Pumpkin, Bacon & Sage Alfredo Gnocchi

This creamy, smoky recipe is the ultimate Fall-inspired adult dish.  We all have seen pumpkin used in just about every which way (after all, it’s Fall y ‘all!), but I’d like to incorporate its savory side to the mix.  So what a better way to introduce it than to fluffy pillows of gnocchi and crispy bacon and sage!

So before you’re on the couch this Thanksgiving, enjoying that pumpkin pie and the 5th replay of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation that day (I know I’m not the only one), try this dinner out.  You will impress!

The Starting Lineup

• 2 (17.6oz) packages gnocchi, cooked to package directions (or a 16oz pckg pasta of choice)
• 8 strips bacon
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 12 sage leaves, fresh/chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/4 cup canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 cups Half & Half
• 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup pasta water (optional, to thin)

 

Cook your gnocchi (or pasta preference) to package directions, drain in colander and set aside.  *Keep a 1/2 cup of pasta water before you drain, in case the sauce gets too thick.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, crisp up the chopped bacon.  Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

In that same skillet, add the butter and onions, sauté for 6-7 minutes.  Turn to medium-low and add the garlic and sage leaves for 1-2 minutes, careful not to burn.

To the onions and herbs, spoon in the pumpkin puree, plus the half & half and parmesan cheese; whisk until smooth and creamy.  *Add pasta water, if needed.

Lastly, add in the cooked gnocchi/pasta and most of the bacon (reserve a bit for garnish); gently combine.  Serve with the extra bacon crumbles, sage and parmesan cheese.

*The same amount of gnocchi produces about half of the volume of pasta.  Hence the 2 packages of gnocchi vs 1 package of noodles.  ….science…

Creamy Pumpkin & Sage Bacon Alfredo

Call me “basic” but come Fall, I sure do love me some pumpkin!  Now I’m not fully crazy, as in pumpkin spice coffee every morning, noon and night crazy.  I do, however, like to use the orange offspring of squash in more creative ways.  Todays “way” is in the form of pasta!

To convince my family my idea was some sort of genius, I also used 2 of the tastiest key words in describing our future dinner, “alfredo” and “bacon”…Yep, that got their attention!

Now sure, this is after all Alfredo so it does contain a bit of cheese, but it’s actually not all that artery clogging and indulgent as you may think.  For one, I used less than 1 cup of parmesan cheese, mainly for the saltiness it brings.  I substituted the heavy cream for it’s lighter cousin, half & half, and if you want to lessen the saturated fat of butter, feel free to use Tresomega Nutrition cold pressed coconut oil!  Plus, lets not forget the health benefits of the sneaked in pureed pumpkin!

Now honestly, this sauce is fantastic on any pasta or fluffy gnocchi of your choice, it would be good on a shoe for that matter.  Though for my gluten free friends, I highly recommend the new GF pasta made by my buddies at Tresomega Nutrition!  It contains no wheat nor corn and is made with organic rice, quinoa and amaranth which keeps that same bite and color of your traditional pasta noodles.  It also doesn’t fall apart when cooked like most of its counterparts!  I’m fully a fan!

Please find out more info on Tresomega Nutrition products here:

1. http://www.tresomega.com/
2. https://www.facebook.com/TresomegaNutrition/
3. https://www.pinterest.com/tresomega/
4. https://twitter.com/tres_omega

You can also purchase the Tresomega Nutrition brand at:

1. http://tresomega.com
2. https://www.sams.com
3. https://www.amazon.com
4. https://www.walmart.com

The Starting Lineup

• 1lb of your preferred pasta or gnocchi (Tresomega Gluten Free recommended)
• 8 strips bacon, grease reserved, divided
• 2 Tbsp butter or Tresomega cold pressed coconut oil
• 12 sage leaves, chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 1/4 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 cups half & half (16oz)
• 3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tsp each kosher salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 cup pasta cooking water (optional to thin sauce)

I tried this recipe with both pasta noodles and gnocchi and BOTH are delish!

