Pillowy soft homemade gnocchi paired with herb-roasted butternut squash is an unbeatable combination. Add sage browned-butter, and this recipe will have you coming back for more.
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This recipe may look complicated. It’s long and has multiple parts. Don’t let that scare you off. The first time I made gnocchi, I was oh my, can I do this. YES you can. You get 3 recipes in one blog. The gnocchi, the herb roasted butternut squash – but wait there’s more – the sage browned butter. Still not sure? Start with just the gnocchi and serve it with some sauteed diced zucchini and a little grated romano cheese. However, the gnocchi with herb roasted butternut squash and sage browned butter is so worth the effort. Perfect for Christmas dinner or a special occasion.Â
What is gnocchi made from?
Homemade Gnocchi has 3 simple ingredients: potatoes, eggs, and flour. Think potato pasta. The potatoes are russet, a dry low moisture potato. The flour is the key ingredient. Too much flour and your gnocchi are tough and chewy. Too little flour and the gnocchi becomes mush when it’s boiled. I use a combination of half pastry and half all-purpose flour. If you don’t have pastry flour, use only all-purpose. The gnocchi will be a little firmer but still delicious.  Add 1 1/4 cups of flour initially. If the potatoes are boiled, or the kitchen is warm and humid, you will likely need the additional 1/4 cup.  If the potatoes are baked, and it is a low humidity day, no extra flour is needed.
How Do I Make The Homemade Gnocchi?
Cook the potatoes. Either peel and boil, or bake. Once the potatoes are cooked, let them cool, then rice them with a potato ricer. (click here for a potato ricer) Whisk the egg with the salt and drizzle over the riced potatoes. Gently mix the egg into the potatoes by tossing with a fork or your fingers. Finally, sprinkle 1-1/4 cups of the flour on the potato egg mixture and again toss with a fork to coat or your fingers.  Gentle is the key in making gnocchi. Bring the mixture together to form a soft dough and knead a few times. Add the additional 1/4 of a cup of flour if the dough is extra sticky.  Rest the dough for 20 minutes.Â
Shaping The Homemade Gnocchi:
Cut a piece of dough off and form a long log, 1/2-inch in diameter. Cut the log into 1-inch segments. These pieces of gnocchi can be cooked without further shaping. However, if you want to shape them into the traditional shape, use a gnocchi board or fork.  To shape the gnocchi, press gently on the gnocchi while rolling it down the fork or board. This creates the groves in the gnocchi.Â
Cooking the Homemade Gnocchi:
Fill a 3-quart kettle with water and bring to a boil. Add 1 tsp. of salt and cook the gnocchi in batches. About 10-12 gnocchi at a time. When the gnocchi floats to the surface of the water, it is cooked. Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Â
Extra homemade gnocchi can be frozen prior to cooking. Freeze on a sheet pan in a single layer. Keep the gnocchi pieces separated.  Once frozen, vacuum pack or place in a ziplock freezer bag. Vacuum packed gnocchi will keep up to 6 months in the freezer. Gnocchi in a ziplock bag will keep for 1-2 months.
Roasting the Butternut Squash. Â
Roast the butternut squash while you make the homemade gnocchi.  Peel, dice, and toss the pieces with fresh or dried herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary, and parsley), garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.  Roast at 425 degrees for 1 hour or until soft and tender. Click here, to read my blog on Herb Roasted Butternut Squash for a detailed explanation. Â
How To Make Sage Browned Butter:
Sometimes pictures/ movies are better than explanations. For the sage browned butter this is true.  Click here to read my blog.
Putting It All Together:
Put the roasted squash in a large serving bowl. Add the cooked homemade gnocchi and sage browned butter. Gently toss to evenly distribute the gnocchi and squash, and coat them with the browned butter. Serve immediately. Â
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Equipment
- This page contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click a link, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you
- gnocchi board
- Potato Ricer
Ingredients
Gnocchi
- 1 lb russet potatoes 3 medium potatoes if you peel and boil them. If you bake them and scoop them out, use 4 medium potatoes. (213g)
- 1½ cup flour all-purpose (180g)
- 1 large egg
- ½ tsp salt
Herb Roasted Butternut Squash
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp sage fresh minced
- 2 lbs butternut squash peeled and cubed (900g)
- salt and pepper to taste
Sage Browned Butter
- 8 tbsp butter (113g)
- 3 tbsp fresh sage ribbons packed
Instructions
- To adjust the portions, click on the number of serving, and a slider will pop up. Adjusting the slider up or down will automatically recalculate the amount needed for each ingredient.
- Bake the potatoes until soft, and scoop them out. (see notes) Alternately; peel and boil potatoes until soft. Drain, let dry and cool before you start to roast the squash or make the gnocchi.
Roasted Butternut squash
- Toss all the ingredients together until the squash is evenly coated. Roast at 425°F for 45 minutes or until squash is fork-tender. Make the gnocchi while the squash is roasting.
Gnocchi
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour.
- Rice the potatoes onto a sheet pan with a potato ricer.
- Beat the egg with the salt and mix it into the potatoes with a fork.
- Sprinkle the potatoes with 1 1/4 cup of the flour and gently knead to mix. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Add more flour if needed. (see notes) Cover and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
- Cut a piece of dough off with a bench knife, and roll it to form a long rope 1/2-inch in diameter.
- Cut the rope into pieces 1-inch long.
- Use a gnocchi roller or fork to give the gnocchi its classic shape. The gnocchi can also be cooked without being shaped.
- To cook the gnocchi: Bring a pot of water to boil, add a tsp of salt to the boiling water. Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water. Cook in small batches (see notes)
- When the gnocchi floats to the surface of the water, it is cooked. Use a slotted spoon to remove the gnocchi from the boiling water.
- The gnocchi can be frozen on a sheet pan and then vacuum packed for storage for up to 6 months. Alternately, store the frozen gnocchi in a ziplock freezer bag for up to a month.
Sage Browned Butter (see notes)
- Watch the video in the blog, on how to make sage browned butter
Assembly
- Put the roasted squash in a large serving bowl. Add the gnocchi and sage browned butter. Gently toss to evenly distribute the gnocchi with the squash, and coat them with the browned butter. Serve immediately. Â
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Fabulous recipe! Loved the combination of gnocchi and butternut squash with the brown butter sage!! I couldn’t quit eating it – so good!
Thanks – I’m glad you loved it.
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