to finish the sauce, it’s an easy yet SO delicious fall dish.

What is gnocchi?

The main ingredient in gnocchi is potatoes! Gnocchi means “lumps” in Italian. Gnocchi are little “lumps” made of potato and flour. The potatoes are cooked then mashed together with flour, then formed into little pillows.

You can make gnocchi from scratch or you can purchase shelf-stable gnocchi at most grocers.

Is gnocchi considered pasta or potato?

Although gnocchi is most commonly served with tomato pasta sauces or pesto, gnocchi is technically a dumpling, not pasta. Yet it does get “lumped” (see what I did there? 🙂 into the pasta category, since it’s Italian and it’s typically served as you would pasta.

I also make some quick fried sage leaves that I use to garnish the top of the baked pumpkin gnocchi. These little beauties are incredibly addictive, so be sure to make extra for snacking!

We have a huge sage plant in our yard and every fall I pluck it clean and make a big batch of fried sage leaves. I’m not exaggerating when I tell you how delicious they are! It may sound strange, but they are really that good.

My favorite part of this dish is the crusty Parmesan topping. It adds so much cheesy goodness and it helps make it look extra gorgeous!

Check out this Cheesy Baked Gnocchi for another delicious dish made with shelf-stable gnocchi!

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Creamy Baked Pumpkin Gnocchi with Italian Sausage

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

This easy dish is made with plain gnocchi then baked in a creamy, easy-to-make pumpkin sauce.

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Ingredients

• 1 pound gnocchi, cooked according to package directions
• 1 pound ground Italian sausage
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2-1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 12 sage leaves, plus extra for snacking, if desired; they're SO GOOD

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add Italian sausage and cook until no pink remains, breaking it up into small crumbles as you cook. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving grease behind in the pan.
3. Add minced shallots to pan; cook, stirring frequently, about two minutes or until soft. Add garlic, cook one minute more. Add chicken stock to pan to deglaze; stir frequently while bringing to a boil. Reduce heat, add milk and pumpkin puree. Stir until pumpkin puree is fully incorporated and sauce is smooth. Season well with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add cooked gnocchi and Italian sausage to sauce in skillet. Stir well and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until hot and heated through.
5. Pour into a greased 1-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese to cover. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until parmesan is browned and sauce is bubbling.
6. Top with fried sage leaves and serve immediately.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 398Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 678mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 19g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

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Kristy Bernardo

Kristy Bernardo is the recipe creator behind The Wicked Noodle. She's a five-time cookbook author, has taught cooking classes to both kids and adults, and has been creating recipes for nationwide brands since 2009. She learned most of her cooking skills from her mom and grandmother, then honed those skills at boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America.

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