Butternut Squash + Ricotta Gnocchi Bake

 
 

Yesterday evening I was flipping through Tik Tok and came across a quick video from a British content creator, em the nutritionist, sharing a recipe for butternut squash and ricotta gnocchi (original video above) .

It looked warm and cozy, perfect for Fall using ingredients like butternut squash and spices like sage but the original recipe was in Metric/Imperial measurements so I knew I needed to convert the amounts.

The second addition was a meat of some sort, thanks to my husband and son who demand a need for protein at every meal this couldn’t remain vegetarian if I wanted to make it again.

After a little trial and error, this is what I have created from em the nuritionists original recipe. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

 
 

Ingredients:

  • 1 Medium to Large Butternut Squash, cubed

  • Olive Oil

  • Salt + Pepper

  • Fresh Sage (about 8 leaves)

  • 16 oz. Gnocchi

  • 1C. Ricotta

  • 1 tsp. Honey

  • 1 Lemon (Zest)

  • 1 Garlic Clove, minced

  • 1 lb. Ground Chicken Sausage (Italian or Spicy)

  • 100 ml. Chicken Stock

  • 3/4 C. Cream Fraiche

  • Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

  • Parmesan Cheese, Shredded

  • Panko Breadcrumbs

Directions:

  1. Pre heat the oven to 415F. Dice the butternut into cubes and season with salt, pepper and olive oil. Toss butternut squash cubes in olive oil and roast for 40 mins then add in the sage and roast for a final 5 minutes.

  2. While the butternut squash roasts, grab a skillet, add 1/2 tsp butter and your ground chicken. Breaking up meat until cooked.

  3. Take 1/2 of the roasted diced butternut and blend with 3/4 c. crème fraiche, 1 tsp chopped garlic, 1 tsp honey, pepper and 100ml stock to start, adding in the extra 50ml if it needs extra loosening. It should be the consistency of a pasta sauce, not too thick or your gnocchi will be dry! Season to taste.

  4. Mix the ricotta with lemon zest, add a good pinch of salt, pepper, and 1 grated garlic clove. Put the gnocchi onto boil in salted water until cooked. Drain well. Mix breadcrumbs, cheddar, parmesan in a small bowl.

  5. Tip the cooked gnocchi into a 9x13 baking dish, add the remaining roasted butternut, ground chicken, and sage. Add large dollops of the ricotta mixture throughout, make sure not to stir into the rest of the ingredients. Drizzle over the butternut squash sauce to coat all the gnocchi and top with a healthy scattering of breadcrumb mixture. Bake for 5-10 minutes just to brown the top (feel free to turn on the broiler, just watch it doesn't burn). Dive in and Enjoy!

Recipe, FoodKathleen SmithFood, Recipe, Dinner, 31daysoffallComment