Winter months for me mean comfort foods and keeping warm! Stews, chili, soups…all favourites in our home this time of the year. As soon as the weather gets cooler and the air crisp, I go into soup and stew-making mode! One of our favourites is curried butternut squash soup inspired by my trusty Moosewood Vegetarian Cookbook (my cooking ‘bible’ when I was in college and university).
Most parents think my five-year old is a little odd because she LOVES vegetables, fruit and protein, yet shies away from bread products and heavy carbs. The kid eats everything from okra, seaweed, fish, kelp, kale, liver, etc…but won’t eat pizza crust or pie crust! She loves the idea of cakes and desserts, but won’t eat the actual cake part! For whatever reason she doesn’t seem like like those things, I think she’s smart. I just wish I didn’t love pasta and potatoes as much as I do…especially in the Winter!
I’m glad that even if Little One doesn’t eat bread products, she does love her pasta! We still have lots of squash from our Fall harvest, so I thought I’d make some Butternut Squash Gnocchi.

- 1 butternut squash (1 lb squash)
- 1 medium-sized potato, washed, peeled, and quartered
- ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated and divided
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- black pepper
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- Garlic & Onion Butter
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- parsley to garnish
- Grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top of gnocchi
- Wash, peel and cut butternut squash into 2 inch chunks (it cooks faster this way). In a heavy pot, boil squash until tender. Alternatively, you can bake the squash in the oven if you have time.
- Wash, peel and quarter potato. Boil until tender.
- Let quash and potato cool completely. You can puree the squash and use a potato ricer for the potato, but I used a potato masher and mashed the squash and potato well.
- In a large bowl, mix squash, potato, parmesan cheese and egg together. Add salt and pepper. Gradually, add flour and mix it it into the puree/mash, creating the 'dough'.
- The dough is very sticky, so add flour as needed. I chilled my dough for 30 min to make it easier to work with. You don't have to though. Make sure to flour your working surface well. Don't over knead your dough.
- Divide your dough into 6 sections. Make 1 inch thick ropes and cut into 1 inch segments. With floured hands, roll segments into balls and with a fork, use the tines to roll against the gnocchi, leaving ridge-like designs.
- In a pot of boiling water, cook gnocchi until they float to the surface. When they float to the surface, they are done.
- In a heavy skillet over medium heat, cook onion and garlic in butter just until golden, stirring often, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add gnocchi and cook until heated through and coated with garlic and onion butter, about 5 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle parmesan and parsley.
This butternut squash gnocchi is a favourite comfort food of ours. Check out the Life Made Delicious site for some great recipes for the family. I’ve had my eye on these and many more recipes:
What are some of your favourite comfort foods in the cooler months?
Disclosure: I am part of the Life Made Delicious blogger program and I receive special perks as a part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.
I love cooking with squash, but I’m not the biggest fan of gnocchi unfortunately. This looks delicious though and I might try it with pasta.
I have yet to cook with butternut squash. This recipe has all the ingredients I usually like, I think it is about time to try it.
I would love to try this. I love gnocchi and I love sweet potato so this should be amazing!
I love squash and this seems very tasty, but I made gnocchi once before and they didn’t turn out they were very heavy and chewy, I would love to try this but I’m scared I would wreck it
MM I love sqash.. Thanks for sharing
Thanks, Darrah! Let me know if you try the recipe 😉