Gnocchi, pasta’s carbohydrate-charged cousin, can be a tricky thing to make. Although it’s typically only made with a few ingredients (potatoes, flour, seasonings and sometimes an egg or two), it takes work. You have to cook potatoes and either mash them or put them through a potato ricer (who even has one of those?) before you even think about making the dough, and ain’t nobody got time for that. In this recipe, we sub a can of pumpkin for a potato to lessen the work load and make the pasta seasonally appropriate. (Also FYI: it’s pronounced nyo-key.)

Medium

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
1 can of pumpkin puree
1 3/4 cup flour, plus extra for
1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice (or a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice)

Directions:


1. In a large bowl, mix together the can of pumpkin, 1/2 cup of flour and pumpkin pie spice.

pumpkin gnocchi

Photo by Caty Schnack

2. Add the remaining flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until the mixture is workable (you may not need the entire 1 3/4 cup of flour). When the dough is no longer really sticky and pulls apart from the bowl, stop mixing.

pumpkin gnocchi

Photo by Caty Schnack

3. Start boiling a large pot of salted water.

4. Liberally flour a work space (use a really big cutting board or a clean countertop) and top it with the dough. Knead the dough briefly by pressing into it with the heel of your hand, folding, then repeating a few more times.

pumpkin gnocchi

Photo by Caty Schnack

5. Break off a tennis-ball sized piece of dough.

pumpkin gnocchi

Photo by Caty Schnack

6. Roll the smaller of dough to about a 1/2″ thick rope.

pumpkin gnocchi

Photo by Caty Schnack

7. Cut off equal sized pieces, about 3/4″ each.

pumpkin gnocchi

Photo by Caty Schnack

8. If you want your gnocchi to look authentic, press the prongs of a fork onto each piece of gnocchi, then re-shape. This step is optional and takes a bit longer.

pumpkin gnocchi

Photo by Caty Schnack

9. Transfer the pieces to a parchment or foil-lined surface and arrange in a single layer. Repeat steps 5-8 with the remaining dough.

pumpkin gnocchi

Photo by Caty Schnack

10. Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water a few pieces at time and stir gently to make sure they don’t stick together. About a minute after the pieces rise to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon. It should take about 3 minutes to cook each batch. Repeat with the remaining gnocchi.

pumpkin gnocchi

Photo by Caty Schnack

11. Serve with brown butter and sage or your choice of sauce!

pumpkin gnocchi

Photo by Caty Schnack