Yes, I'm still at it... sneaking squash into thing. :) I was amazed how easy this was to make, and although the kids were a little disappointed that they weren't the "chicken nuggets" that they thought they were, they still ate them up. (It's ok... you can admit that you had the same thought. :) The garlic sage butter was a little strong. I think they would taste the best with a creamy sauce or in a soup. We actually put ours into our creamy tomato soup and it was quite delicious. Just another fun way to sneak in those veggies. :)
Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Garlic Butter and Sage Sauce
For the gnocchi:
3lb butternut squash (I think just about any kind of squash would do. I used acorn. I would definitely recommend following my tip below and slow cooking it. Super easy!)
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, whisked
2-1/4 cups flour, plus more for rolling
For the Garlic Butter & Sage Sauce (for two, 1-cup
servings):
2 Tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove, minced
7-8 leaves fresh sage, chopped
salt & pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pierce bulb end of butternut
squash with a sharp knife several times then microwave for 3 minutes, flipping
halfway through. Slice top and bottom off squash, then cut in half lengthwise
and remove seeds with a spoon. Place squash halves cut side up on a foil-lined
baking sheet then brush with extra virgin olive oil and season liberally with
salt and pepper. Roast for 50-60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the
thickest part of the squash meets no resistance.
When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop from peel and
place in a food processor. Process until very smooth (or mash by hand) then
place puree in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook until it is no longer
extremely moist, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spread squash puree
on a plate then refrigerate until cool (doesn’t have to be cold – but will be
more difficult to roll out.)
Measure out 2 cups cold squash then place in a large bowl
and stir in whisked egg and salt. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, and stir until
the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Turn out onto a heavily floured
surface and knead until dough comes together. (Dough might be sticky, just keep
flouring hands lightly.
Remove large hunks of the dough then roll into a rope and
cut into 1″ sections to form the gnocchi. Place onto a wax paper or foil-lined
baking sheet and freeze until solid then transfer to a freezer bag, or cook
gnocchi immediately. Cook frozen gnocchi the same as fresh (do not thaw.)
To cook gnocchi: Bring a large pot of water to a boil
then salt lightly. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then add
garlic and sage. Cook until garlic is just starting to turn golden brown.
Add 1 cup gnocchi at a time and to the salted, boiling
water, then cook at a gentle boil until gnocchi float to the top, about 2
minutes. Transfer using a slotted spoon or spider to the garlic butter &
sage sauce. Cook remaining gnocchi then add to the skillet. Season with salt
& pepper then toss to coat, and plate.
*She has some great step by step instructions and pictures.
Lyd's Tip: My sister was telling me a while back
how she chopped up her Halloween pumpkins and put them in her
crockpot and they ate them up. I thought it was brilliant. I was
too lazy to even cut mine up. I was in a hurry so I just threw the whole
thing in, put it on low, and left. It was done in just a couple hours.
So easy! No hassle with baking it in the oven forever and
burning it. Love these time savers!
Here they are, ready for a dunk in our creamy tomato soup. Yum!
