If you love gnocchi in a creamy, luxurious, flavourful sauce, then this recipe is made for you! Soft clouds of gnocchi are smothered in a goat cheese, pumpkin and brown butter sauce that's unbelievably easy to make! Topped with toasted pine nuts, and crispy brown butter sage - trust me, you'll want to eat the entire pan!

This pumpkin brown butter gnocchi with goat cheese and crispy sage is sooo creamy, rich, and comforting. One of the best things about this dish is how easy it is so make, and it tastes absolutely delicious! No blending, no fussing, no need to over-complicate a creamy, flavourful sauce for your gnocchi.

Just a few simple ingredients that pair together perfectly - without having to rely on store-bought pasta sauce. Honestly, this pumpkin brown butter sauce recipe is not only healthier than store-bought, but tastier as well!

Ingredients for this Pumpkin Brown Butter Gnocchi

The ingredients for this pumpkin brown butter gnocchi are simple! But the key is letting them shine, by enhancing the flavours of each ingredient at each step.

We will need gnocchi, of course! Although you'll see gnocchi on pasta menus at Italian restaurants, they are more like dumplings! They're made primarily from potato as opposed to flour, and when cooked right, they are soft, pillowy clouds of deliciousness!

You can use homemade gnocchi, or store-bought. Here's the one I buy when using store-bought.

For the sauce, we will need unsalted butter, pumpkin, and goat cheese. We'll also need some salt, pepper and olive oil for roasting the pumpkin. I like to use butternut pumpkin for its thin skin which is easy to peel, and its nutty, sweet flavour.

As for the goat cheese, pick one that you have tried before and love! Flavours can vary between brands. Some are more intense, some are more creamy. Here is the one I buy every time I make this recipe. It's perfectly creamy, tangy, and buttery - it's my absolute favourite!

Finally, we'll need fresh sage, and some pine nuts. Sage is a herb in the mint family. It tastes earthy, slightly minty (almost like eucalyptus), and a bit peppery. And when it's crisped up in brown butter, it's the perfect topping for this gnocchi along with toasted pine nuts!

How to Make Pumpkin Brown Butter Gnocchi with Goat Cheese and Crispy Sage

Like I said, the key to this dish is enhancing each ingredient to really let it shine! So instead of bland, boring pumpkin, we roast it until caramelised!

This caramelisation happens due to the Maillard reaction, and brings out the natural sweetness of the pumpkin, and intensifies it. When it's swirled through the gnocchi, the bits of soft pumpkin break down into a sweet, nutty base for the sauce.

So first, cut the pumpkin into small cubes, and roast with olive oil, salt and pepper until they start caramelising.

Then, bring a pot of water to the boil, with plenty of salt. Meanwhile, brown some butter in a large pan (it will start to smell like caramel or butterscotch!). Throw the gnocchi in the boiling water. The second they float to the top, remove and throw them into your brown butter.

Then add your pieces of caramelised pumpkin and goat cheese and stir. You want to reach a point where the pumpkin is mostly broken down, and you have a thick sauce.

Add some of the water from the pot the gnocchi was boiling in, to loosen the sauce. You may need a few ladles worth! Toss until you have a creamy, glossy sauce that coats your gnocchi.

While that's happening, toast your pine nuts in a dry pan for a few minutes until they turn golden. Set aside. Then brown some butter in a pan, throw in your sage leaves, and let them crisp up.

Top the gnocchi with the pine nuts and crispy sage and enjoy!

Tips to Perfect this Pumpkin Brown Butter Gnocchi Recipe!

Although this recipe is simple, there are a few tips and tricks to make sure you nail it every time!

Allow the Pumpkin to Caramelise

Don't just roast is until it's cooked. The reason we roast it at a high temperature is to accelerate the Maillard reaction, which is what will give you those brown, sticky, caramelised bits. This intensifies the natural sweetness of the pumpkin. This makes all the difference to the flavour of the sauce!

Don't Overcook the Gnocchi

The moment the gnocchi floats to the top, take it out immediately! Because it spends an extra few minutes in the sauce, you risk overcooking it if it sits in the boiling water too long. Overcooking them makes them gummy and gluey. They should be soft, fluffy, and delicate!

Brown the Butter, Don't Burn It!

Brown butter tastes and smells like nutty, caramelly toffee or butterscotch. When it reaches this stage, it can turn to burnt butter quite easily. It will taste bitter if so and you'll need to start again. You want it to reach a point where the milk solids are toasted and golden, and give off an intense toffee-like aroma.

Use Enough Pasta/Gnocchi Water

I'm calling it pasta water even though gnocchi isn't pasta - but you know what I mean! Don't be afraid to use a few ladles of the water to loosen the sauce - gnocchi is very absorbent. Just stir in one ladle at a time until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.

Serve Immediately!

This pumpkin brown butter gnocchi is best eaten straight away. As the gnocchi sits in the hot, creamy sauce, it will continue to cook. The longer you leave it, the more gluey it gets. This is totally normal, and happens at restaurants too! So it's not exactly the best meal to make ahead of time, but that's no problem! After all, freshly made gnocchi in a creamy sauce, hot off the pan? Who could even wait?!

I truly hope you enjoy this recipe xxx