Begin this Fall-inspired pasta by chopping, grating and mincing your bacon, onion, garlic and parmesan cheese.

In a large skillet on medium heat, crisp up your bacon.  Once done, transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined dish and set aside while keeping the bacon grease in the skillet.  *There should be about 2 Tbsp of grease.

To that same pre-greased skillet, add to it either the butter or cold pressed coconut oil along with the chopped onions and sauté, about 7-8 minutes.  Turn down to medium-low and then add in the garlic and sage and cook for another 1-2 minutes.  Careful not to burn the garlic, but to slightly crisp up the sage.

**Here you can boil a large stockpot of salted water to a boil and add in your pasta of choice and cook to package directions.

Once the veggie medley is finished (smells gooooood huh?!), you will add in the pumpkin puree while whisking in the half & half to form a creamy consistency.  Next, whisk in the grated parmesan cheese, crisped sage leaves, 1/2 of the cooked bacon, salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Cook over low heat till combined and then add in your perfectly cooked pasta.  ***You can also add in the 1/4 cup of pasta water if you’d like a thinner consistency.

Serve warm, with the other 1/2 of cooked, chopped bacon sprinkled overtop, a bit more parmesan and sage leaves if desired.  Enjoy!

Smokey Gnocchi Toscana

Who doesn’t love Olive Garden’s famous “Zuppa Toscana”?  It’s a delicious blend of sausage, kale and potatoes in a creamy broth…my only small problem with the soup (more so my family’s problem) is it will not fill my hearty boys and husband’s appetite up!  Nope, soup in general just won’t cut it!

Now since I was craving a big bowl of Toscana comfort, I had to figure out a way to change it into something a bit more substantial if it were to be mine.  I have to say, it came pretty easy to me..thank goodness.  How about we make the broth into a rich, more flavor packed cheese sauce and amp up the potato texture by using those fluffy pillows from heaven, otherwise known as gnocchi.  Hey, gnocchi’s are in fact made from potato flour..I do have a little bit of genius left in me.  My boys tend to suck it out of me at times.  I also made sure it was chocked full of (not too) spicy sausage and healthy kale.  Yep, with all those Italian flavors going on, even my boys will slurp up the greens!

Last, but not least, I topped it all off with some crispy, crumbled bacon for another layer of smokey flavor…drooling…

The Starting Lineup

• 1 lb Hot Italian Sausage, removed from casing
• 1 package Gnocchi 
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4+ cups Kale (a Kale/Spinach blend would work too)
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 heaping Tbsp flour
• 1 cup milk, plus more to thin cheese sauce if needed
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided 1:1
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided 1:1
• 1/4 cup basil pesto
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• A pinch each of salt and pepper
• 6 strips bacon, cooked and chopped for garnish

First and ALWAYS foremost is prepping your ingredients to have at the ready!!  Chop and mince the garlic and shred the cheese if it hasn’t already been done for you.  I’ll be taking sous chef applications soon 😉

Now onto the cooking part my multi-tasking friends!  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and on a foil lined baking sheet, lay out the bacon and cook till slightly crisp (about 15 minutes, rotating once in the oven).  Remove to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.

Keep the oven on, but drop the temperature to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, bring a large stockpot of salted water up to a boil (for the Gnocchi) and in a separate large pan, heat up the olive oil to medium heat and begin browning the sausage, chopping up with a spoon as you go.

Water boiling: add in Gnocchi and cook for about 2-3 minutes, until they float to the top.  Drain and set aside.

Sausage: once cooked through and slightly crumbled, remove from pan and drain the grease slightly.  *leave about a tablespoon of grease please.

In the same pan that the sausage cooked in add in the onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes.  Add in the kale and garlic and allow to wilt down.  Once quickly wilted, add the sausage back in along with the Gnocchi.  Remove from heat.

