This gnocchi has all the funky Fall flavor and is perfect for a seasonal meal. This is Gnocchi with Pumpkin Sauce and sausage topped with gorgonzola.
Looking for more creamy pumpkin recipes? Try our Creamy Pumpkin Pasta or White Bean Pumpkin Chili!
A Quick Look at The Recipe
- ✅Recipe Name: Gnocchi with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce and Gorgonzola
- ⏲️Ready in: 45 minutes
- 👪Makes: 6 servings
- 📋Main ingredients: Mild Italian sausage, pumpkin puree, gnocchi, and gorgonzola.
- ⭐Why You'll Love This Recipe: This recipe personifies Fall and is the funkiest pumpkin pasta sauce recipe you'll ever taste.
Have a question about the recipe? Ask Ai!
Jump to:
Would you like to save this recipe?
I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Why This Recipe
It's Fall, and it is my wife's favorite season of the year. Yeah, it's basic, but we all have our favorite things. So, in the Fall, I love to make all the fun Autumn recipes like this gnocchi with pumpkin sauce, Bourbon Candied Pecans, or Roasted Carrots and Fennel!
The browned butter combined with sage and caramelized pumpkin puree is like a universal flavor that basically describes this time of year. This pasta dish is comforting, hearty, and cozy, filled with some Italian favorites like gorgonzola and a mild Italian sausage!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Pumpkin gnocchi. I used pumpkin gnocchi, but you can substitute whatever gnocchi you have. If you want to try it with pumpkin gnocchi, just follow our guide on How to Make Pumpkin Gnocchi!
- Pumpkin Puree. Canned pumpkin puree is already roasted and tastes no better or worse than fresh pumpkin puree. It's not worth the time or effort to make your own. I'm an "Always from Scratch" guy, and I promise this is the way!
- Mild Italian Sausage. I like to use a mild Italian sausage or a sweet Italian sausage. You can make your own ground sausage with Homemade Italian Sausage Seasoning.
- Gorgonzola. This is a very funky flavor, obviously, but I love it. Of course, you could delete the funk from this recipe and substitute something else to make it creamy, like mascarpone or gruyere, but gorgonzola makes this recipe special.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on the ingredients.
How to make Gnocchi with Pumpkin Sauce
*See the numbered instructions below!
Step 1: Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the pan with olive oil. Once hot, remove the casing from the sausage and break it apart while adding it to the pan. Sear the sausage untouched until they develop a crust.
Step 2: Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage until browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the sausage and set it aside.
In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and boil the gnocchi until they begin to float.
Step 3: Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the butter to the pan. Once the butter stops bubbling, add the sage and garlic to saute. Stir often until the garlic begins to brown.
Step 4: Remove the sage and garlic. Add the pumpkin to the pan. Stir the pumpkin well to caramelize in the pan for about 2-3 minutes. Ladle a cup of pasta water from the gnocchi into the pan and combine well with the pumpkin.
Step 5: Then add the gnocchi to the pan. Toss with the sauce and season with salt.
Step 6: Stir in the gorgonzola. Gently stir to combine and melt the gorgonzola without breaking the gnocchi.
Step 7: Stir the sausage back into the pasta and serve with extra gorgonzola.
Serve the Gnocchi with Pumpkin Sauce as the main dish or add a side vegetable that perfectly pairs with this one, like Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts or Italian Lacinato Kale Recipe (Tuscan)!
Pro-Tips
- Sear the sausage untouched until it develops a crust. The more you stir the sausage, the more it will steam instead of getting a crusted edge. The crust will add flavor to the sauce.
- Remove the sage and garlic from the pan after it has sauteed in the pan. It will flavor the butter but you don't need it for the final dish.
- All gnocchi is different. Whether it is fresh or frozen, the rule of thumb is that once it floats, it's done.
- The pasta water from the gnocchi will make up the sauce. Use it to add to the pumpkin puree and butter to make the sauce while tossing everything with gnocchi.
- Gently stir the gnocchi when you add it back to the pan and when you stir it with sausage and gorgonzola. It can easily break apart if stirred too rough.
Recipe FAQs
Combining caramelized pumpkin puree and pasta water and simmering it with the gnocchi will create a silky pumpkin sauce!
No, sausage will make it more filling, but if you choose not to use it you could either substitute it with pancetta or skip that step altogether.
Yes, any short pasta will work, like rigatoni or penne.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Please leave a comment and star rating below in the recipe card! I love to hear what you think of our recipes. Feel free to tag us on Instagram @vindelgiudice.
📖 Recipe
Gnocchi with Pumpkin Sauce
Equipment
- 1 large pot
- 1 large saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 lb gnocchi
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
- 8 sage leaves
- ½ cup gorgonzola
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Place a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the pan with olive oil. Once hot, remove the casing from the sausage and break it apart while adding it to the pan. Sear the sausage untouched until they develop a crust. Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage until browned.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and boil the gnocchi until it begins to float.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the sausage and set it aside. Lower the heat to medium-low. Add the butter to the pan. Once the butter stops bubbling, Add the sage and garlic to saute. Stir often until the garlic begins to brown.
- Remove the sage and garlic. Add the pumpkin to the pan. Stir the pumpkin well to caramelize in the pan for about 2-3 minutes. Ladle a cup of pasta water from the gnocchi into the pan and combine well with the pumpkin. Season with salt.
- Then add the gnocchi to the pan. Combine well with the sauce and stir in the gorgonzola. Gently stir to combine and melt the gorgonzola without breaking the gnocchi.
- Stir the sausage back into the pasta and serve with extra gorgonzola.
Notes
- Sear the sausage untouched until it develops a crust. The more you stir the sausage, the more it will steam instead of getting a crusted edge. The crust will add flavor to the sauce.
- Remove the sage and garlic from the pan after it has sauteed in the pan. It will flavor the butter but you don't need it for the final dish.
- All gnocchi is different. Whether it is fresh or frozen, the rule of thumb is that once it floats, it's done.
- The pasta water from the gnocchi will make up the sauce. Use it to add to the pumpkin puree and butter to make the sauce while tossing everything with gnocchi.
- Gently stir the gnocchi when you add it back to the pan and when you stir it with sausage and gorgonzola. It can easily break apart if stirred too rough.
Vincent DelGiudice says
A favorite Fall dish of my wife's! Our family loves this one and the kids enjoy it too. Try it and leave a review!