Description
This comforting recipe combines pillowy gnocchi with a rich and creamy pumpkin sauce infused with garlic, shallots, fresh herbs, and topped with crispy pancetta and sage for a perfect balance of savory and seasonal flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Sauce
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium shallot, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 3 Tbsp salted butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/3 cups pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1/3 cup pasta water
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 Tbsp chopped sage
For the Pancetta and Sage
- 4 oz pancetta
- 2 pieces of crispy sage or chopped sage leaves per plate
- Additional sea salt and pepper to taste
- Extra fresh thyme leaves for topping
- 16–20 oz gnocchi
Instructions
- Prepare boiling water: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for cooking the gnocchi.
- Sauté shallot: Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add diced shallot and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly until softened.
- Add garlic and butter: Stir in grated garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add butter, and deglaze the pan by scraping up browned bits while whisking gently until the butter is melted and foamy with light browning.
- Add cream and simmer: Whisk in heavy cream and simmer for 2 minutes to blend flavors.
- Incorporate pumpkin and broth: Stir in pumpkin puree, broth, sea salt, and pepper, allowing sauce to clump slightly; simmer on medium heat for 3 minutes.
- Add cream cheese and herbs: Reduce heat to low, mix in cream cheese until melted and fully incorporated, then add fresh thyme and chopped sage. Let simmer gently for 5 minutes.
- Cook gnocchi: Add gnocchi to boiling water and cook for 2 minutes or until they start to float. Use a slotted spoon to remove.
- Finish sauce: Stir pasta water into the sauce and simmer 2 more minutes to reach desired consistency. Remove from heat and add cooked gnocchi to the sauce, mixing gently.
- Cook pancetta: In a small skillet, cook pancetta until deep red and crisp. Drain excess oil on paper towels and set aside.
- Make crispy sage: In the same skillet with pancetta grease (add 1 Tbsp olive oil if needed), cook sage leaves over medium-low heat until darkened and curling, about 30 seconds per side. Remove and drain on paper towel.
- Serve: Plate gnocchi with pumpkin sauce, topping with crispy pancetta, crispy sage leaves or chopped sage, fresh thyme leaves, and additional sea salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- If pumpkin puree is canned, opt for unsweetened and pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
- You can substitute vegetable broth to keep the dish vegetarian.
- Gnocchi cook quickly; remove as soon as they float to avoid overcooking.
- Use fresh herbs for best flavor; dried can be used but reduce quantity by half.
- To make the sage crispy, watch carefully as it browns quickly and can burn.
- Leftover sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheated gently.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Sautéing, Boiling, Simmering
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 460
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 560mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 11g
- Cholesterol: 65mg
Keywords: gnocchi, pumpkin sauce, creamy sauce, autumn recipe, Italian pasta, pancetta, sage, easy dinner
