Butternut Squash Gnocchi – The Recipe ReDux

If you need a last minute holiday gift for your favorite food lover, this month’s Recipe ReDux theme has you covered – we all are sharing our favorite kitchen tool/appliance and a favorite recipe we prepare using said kitchen gadget.

One of my most cherished kitchen tools (which makes a great stocking stuffer) is my Classic Microplane Zester Grater (affiliate link.) I use it for zesting citrus fruits, grating fresh ginger and more often than not, grating whole nutmeg.

I haven’t bought ground nutmeg in years – if you have a microplane, grating your own is as quick as measuring out the stuff from the spice jar and it’s so much fresher (—> where to buy whole nutmeg (affiliate link.) I routinely add freshly ground nutmeg to:

• steamed milk
• smoothies
• oatmeal
• almost any baked good
• applesauce
• roasted root veggies
• sautéed greens (so so good with spinach!)
• pretty much any recipe that calls for cinnamon

Enter Butternut Squash Gnocchi.

Back in my single days (seriously, what did I do with all my time back then?), I regularly made pumpkin gnocchi, which may sound intimidating but it has only 4 ingredients: canned pumpkin, flour, nutmeg and salt. That’s it.

It’s been years since I’ve made gnocchi but with this ReDux challenge and a big old butternut squash in my CSA share, I figured it was time. I roasted the squash with equal parts cinnamon, nutmeg and smoked paprika, puréed it and then added in some more nutmeg with the flour and salt when mixing it all together.

And speaking of kitchen tools, I pulled out this gem that I got from my Nana’s shore house but have never used. It’s a wooden board with groves for making the indentations in the gnocchi before you plop it in boiling water to cook (which only takes about 5 minutes.)

I served them simply  – with tomato sauce and Pecerino cheese. And I froze the extras to give to my sister for Christmas.

Butternut Squash Gnocchi

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• Author: by Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD
• Yield: 6 servings 1x

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Description

Gnocchi is the easiest pasta to make at home! This butternut squash gnocchi is the perfect dish for colder weather.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 20 ounces cubed butternut squash (about 3 cups)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt & pepper
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Tomato sauce
• Grated cheese like Pecorino Romano or Parmesan

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Instructions

1. To prepare the butternut squash, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a roasting pan, toss squash, olive oil, cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Roast in oven for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
3. Add butternut squash to food processor or blender with about 1/4 cup water. Purée until smooth (add a few more tablespoons of water if too thick.)
4. To make gnocchi, mix butternut squash puree, flour, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Mix well until a slightly sticky dough is formed. Roll out onto a floured surface. Divide dough into 4 balls. Roll each ball into 12-inch long “ropes.” Cut each rope into 1/2-inch pieces.
5. Roll each piece down a wooden gnocchi board or along the back of a fork. Place each piece on a floured tray until ready to cook. (At this point, you can freeze the individual pieces for 1 hour and then place them all in a plastic bag in the freezer for future use.)
6. To cook gnocchi, gently place in boiling, salted water and cook for about 5 minutes (gnocchi will rise to the surface as they are done cooking.)
7. Serve with tomato sauce and grated cheese.

So, thanks to ReDux, my microplane and Nana, I’m back to gnocchi making.