Pesto cheese sauce: in a medium sauce pan melt the butter and then whisk in the flour till it makes a rue (paste).  Now you will whisk in the milk for about 3 minutes till starts to thicken.  Add in the pesto, 1/2 of each the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses and a pinch of salt and pepper.  *It may get a little thick here, so just thin by whisking another couple tablespoons of milk in at a time until you reach your desired consistency.

You’re at the finish line now!  In a 9×13 baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray, spoon in the Gnocchi, sausage and kale mix.  Pour that super cheesy pesto sauce ALL over and top with the remaining cheeses.  Cover with foil and place in the 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.  

Bump up the oven to 425 degrees and pull the foil off, allowing to bake for another 5-10 minutes, until the cheesy top gets nice and brown.  Remove from oven and relish in the “it smells soooooo good in here” praises!  Make sure to top it all off with the crumbled bacon..NEVER forget the bacon!  *Let rest for 5 minutes before serving..remember it’s going to be hot!  

Serve with a simple salad, warm bread sticks and you have yourself a hit!  

Italian Sausage and Gnocchi Soup (slowcooker)

It’s beginning to (finally) feel a lot more like Fall around these parts!  Goodness, the weather’s been in the 90’s, in November, in Texas!  Though the lone star state definitely has its fair share of warm weather..it usually doesn’t last THIS long.  So when we finally dropped temp and it was a cool 60 degree high, you know I just had to bust out my slowcooker for a warm soup dinner!

The Starting Lineup

• 1 package Italian sausage (if links, remove from casing)
• 1 package gnocchi
• 2 cans diced Italian style tomatoes
• 1 80z block cream cheese, cubed
• 32oz chicken broth (4 cups)
• 1 bag spinach leaves
• 1 zucchini, sliced & quartered
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 

Begin by simply spraying your crockpot with a bit of non-stick spray, followed by the rinsing and chopping of your vegetables and heating a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Once the pan is nice and hot, add in the Italian sausage.  After it is about halfway cooked through you can then add in the chopped red bell pepper, onion and garlic.  Allow the sausage to cook the all of the way through and the peppers and onion to soften.

Now you can either drain the grease from the sausage mixture or just use a slotted spoon (Like I did) and scoop the cooked sausage and vegetables straight into the crockpot.

Pour in the two cans of Italian-style diced tomatoes, chicken broth, the sliced zucchini, spinach leaves and cubed cream cheese.  *The spinach may seem like there’s no way it can fit, trust me…it will wilt pretty darn quick!    Cover and turn on low..you can now step away for 6-7 hours.  Yes!!

The hour before you’re planning on eating, add in the gnocchi.  That last hour will soften and cook it for you.  No need to boil it separately first!  Score!

See how simple all of that was?  It’s done!  Serve this creamy, flavorful, hearty soup alongside a piece of buttered crusty bread and you have yourself a meal!  Finish with a snuggly blanket on the couch ;).

Spinach & Sausage Gnocchi

I must be feeling “off” because instead of (my favorite) Mexican food…I was having an Italian craving!  So I loaded up the crew and headed to the store in search of something that’d catch my eye!

Once in the produce section, I saw aplenty of fresh mushrooms, and while their meaty texture would of been fine alone for me, I KNOW my hubby needs meat in his meals.  So let’s head for the Italian Sausage!!  In true Carly form I went with the spicy..hey, even my young boys love it!  Finally, what goes better with sausage and mushrooms in not only flavor, but color?  Sautéed spinach!!  Dang, when paired with the onions and garlic, the light pillowy texture from the gnocchi (Im dreamy eyed right now), this was just delicious!!  **plus quick!!

*This can be made gluten free.

*You can leave out the sausage and substitute veggie broth instead of beef stock for a vegetarian option.

