Golden Squash Gnocchi

This meal uses the third and final golden squash that our neighbors gave us from their garden the other day. We have tried to use each in very different ways, and we encourage you to check out Stuffed Golden Squash and our Garlic Golden Squash Sauce posts if you also find yourself in the enviable position of having an abundance and want other ideas!

Today, we wanted a nice harvesty pasta/dumpling dish, so making gnocchi seemed like a good idea. It is a dish normally made with potatoes and flour, so the texture and taste will be a little different from classic…but it is worth a try (and is a lower calorie option to traditional gnocchi).

After making them, we combined our gnocchi in with caramelized onions, Shaved Brussels Sprouts, and turkey bacon that we had sauteeing in our cast iron pan to let them heat back up and brown a little. After, we poured in our black pepper goat milk sauce (basically a simple roux with goat milk and black pepper) to coat and finish off the dish. However, once you have the hang of the gnocchi, you can do almost anything with it! Serve it alone with the sauce of your choosing, or play with other additional veggies and meats. The choice is yours.

Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients: (these quantities make about 4 servings)

  • 1 Large Golden Squash (When pureed, you should have a little less than 2 cups…see measuring cup picture below. If you have more or less, scale the amount of flour you use accordingly)
  • 1 Egg
  • 2 cups Semolina Flour (roughly…you will want to add incrementally to make sure you don’t use too much) or white flour, although this would require a different amount due to liquid absorbtion differences
  • 1 Teaspoon of Salt

Method:

  • Clean, slice, and steam your golden squash. Then, using a food processor/blender/Ninja, “coarsely purée” it (see first picture below).
  • Transfer your squash into a large mixing bowl.
  • Beat your egg, and add it to the mixing bowl. Add your salt here as well.
  • Then, working a half cup at a time, stir in your semolina or flour until your dough comes together and is tacky but firm.
  • Start boiling some water in a large pot, and lightly flour a clean surface.
  • Working in batches the size of big fistfuls, grab some dough, and place it in your floured surface. Then roll the dough out as though you are making a snake out of PlayDough, and cut the dough into cross-sections.
  • Carefully drop the dough cross-sections into your boiling water, and let them cook for about 4-5 minutes (they should float to the top by then). While they boil, prep your next dough batch. When they are done in the water, skim them out, and add your next batch in.
  • Repeat the previous two steps until all your dough is cooked.
  • At this point, all you need to do is heat then with your desired sauce
    • If you want to add veggie and/or meat ingredients, sauté them first before re-adding your gnocchi to the pan to heat and finish.
  • Plate, devour, and enjoy!

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