Fall Gnocchi with Butternut Squash, Brown Butter, Pancetta & Sage
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This fall gnocchi recipe with butternut squash, pancetta, and sage is the ultimate cozy comfort food. Roasted butternut squash adds a sweet, caramelized flavor that pairs perfectly with crispy pancetta and pillowy gnocchi. Everything is finished in a nutty brown butter sauce with fried sage leaves that turn crisp and practically melt in your mouth. It’s a warm, inviting pasta dish that highlights the best flavors of fall and makes an impressive yet easy dinner for weeknights or entertaining. Big fan of these fall flavors? I recommend trying this pumpkin risotto with brown butter and bacon or butternut squash ravioli.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Seasonal flavors at their best. Sweet roasted butternut squash, savory pancetta and aromatic sage celebrate the flavors of fall.
- Quick yet impressive. Despite its rich, layered flavors, this dish comes together in under 30 minutes.
- Comforting and cozy. Pillowy gnocchi and warm brown butter sauce make this pasta feel like a hug on a plate.
About The Brown Butter Sauce
Brown butter is not only a flavorful, nutty and slightly sweet sauce for pasta, it’s extremely easy to make and comes together quickly. The brown butter or “beurre noisette” is made when the water cooks out and the milk solids toast and turn golden brown.
I like to use homemade butter as a base for the brown butter when I have it but store-bought is just as good. When making brown butter use a light-bottomed pan if possible. That way you can see the shade of brown the mixture is turning. If you are not careful, once the milk solids separate the butter can brown quickly. To avoid this remove it from the pan immediately.
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
- Gnocchi – Rather than using homemade gnocchi in this recipe I take a shortcut and use packaged, store-bought potato gnocchi. Feel free to substitute with your favorite homemade gnocchi recipe.
- Pancetta – Pancetta comes from pork belly and is salted, seasoned, cured and aged for an extended period of time. Pancetta is similar to bacon in flavor though not as smokey. It can be substituted for bacon, speck or guanciale in this recipe. The rendered fat from the pancetta is combined with the brown butter sauce to add additional flavor.
- Butternut squash – Butternut squash has a sweet nutty taste similar to pumpkin. The flavor is complimented by the rich brown butter and salty pancetta in this recipe. The dense squash has flavor similar to sweet potatoes or pumpkin.
- Sage – Fresh sage leaves are fried in the butter until they are crisp while also enhancing the brown butter with herby flavor.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Prep This Recipe In Advance
You can roast the squash and cook the pancetta a day ahead, then assemble everything with the gnocchi and brown butter sauce just before serving for the best texture.
How to Make Fall Gnocchi (Step-by-Step)
Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). In a large mixing bowl toss the butternut squash with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread evenly on an aluminum-foil-lined baking sheet. Roast until tender and lightly browned, about 25 to 30 minutes.
In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, cook the pancetta until most of the fat has rendered and the pancetta is brown and crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil; add the salt and bring back to the boil. Pour in the gnocchi and cook, until they rise to the top, about 3 minutes. Drain the gnocchi and return to the pot.
Return the medium sauté pan to the heat over medium. Add the butter and allow to melt. Once melted add the sage then continue to cook the butter, swirling it around the pan occasionally, until the butter is toasty-brown color and has a nutty aroma. Once this happens immediately remove the brown butter to a small bowl. Set the sage aside on a plate.
Pour the brown butter over the gnocchi, stirring to combine. Add the butternut squash and pancetta and stir again, then season with salt and pepper. Top with the sage and finish with a squeeze of the lemon juice. Serve in warmed pasta bowls.
Swaps and substitutions
- Garnish: Try garnishing the gnocchi with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
- Pancetta: Bacon or even sautéed sweet Italian sausage can be used in place of the pancetta.
How to Store Leftover Fall Gnocchi
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of broth or water to keep the gnocchi from drying out.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Store-bought gnocchi works perfectly and saves time. If you’d like, you can also use homemade gnocchi for an even softer, pillowy texture.
Butternut squash is ideal for this recipe because it roasts beautifully and has a sweet, nutty flavor. You could also use delicata or kabocha squash as great seasonal alternatives.
Yes! Just leave out the pancetta or swap it for mushrooms to add a savory, meaty flavor without the pork.
Cook the gnocchi in salted boiling water until they float to the top (about 2–3 minutes), then transfer them directly to the skillet to finish in the brown butter sauce. This helps keep them firm and flavorful.
