Butternut Squash Gnocchi and Sausage

This Butternut Squash Gnocchi and Sausage is one of my favorite fall comfort meals. Butternut squash, brown butter and sage are simply just three flavors that go together perfectly during the fall. Add in some ground sausage and pillowy potato gnocchi for a filling and balanced meal that your family is sure to love.

When I served this to my toddlers they rejected it, but once I got them to try the gnocchi in the brown butter sauce they were hooked! I have used both frozen cubed butternut squash and fresh squash for this recipe. If you’re looking for another fall pasta to make with butternut squash, try this easy butternut squash pasta sauce!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy weeknight eating – This butternut squash gnocchi is so easy to make and it is a complete meal! It’s packed with protein, veggies and carbs for a filling and delicious dinner.
• Perfect fall flavors – Nothing says fall like butternut squash, sage, and brown butter! These flavors make the best fall comfort food.
• One pan meal – Everything goes into one pan to keep this dish easy and quick to clean up.

For another super easy weeknight dinner, try this pancetta pasta recipe.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Ground pork sausage – I used mild Italian but you could use spicy, or another flavor if you would like.
• Butternut squash – I prefer to use frozen to keep it super easy rather than peeling and dicing my own
• Salted butter – make sure to use salted butter for the best results on your brown butter. If you use unsalted butter, add a teaspoon salt
• Kosher salt, crushed red pepper, and cinnamon – this simple spice blend provides a ton of flavor and a little bit of spice for your gnocchi
• Potato gnocchi – gnocchi is my favorite pasta for this recipe because it is so creamy and creates the perfect texture
• Fresh sage leaves – a bit of fresh sage is the perfect garnish for this dish

Ingredient Substitutions

Instead of pork sausage, you could use chicken sausage or even ground turkey or ground beef. If you use unseasoned meat, be sure to add some seasoning to bring out some extra flavor.

I love butternut squash for this dish, but you could also make it with pumpkin instead. If you are using fresh butternut squash, cut it into squash halves and diced into equal pieces, about half-inch pieces. Then roast on a baking sheet with parchment paper in the oven until the flesh is tender. For a smoother sauce, blend in a food processor with chicken stock for a butternut squash puree and add that to the pan.

If you don’t have gnocchi, you could also use a ravioli or tortellini instead. You can use a classic pasta noodle as well, but the texture won’t be quite as creamy. For a gluten-free dinner, be sure to use a gluten free pasta. You can also make a vegan version by omitting the sausage, and using vegan butter and vegan parmesan.

For a bit of extra aromatics, you could saute garlic and shallot in a bit of olive oil before cooking the sausage.

How to make this easy butternut Squash and gnocchi dish

Step 1: Brown the Sausage and butter

Heat large skillet over medium heat and add ground sausage to the pan. Brown and break into crumbles (Image 1). Once fully cooked – remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and add the butter to brown.

Prepare the brown butter – place a stick of salted butter in the skillet over medium low heat. Allow the butter to melt completely. Whisk occasionally until the top of the melted butter looks foamy (Image 2). Once it looks foamy, whisk constantly until you start to see small brown flecks at the bottom of the pan and immediately reduce the heat to low.

Step 2: Steam Squash and add pasta

While you cook the brown butter, steam the butternut squash – I usually do this in the microwave. Prepare a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil for cooking the gnocchi.

Add the steamed butternut squash to the skillet with the brown butter sauce (Image 3). Increase heat to medium low, toss to coat and season with salt, red pepper and cinnamon. Add the cooked sausage crumbles to the pan (Image 4).

Continue tossing and simmering the squash and sausage as the gnocchi boils.

Add cooked gnocchi directly into the skillet along with the sage ribbons. Toss to combine everything evenly. Serve immediately and sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese.

Storage, reheating and Freezing

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, put the butternut squash gnocchi in the microwave or on the stove until warmed through.

To freeze, place in a freezer safe container before baking and cover tightly. Bake directly from frozen covered at 325F for a half hour to an hour.