Butternut Squash Gnocchi #LMDConnector

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.

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Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Rich, flavourful, homemade butternut squash gnocchi. Great way to use up butternut squash from the Fall harvest!

Author: Christine McNaughton

Recipe type: Entree

Serves: 6

Prep time:  30 mins

Cook time:  45 mins

Total time:  1 hour 15 mins

Ingredients

• 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

Instructions

1. 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.
2. Wash, peel and quarter potato. Boil until tender.
3. 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.
4. 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'.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. In a pot of boiling water, cook gnocchi until they float to the surface. When they float to the surface, they are done.
8. In a heavy skillet over medium heat, cook onion and garlic in butter just until golden, stirring often, 3 to 4 minutes.
9. Add gnocchi and cook until heated through and coated with garlic and onion butter, about 5 minutes.
10. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving dish. Sprinkle parmesan and parsley.

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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:

• Do Ahead Mashed Potatoes
• Cinnamon Sugar Pull Apart Loaf
• Turkey Pot Pie with Herb Crust

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.