Name: Sausage Gnocchi with Pumpkin Cream Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1-2 lbs sausage; 1 small onion (chopped); 4-6 cloves garlic (minced); salt and pepper (to taste); 2 tbsp Italian seasoning; 4 cups pumpkin purée; 2 16 oz boxes of gnocchi; 1 cup heavy cream; 1 tsp garlic powder; 2 cups spinach (chopped); parmesan (to serve)

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sausage and spinach gnocchi with pumpkin cream sauce in a cast iron skillet

This delicious sausage gnocchi with pumpkin cream sauce will take your pumpkin obsession to a whole new level!

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This recipe is not only absolutely delicious, but is also a great way to sneak extra veggies into your kids (or your) diet.

Last week I showed how to make homemade pumpkin purée, so I wanted to show you this week that not only can you use canned pumpkin for sweet things, but for savory too!

Tools You May Need

cutting board
sharp knife
garlic press
cast iron skillet
dutch oven or large pot
cheese grater
wooden spoon

Ingredients

2 boxes of gnocchi, a wedge of parmesan cheese, glass of heavy cream, container of spinach, 2 lbs of sausage, an onion, head of garlic, glass jars of salt, pepper and Italian seasoning on a counter

1-2 lbs sausage
1 small onion, chopped
4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
2 T. Italian seasoning
4 c. (2 cans) pumpkin purée
2 16oz boxes of gnocchi
1 c. heavy cream
1 t. garlic powder
2 c. spinach, chopped
Parmesan cheese to serve

I will add that you absolutely do not have to add 2 lbs of meat to this. I have a pretty large family to feed, so I typically use more meat. Plus, William really loves meaty sauces and I love him, so I aim to please.

Directions

Pumpkin Cream Sauce

a red dutch oven filled halfway with water and a cast iron skillet on a stove

Prep your stove by warming your cast skillet and pot of water while you chop your onion and garlic.

sausage and chopped onion in a cast iron skillet on a stove

Add your sausage, onion and a little salt and pepper.

garlic cloves next to a garlic press on a cutting board

After the sausage and onion have been cooking for about 5 minutes, add your fresh garlic. I prefer using a garlic press to make sure the garlic is really small.

Someone…I won’t name names…rhymes with Smilliam…doesn’t like biting into a tiny hunk of garlic. The press makes that not happen.

sausage, onion and garlic in a skillet with a wooden spoon on a stove

If you don’t have fresh, just use garlic powder. For this amount of garlic, which is a pretty decent amount, I would use about 1-2 t. of garlic powder if you’re replacing the fresh with powder.

a hand holding a jar of italian seasoning above a skillet full of sausage, onions and garlic

After the sausage is browned, add half of the Italian seasoning.

pumpkin puree on top of sausage mixture in a cast iron skillet

Add in the pumpkin purée, stir the combine.

heavy cream being poured into a skillet of sausage and pumpkin mixture

Pour in your heavy cream and add in the rest of the Italian seasoning. You can add more or less cream depending on how creamy you like your sauce.

hand holding a jar of garlic powder over a skillet with pumpkin cream sauce

This is the perfect time to also taste and see if you need more salt and pepper and add in the garlic powder. If you don’t like a lot of garlic, you may want to skip this step.

spinach sprinkled over a skillet filled with pumpkin cream sauce

Add your spinach.

Parent tip: If your kids don’t like spinach, chop it up very finely. They will think it’s fresh herbs. Haha!

How to cook Gnocchi

bowl of boiling water with uncooked gnocchi

By now the water should be at a boil. Salt the boiling water and add the gnocchi.

dutch oven filled with boiling water and cooked floating gnocchi

The gnocchi is done with it floats on top of the water.

sausage gnocchi in pumpkin cream sauce in a skillet

Add the gnocchi to the sauce. Stir to combine.

If you have picky eaters, go ahead and plate their food.

sausage gnocch with spinachi in pumpkin cream sauce in a skillet

Top with freshly grated parmesan and add some more spinach if you’re a spinach eater like me.

sausage and spinach gnocchi with pumpkin cream sauce topped with parmesan on a plate with a slice of bread

Bon appetit! This sausage gnocchi with pumpkin cream sauce is absolutely delicious and a savory way to use homemade pumpkin purée.

What’s your favorite way to use pumpkin puree? Comment down below!

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