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Creamy Butternut Squash Gnocchi With Sausage And Sage

Creamy butternut squash gnocchi with sausage and sage is a silky Italian-American skillet meal with pillowy gnocchi, browned sausage, and crispy sage leaves. You’ll simmer a smooth butternut squash-cream sauce, toss gnocchi until coated, then finish with parmesan and extra sage.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 760
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

potato gnocchi
  • 1 lb potato gnocchi
Italian sausage
  • 1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
butternut squash puree
  • 2 cup butternut squash puree (roasted and blended)
garlic
  • 3 clove garlic, minced
heavy cream
  • 1 cup heavy cream
parmesan
  • 0.5 cup parmesan, grated
unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
fresh sage leaves
  • 12 fresh sage leaves
nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp nutmeg
red pepper flakes
  • 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
  • 1 Salt and pepper to taste
extra parmesan
  • 1 Extra parmesan for serving

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Brown sausage and crisp sage
  1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the Italian sausage until cooked through, then drain excess fat and set the sausage aside.
  2. Melt the butter in the same skillet and fry the sage leaves until crisp, then remove them to a plate.
Make the creamy butternut squash sauce
  1. In the same butter, sauté the minced garlic for 1 minute, stirring until fragrant.
  2. Add the butternut squash puree and heavy cream, then stir until evenly combined.
  3. Stir in the grated parmesan, nutmeg, and red pepper flakes, and simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce turns smooth.
Cook gnocchi and finish
  1. Cook the potato gnocchi according to package instructions until tender, then add the cooked gnocchi directly to the sauce.
  2. Return the sausage to the skillet and toss everything together until the gnocchi is coated.
  3. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then top with the crispy sage leaves and extra parmesan before serving.

Notes

For best texture, keep the sauce at a gentle simmer so the cream stays silky and doesn’t split. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stove with a splash of cream or milk. Freezing is not recommended because gnocchi can become grainy after thawing. For a lighter option, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream (reduce simmer time to prevent thinning).