Fall Sheet Pan Gnocchi And Squash Bake Recipe

There are few things more comforting on a cold fall evening than pulling a warm dish out of the oven. This fall sheet pan gnocchi and squash bake, with its tender textures and sweet, savory, and roasty flavors, will fill your kitchen with tempting autumnal scents. With the brown-butter-fried sage and a rich, creamy white wine sauce, this sheet-pan dish might be the best way to eat pasta.

According to Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table, this gnocchi and squash bake combines the humble concept of a pasta bake with sophisticated fall flavors. It's rich and creamy, and the gnocchi and butternut squash maintain their shapes rather than turning into a mushy mess. But the thing that really pulls this flavorful and satisfying dish together is the crispy sage, brown butter, and white wine sauce. 

Coated in this layered pasta sauce, the dish comes together like a dream that needs nothing else to feel complete, except maybe a glass of that white wine beside it. Make it for a solo dinner, a family weeknight meal, or even a weekend night with friends.

To make this fall-themed bake, you'll need peeled and cubed butternut squash, olive oil, and potato gnocchi of your choice. For the sauce, we will combine unsalted butter, fresh sage leaves, shallots, garlic cloves, white wine, heavy cream, sour cream, toasted pine nuts, and salt and white pepper, to taste.

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Prep a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Toss the squash with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Spread the squash on the prepared sheet and roast it at 425 F for 20 minutes.

Bring a pot of water to a boil.

Boil the gnocchi until they float, drain them, and toss them with the remaining oil.

Add the gnocchi to the sheet pan with the squash, and roast for 15 minutes until the gnocchi are golden and crispy.

Meanwhile, add the butter to a pan.

Add the whole sage leaves, and cook them on medium-low heat until the butter turns brown and the sage is crispy.

Strain the butter and return it to the pan, reserving the sage.

Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and saute until translucent.

Deglaze the pan with the wine, and cook until reduced by half.

Whisk in the creams, simmer until thickened, and season to taste.

Drizzle the sage cream sauce over the roasted gnocchi and squash.

Garnish with the crispy fried sage, the fresh sage, and pine nuts, and serve.

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If we're being honest, the step that takes the longest in this recipe is peeling and dicing all the butternut squash. Our favorite shortcut for making this on a weeknight is simply purchasing frozen squash that has already been peeled and pre-cut.

However, if you have got your hands on a beautiful squash and you can't wait to turn it into tender, roasted squash cubes for this bake, we do have some advice for how to peel and cut squash. First, use a large, sharp chef's knife and a stable cutting board for safety. Begin by slicing off both ends of the squash to create flat surfaces, then stand the squash upright and carefully peel the skin using a vegetable peeler, working from top to bottom in long strokes.

Once it's peeled, cut the squash in half where the narrow neck meets the bulbous bottom. The neck portion is easier to work with. Slice it into rounds, then cut into 1-inch cubes. For the bottom section, cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and pulp with a spoon, then slice the squash into horizontal or vertical strips before cutting into uniform cubes of about 1 inch in size.

While the creamy sauce is what pulls the dish together, this bake can definitely be made dairy-free or just lightened up. You just need a few creative replacements and a tad more cooking time.

To make it dairy-free, replace the butter with vegan butter or coconut oil when browning the sage. Substitute the heavy cream with full-fat coconut milk, which becomes equally rich and thick when reduced. You can also replace the sour cream with dairy-free versions like coconut-based sour cream, or make your own by blending soaked cashews with lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.

For lighter versions that retain the dairy element, substitute the heavy cream with half-and-half or whole milk thickened with a tablespoon of flour. Greek yogurt can replace sour cream for added protein and tang. You will need to cook it a bit longer to thicken the sauce, but it will taste great and have a similar mouthfeel to the original.

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