Creamy Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Sausage, Thyme, and Sage is the ultimate Autumn comfort food. This one-pan recipe takes only 40 minutes to make! Simple and quick enough to make on a busy weeknight. Creamy and flavorful to become your family's new favorite Fall dinner!
Butternut Squash Gnocchi
What can be better than potato gnocchi smothered in a flavorful creamy sauce that is incredibly easy to make? Let me introduce you to the creamy butternut squash gnocchi made with spicy Italian sausage, fresh sage, and thyme. This incredibly easy recipe comes together in just 40 minutes. It's a delicious Autumn comfort food that will make any cold evening warm and cozy.
Note: the 40 minutes total preparation and cooking time assumes that you have already prepared the butternut squash puree in advance. I recommend that you roast the butternut squash and puree it in advance.
This recipe was inspired by my butternut squash tortellini - another Fall favorite recipe that you might like.
What type of gnocchi to use?
I used potato gnocchi, a Delallo brand, made with 85% potatoes. They work beautifully in this recipe.
Do you need to pre-cook the gnocchi?
You don't need to pre-cook the gnocchi for this recipe. Just add the uncooked gnocchi directly to the sauce (heavy cream + chicken broth). The gnocchi will cook in the same pan with the sauce and the sausage. This saves you one more pan to clean and minimizes the cleanup.
What type of sausage to use with gnocchi?
- Italian sausage. I used 3 links of spicy Italian sausage. You can also use sweet or mild Italian sausage.
- Remove the casings. I removed the casings and sliced the sausage. You don't have to remove the casings and can slice the sausage links with casings on, but I really prefer the texture of the sausage without the casings so I recommend this step!
How to make butternut squash puree
Making butternut squash puree is easy - I have a very detailed tutorial here: how to make butternut squash puree. You will only need 1 cup of it, and it's likely you will have much more than that after roasting and pureeing the butternut squash. So, make sure to prepare it in advance. This will reduce your cooking times drastically.
1) Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit.
2) Cut the squash in 2 halves, scrape out the seeds and the fiber out of each half.
3) Place the squash on the baking sheet cut side down.
4) Roast the butternut squash in the preheated oven at 375 F for about 30 minutes. Remove it from the oven and let it cool. Flip the squash so that the cut side faces up to speed up the cooling.
5) Once the butternut squash is cooled, peel it, and scrape out the flesh to a plate.
6) Place and process butternut squash flesh in the food processor (or blender), working in batches, if necessary.
7) Process it until very smooth and almost creamy.
Now, you have the butternut squash puree ready to use in this recipe. You will need only 1 cup of it.
How to make butternut squash gnocchi (the directions)
Cook sliced sausage in a large, high-sided skillet for about 5 minutes.
To the same skillet with sausage, add uncooked potato gnocchi.
Add heavy cream and chicken stock.
Bring to a boil on medium heat and stir everything well. Cover with lid, and allow the gnocchi to cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat, while the sauce boils.
Now, add butternut squash puree and minced garlic.
Stir everything well and cook on medium heat until the gnocchi are cooked through and the sauce thickens.
Add fresh sage and fresh thyme. Season with salt and freshly ground coarse black pepper.
How to store and reheat butternut squash gnocchi
Because the sauce is made only with heavy cream, chicken broth, butternut squash puree, and without any cheese, this recipe is incredibly easy to store and reheat. It's also a great dish to make ahead.
- Fridge. Store butternut squash gnocchi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezer. Freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- Reheat in the microwave oven. Reheat the refrigerated butternut squash gnocchi in a microwave oven for about 1 minute. Taste and reheat for 30 seconds more, if needed.
- Reheat on the stovetop. You can also reheat this in a large, high-sided skillet on the stovetop on low-medium heat. When using this method, add a small amount of heavy cream, or half-and-half, or milk to thin out the sauce when reheating.
What to serve with butternut squash gnocchi
Because this recipe features a rich and luscious cream sauce, a slice of bread or a simple salad will work the best.
- Bread. Serve this with a slice of warm Italian bread, garlic bread, or olive bread loaf. If you want to venture out and make your own simple loaf - try this easy bread recipe made in a bread machine.
- Simple salad. Serve this pasta with a simple spinach salad with pine nuts and Parmesan or cranberry spinach salad with cashews and goat cheese. Or, pair the pasta with the colorful and easy-to-make arugula salad with apples, cranberries, and pecans.
Delicious butternut squash salads
If you like all things butternut squash, serve this sausage gnocchi with a delicious Autumn salad:
- Fall Salad with Butternut Squash, Arugula, Dried Figs, and Almonds
- Butternut Squash and Spinach Salad with Pecans, Cranberries, Pomegranate Seeds, and Poppy Seed Honey-Lime Dressing
Other butternut squash main course recipes
If you enjoyed this creamy butternut squash gnocchi with sausage, you might like other Fall-inspired main courses, such as these:
- Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta with Sausage and Spinach
- Creamy Ground Turkey Pasta with Butternut Squash and Spinach
- Autumn Chicken Dinner with Roasted Vegetables (Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts)
Creamy Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Sausage, Thyme, and Sage
Ingredients
- 12 oz Italian sausage casings removed (I used 3 sausage links)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 10 oz potato gnocchi
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 cup butternut squash puree
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Remove sausage from casings and slice it.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat in a large, high-sided skillet.
- Add sliced sausage and cook on medium heat for about 4 minutes on one side, without turning, to get the sausage slices browned. Flip over to the other side and cook for 2 more minutes.
- To the same skillet with sausage, add uncooked potato gnocchi, heavy cream, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil on medium heat and stir everything well. Cover with lid, and allow the gnocchi to cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat, while the sauce boils.
