This Creamy Pumpkin and Sausage Gnocchi Recipe is an easy 30 minute dinner. Using pre-made gnocchi, pumpkin, kale and sausage makes this a hearty and flavorful one pan dinner for any night of the week.
Happy October, friends. Are you ready for all the comfort food? I have been getting the strong urge to GET COZY, which means all the creamy, comforting pasta dishes. But wait – this one is a little different. This recipe uses store bought gnocchi. Have you ever used premade gnocchi?
Lately I have been wanting a creamy, savory pumpkin dinner recipe. But I wanted it to be quick and easy, and most of all satisfying. My friend Natasha is the queen of creamy gnocchi recipes, and so I was inspired by her to use gnocchi in this recipe.
What is Gnocchi?
Gnocchi are small Italian dumplings, often made of potatoes and/or flour. They are often treated as a pasta. Gnocchi can be made from scratch, but are also available prepackaged in grocery stores, and can be fresh, frozen or dried. For this recipe I used vacuum packed gnocchi that was in the pasta aisle at my grocery store.
How to make a sauce for Gnocchi
I love pumpkin in a dessert recipe but pumpkin puree is also wonderful in savory dishes. I decided to make a savory pumpkin recipe by making a creamy pumpkin sauce for gnocchi. Adding sausage is an easy way to get lots of flavor with little effort – and I threw some kale in there so we could get our greens.
For this recipe I simply made a flavorful sauce using onions, garlic, chicken broth, cream and pumpkin puree. The gnocchi cooks right in the sauce so you don’t been to boil it before hand. That saves you a step and makes this a one pan dinner! Fewer dishes, less cleaning up.
How to cook packaged gnocchi
In this recipe we cook the gnocchi right on the sauce, so there is no need to cook it before hand. However, if you wish to cook gnocchi for another use, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi. They should float to the top in 2-3 minutes, indicating that they are done.
If you like this recipe, you will LOVE my Creamy Basil Parmesan Chicken and my Creamy Sausage and Tortellini Soup.
Ingredients
- 16 oz mild Italian sausage ground
- 1 TBSP butter
- 1/2 yellow onion finely minced
- 4 Garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup white wine or chicken stock
- 1 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 cups kale chopped tough stems removed
- 16 oz fresh or frozen gnocchi uncooked
- ½ cup chicken stock low sodium
- 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh basil thinley sliced (Chiffonade)
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Brown sausage. Once cooked through, remove from pan and drain fat.
- Return skillet, to heat, reduce to medium. Add 1 tablespoons butter. Add onion, season with a little salt. Saute for about five minutes, until onions and is softened. Add garlic and Italian seasoning, saute for 30 seconds
- Add wine to deglaze the skillet and bring to a gentle simmer until reduced by half.
- Reduce heat to medium low. Add chicken stock and cream and whisk in pumpkin until a creamy sauce forms. Stir gnocchi and kale into sauce until combined. Cover and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until kale is wilted and gnocchi is tender and pillowy.
- Add sausage back to the sauce. Taste sauce and add more salt and pepper if needed. Add Parmesan, stir until melted into sauce. Stir in basil. Remove from heat and serve.
Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
sherry says
recipe never says when to add the chicken stock
Meghan says
Thanks Sherry! I updated the recipe to include that.
Shari Partain says
Can this be made ahead of time, say the day before?
Meghan says
Hi Shari, yes, that should be fine.
erin says
Hi!
How would you adapt to the cauliflower gnocchi (green giant)? It comes frozen, so I am concerned cooking it in the sauce will obviously make the sauce too watery. Should I cook the cauliflower gnocchi according to package and then add in?
Meghan says
Hi Erin – Yes, I would try it that way and see how it goes. I haven’t tested this with cauliflower gnocchi but I have read that it can make the sauce watery. Cooking it prior to adding it to the sauce may be the best bet! Let me know how it turns out!
Erin Koshnick says
Turned out really good! I tried it with normal gnocchi and cauliflower gnocchi and couldn’t tell a difference between them! Cooked the cauliflower gnocchi per package (boil for 2 minutes) and then added them to the sauce (package says to sauté them in oil or butter so I just Sautéed in the sauce). Thanks for this yummy recipe!
Meghan says
Hi Erin – Yay! So glad to hear that!
Gail Martin says
Could you use spinach instead of kale? I don’t care for kale
Meghan says
Hi Gail – Yes, that should work! Just add it in the last 2 minutes of cooking, as spinach cooks much faster than kale.