The Starting Lineup

• 1 16oz pckg gnocchi (gluten free available)
• 1 pckg Italian sausage links (I used spicy)
• 1 9oz pckg frozen spinach (defrosted and drained)
• 2 portobello mushrooms (cleaned, scraped and sliced)
• 1 8oz pckg baby Bella’s mushrooms (cleaned & sliced)
• 1 cup beef stock (gluten free available)
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 cloves garlic and 1/2 shallot, minced
• Kosher salt & pepper, red pepper flake (a pinch each/to taste) 
  

  Beef broth not pictured

       

In a large skillet on medium heat, place in the Italian sausages along with a couple Tbsps of water.  Cover and allow to brown, turning ever so often.  Once the sausages are browned on all sides, remove most of the grease and then carefully poor in the 1 cup beef stock over the sausage.  Cover again and allow to steam in the broth for about 5 minutes to finish cooking through.  When finished, set aside on a paper towel lined plate reserving the pan juices. 

   

**Meanwhile bring a large stockpot of salted water to a low boil.  

In that same pan with the reserved juices, add in the garlic & shallot and cook for 1 minute. 

 Next, toss in all of the mushrooms followed shortly with the defrosted & drained spinach.  Sauté the veggies together while slicing the now cooled and cooked sausage links into 1″ pieces.  Add to the skillet. 

     

**Your water should now be boiling, so toss in the gnocchi and cook to package directions.  This does NOT take long folks.

Gnocchi is now cooked!  With a ladle transfer the pillowy potato bites directly into the sausage skillet.  Make sure to include a little of the cooking water with the gnocchi!  Really makes for a great sauce!! 

 Finally…add that nutty parmesan cheese over top the entire skillet and fold in. 

Serve with a bit more freshly grated Parmesan on top alongside a light salad and glass of vino!!  Enjoy!!! 

 

Gnocchi Pancetta Primavera

Hot Damn!  This flavorful, bright Italian inspired dish can be made and on your table in 30 minutes or less!  Can you believe it??  Homemade goodness AND quick…A few fresh ingredients, garlic & cheese and the lovely, pillowy potato gnocchi will earn you rave reviews with your family.  It’s also ‘fancy’ enough for an intimate dinner party, so please give it a try!

The Starting Lineup

• 1 pckg gnocchi (16oz)
• 1 pckg pancetta, thinly sliced, roughly chopped (butcher can help)
• 3/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 1/4 cup of red onion, diced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 Tbsp EVOO
• Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
• Optional: prosciutto can be substituted for the pancetta …equally delightful!
• 

We’ll begin this quick and fun italian dinner by giving the vegetables a quick rinse & slice, dice & mince!  While you’re at it, you may as well grate that parmesan cheese…trust me, having everything already prepped makes cooking go so MUCH more smoothly!

   Next let’s heat the EVOO to medium heat in a large sauté pan, while also bringing a stock pot half full of water to a boil for the gnocchi.  *I always add a hefty pinch of kosher salt to my pasta water.  I suggest the same for you 😉

 Now that the oil is hot, add in the red onion and zucchini to the sauté pan…let that cook till it’s just sweated down a bit and onions are slightly translucent.

 Next add in the chopped pancetta and let those flavors cook together for 3-4 minutes.  *Always stir occasionally, unless otherwise noted.  Follow this with the cherry tomatoes.

   About now the pasta water should be boiling.  Please add in the gnocchi and cook to package directions.  *It’s usually quite fast and takes only 2-3 minutes, tops.  The gnocchi will float to the top and they’re ready!
Ok..you’re welcome to drain the gnocchi into a collander as you would pasta noodles, but I prefer to directly transfer the gnocchi with a ladle directly into the veggie/pancetta mix.  *I also keep about a tbsp of the ‘gnocchi cooked water’ in each  spoonfull…the starch in the water adds flavor and will help thicken this up along with the cheese.

Finally add in the juice of 1 lemon, the garlic, and a bit of salt & pepper to taste. Give this a quick stir and turndown to medium-low.

Top with the 3/4 cup of parmesan cheese and toss together.

   Immediately serve in a bowl and garnish with a bit more grated Parmesan.  Enjoy!  *Those gnocchi’s are like delish potato pillows..I’m not kidding.