You can roast the squash and cook the pancetta a day ahead, then assemble everything with the gnocchi and brown butter sauce just before serving for the best texture.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of broth or water to keep the gnocchi from drying out.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this fall gnocchi recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:
Thanks for cooking with me! If you made this recipe, leave a 🌟 rating and share your thoughts or tips below. I’d love to hear from you!
Fall Gnocchi with Butternut Squash, Brown Butter, Pancetta & Sage
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Ingredients:
- 2 cups diced butternut squash
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt as needed
- Freshly ground black pepper as needed
- 4 ounces diced pancetta
- 1 pound potato gnocchi
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup (packed) sage leaves
- 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). In a large mixing bowl toss the butternut squash with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread evenly on an aluminum-foil-lined baking sheet. Roast until tender and lightly browned, about 25 to 30 minutes.
- In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, cook the pancetta until most of the fat has rendered and the pancetta is brown and crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil; add the salt and bring back to the boil. Pour in the gnocchi and cook, until they rise to the top, about 3 minutes. Drain the gnocchi and return to the pot.
- Return the medium sauté pan to the heat over medium. Add the butter and allow to melt. Once melted add the sage then continue to cook the butter, swirling it around the pan occasionally, until the butter is toasty-brown color and has a nutty aroma. Once this happens immediately remove the brown butter to a small bowl. Set the sage aside on a plate.
- Pour the brown butter over the gnocchi, stirring to combine. Add the butternut squash and pancetta and stir again, then season with salt and pepper. Top with the sage and finish with a squeeze of the lemon juice. Serve in warmed pasta bowls.
Notes:
Nutrition:
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What’s the cup of pasta liquid for…and what about the lemon juice? I see them in the ingredients, but it doesn’t mention them again! Thanks!! We had this dish at a neighbor’s and loved it so much, we’re making it for ourselves!
So sorry- adjusted the recipe accordingly! The cup of pasta liquid was a misprint – sometimes I use it to thicken a sauce if needed but this one is fine without. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top after you top with the sage. It contrasts with the nutty butter and brightens the dish a bit, Hope you enjoy the recipe!
I don’t understand your cooking order. It takes gnocchi a couple of minutes to cook. Why is it step 2 and not step three? It’s sitting in the pot cooked and drained for 15 minutes or so while pancetta is cooking, rendering and you’re making butter.???? Of course the gnocchi water should be put on and boiling and ready to pop the gnocchi into just as the brown butter is done and re moved from heat. You really are setting people up to fail especially people that don’t know how to cook or time things. There would be a pile of gnocchi mush in the pot after 15 minutes.
That’s a great call out, thanks. I reviewed the recipe and made that adjustment on the above and flipped steps 2 and 3.
This recipe is easy and perfect for fall!
Made this recipe for the first time last night! It was so flavorful and easy to make. We will definitely be putting this into our fall rotation of recipes to make.
Delicious Friday night dinner! Flavors were sensational! Quick and easy, will definitely go in our rotation!
Thank you so much Sharon! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Spotted this on Instagram today and was excited because I happened to have all the ingredients (yes even a butternut squash from a farmers market trip) at home except for the sage leaves. I substituted for a little ground sage and it still came our awesome. Easy, delicious and filling. Will be added to our regular meal rotation!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for sharing! Great to know the ground sage works well too!
It’s right at the end of autumn here in Australia and it is cold and wet and windy and this was the perfect dish to make on a blustery Monday night! The flavours are incredible and the brown butter and sage made the dish rich and hearty. Paired it with a glass of red and it was perfect!
Fall is just beginning here in California. I saw this recipe photo and it looked so delicious. I love browned butter and butternut squash. So putting them together sounded tasty. The recipe was easy. I buy pre-cut butternut squash. Even made this on a weeknight after work. Felt like a real treat! This is guest worthy it’s so good!
Thank you so much for sharing Jennie!! I’m so glad you enjoyed!!
This recipe was amazing – the perfect fall recipe! I made it for my fiance and he also gave it two thumbs up. I topped it with some burrata and I thought it complemented the recipe well and added a nice creaminess. It was also pretty easy and came together rather for a quickly for a recipe that looks this sophisticated.
Is there nutrition info for this recipe? Looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it.
If you click print on the recipe it will show all nutritional information. Hope you enjoy!!
Calories: 490kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 577mg | Potassium: 308mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g |
This looks so good! What a great fall recipe to make for guests!
Wow was this a hit with my family! It was pretty inexpensive and super easy to make!
Thank you very much Kylie for sharing this recipe. It looks delicious I’m excited to try this recipe since I only make gnocchi with simple gorgonzola cheese sauce or the red tomato sauce. Thank you!
I hope you enjoy Aida!