Gnocchi with Kabocha and Brown Butter

Kashi Bhagat

This recipe for pan-fried gnocchi with a kabocha puree and brown butter sage sauce is a favorite of mine because of how it delivers that “wow” factor, but is actually quite easy to pull off. Now that the weather is getting colder, warming spices and fall flavors like squash and sage are guaranteed to be a hit, whether you’re cooking for yourself or for a crowd. I’ve also included various substitutions and alterations to the recipe in order to fit a vegan diet, or no blending! 

Ingredients (serves 2): 

- 1 package of gnocchi, either shelf-stable or frozen 

- One medium kabocha squash, cut into cubes 

- 3 tbsp olive oil 

- One bunch of sage 

- 2 tbsp butter (can substitute vegan butter) 

- 1tsp red pepper flakes 

- 1tsp garam masala (or any warming spices you may have, e.g. cinnamon, clove, black pepper) 

- a heavy pinch of salt and pepper 

- ¼ cup of broth (any kind will do, I used vegetable broth) 

- 2 tbsp cream (for a vegan substitute, soak a few cashews in hot water and then blend, or use barista grade oat milk) 

1. Preheat your oven to 400F 

2. Start by boiling a large, salted pot of water for your gnocchi. If your gnocchi does not require boiling, skip this step and go straight to pan frying. 

3. Cut a kabocha squash into cubes. If you do not have a blender or food processor, cut the kabocha into very small cubes to make them easier to mash. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, and your warming spices. 

4. Evenly spread the squash on a baking sheet and bake, flipping halfway, for 30 minutes. 

5. In the meantime, fry your sage. Melt your butter on low heat, waiting for it to start crackling and foaming. This means that water is starting to evaporate from the butter, which allows the milk solids to toast. Make sure you smell your butter as you stir it frequently. When it starts to smell nutty, add your sage leaves. Make sure they are patted dry to prevent hot butter from splashing! 

6. Swirl the pan with the sage leaves constantly in order for them to cook. When the sage leaves start to look crispy, remove them from the pan onto a paper towel lined dish. Make sure to reserve your brown butter in the pan. Gently pat the sage leaves dry and set aside. In the meantime, drop your gnocchi into the boiling water and wait until they float to the top. Once they do, transfer them to the pan and crisp them on both sides. 

7. Once the gnocchi and sage leaves are crisped, turn the heat off the pan and set it aside. 8. Once the squash is ready, remove from the oven. In a blender or food processor, puree the squash, then slowly add the olive oil and parmesan cheese. If the puree is too thick, add some hot broth and a splash of cream. If you do not have a blender, you can mash the squash by hand, but it may not be as smooth (which is okay!)

9. Warm the squash puree on the stove until it bubbles. Taste and adjust seasoning. (In order to minimize dishes, I pour out some of the pasta water and keep ~3 tbsp of it in the pot, then I add the puree and cook it down) 

10. To plate: Add puree and then arrange pan-fried gnocchi on top. You don’t want to completely cover the gnocchi to preserve maximum crispiness. Then, arrange the sage leaves on top of the gnocchi, and pour some of the extra brown butter on top of the whole dish. Enjoy!

The final dish