- To the same pan with gnocchi and sausage, add butternut squash puree, and minced garlic. Bring the sauce to a boil on medium heat, reduce to low-medium heat, stir everything well. Cook for about 3 or more minutes. Make sure the gnocchi are cooked through, the garlic is cooked to your liking, and the sauce thickens. Cook longer if you would like a thicker sauce. Remove from heat.
- Stir in half of the fresh sage and half of the fresh thyme. Season with salt and freshly ground coarse black pepper.
- Tip: use your best judgment about the salt. If the sausage is salty enough, you might not need to add any extra salt.
- When serving, top with the remaining half of the fresh sage and the remaining half of the fresh thyme.
Notes
- The total cooking time does not include the time required for roasting the butternut squash and making the butternut squash puree. I recommend that you do that in advance.
- Because you will be roasting whole butternut squash, you will have more than you need (1 cup) for this recipe. Refrigerate or freeze the leftover butternut squash puree in an airtight container.
- If using dried thyme, use ½ teaspoon of dried thyme (not powdered) or ¼ teaspoon of powdered dried thyme.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Putting the garlic in raw made it way too strong. I recommend changing up the order a little and cooking the garlic and herbs in the pan after you cook the sausage then removing them from the pan while you mix the cream, stock and squash then adding everything back together and letting the gnocchi cook in the sauce. Gives much more depth of flavor and no raw garlic taste.
Thank you for your feedback, Elle! You shared some great helpful tips - I appreciate it!
Wonderful recipe. Do you think half fat creme fraiche would work in this instead of cream?
Hi Gareth, yes, you can definitely stir in the half-and-half or crème fraîche into the sauce at the end—it will blend beautifully.
Curious if you think cauliflower gnocchi would be substantial enough to hold up in the recipe as against using potato gnocchi?
Hi Jean! To be safe, I’d cook the cauliflower gnocchi separately from the sauce and add them at the end, using one of these methods:
1) Toss the frozen gnocchi with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, shaking or flipping halfway through.
2) Sauté in olive oil until they begin to brown instead of boiling. You can also defrost in the microwave, then pan-fry with butter until golden and slightly crispy.
Taste absolutely amazing, but it didn’t make very much, so I would recommend doubling the recipe (:
So glad you enjoyed it, Cinda. And, thanks for taking the time to share your revew!! 🙂
This lacked flavor. I had to add so much salt just to feel something. The sausage left an oily film on everything even after I rendered the fat. My boyfriend loves me because of my cooking and his dish made him threaten to leave. “This dish made me feel orally abused” he said as he stormed out. Hard pass.
Oh wow! What brand and what kind of sausage did you use??
This had very little flavor and not enough squash flavor. I added an entire additional can of pumpkin puree because that is what I had on hand. I also added about 1/2 cup of parmesan. I added spinach.
Nice additions!
Yes!! I buy a bag of chopped kale from Trader Joe's and add it right after the sausage cooks. I then follow the rest of the recipe as written. It helps give it some flavor and then a little time to cook/soften. Adds a delicious little something!
I love the addition of kale, Gillian! ❤️
Has anyone tired adding a veggie to this? Chopped kale or green beans? I’m not sure exactly how I’d do it.
I suggest adding the spinach or kale in step 5, after you’ve mixed the butternut squash puree with the liquid ingredients.
You can also add mushrooms. I recommend sautéing them first, then removing them from the skillet. Continue with the rest of the recipe and add the mushrooms back in towards the end. Alternatively, you can add cook the mushrooms together with the sauce when you add gnocchi.
This is so good! The herbs are so flavorful, the creaminess of the heavy cream is so rich and the sausage compliments the other flavors so well. My husband and I will definitely make this again.
Thank you, Debby, for your wonderful review! 🙂
I found this recipe last fall, and fell in love. I was sad this fall, because our family switched to keto in the spring. But I've found keto subs that are near perfect, and can't wait to have it again this fall. Just a lower carb, keto version. Thank you for such a terrific recipe!
It's amazing that you can make this keto! So glad you've been enjoying this recipe since last fall. 🙂
I found this recipe a couple years ago and it immediately became a staple fall meal in my house! We look forward to it as soon as the fall weather hits. I always use apple chicken sausage.
So happy to hear it's a Fall favorite for you, Marreah! 🙂
I stumbled upon this recipe last fall and have been making it frequently ever since. It is simply AMAZING! It is also now my go-to meal for friends/meal trains and I always get asked for the recipe. Sometimes I substitute chicken sausage which is great as well.
Oh wow, Maggie, I am so very flattered! Thank you very much for your wonderful review! 🙂
So yummy! I’ve made it as is but only have maple sausage on hand. Can I use that instead?
Hi Hannah, yes, I think sweeter maple sausage will pair well with sweet butternut squash sauce.
Made this dish last thanksgiving and it came out amazing! Everyone still begs me to make it again.
Roman, I am so flattered! 🙂 Thank you for such a nice review!
Honestly I have never left a comment on a recipe… this is my first, here’s to you Julia, this recipe is beyond amazing! This is my second time making it and the flavours are just out of this world! I have not been confident enough to host a dinner party in our new home yet, but my husband and I agree it needs to happen with this on our menu to wow our guests!
Wow, Elora, your comment really made my day! 🙂 This is definitely a great recipe to share with guests!
Omg!! So happy I found this recipe! My husband made this and it turned out phenomenal! Loved the flavors and even my 3 year old son loved this! New favorite fall/winter meal! Thank you for sharing!
Taylor, I am so happy you found this recipe, too, and that everyone loved it! Butternut squash is one of my favorite veggies!
It says chicken broth on the ingredients but in the written recipe it says chicken stock, which would be better?
Hi Sophia! You can use either, but I think chicken broth is more flavorful!