Leaves turning red, orange and yellow? Got some extra pumpkin puree on hand? Leaves turning red, orange and yellow? Well you know it’s Fall time and what is better than gnocchi? Pumpkin Shaped Gnocchi made with pumpkin puree! This recipe pairs the Pumpkin Shaped Gnocchi with an Asian-inspired sauce made with soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger.
This recipe requires only a handful of ingredients. Perfect for Halloween parties for the little ones to enjoy. The Asian-Inspired sauce is a true hit with the kids. Made with soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Let’s check out this recipe!
What is Pumpkin Shaped Gnocchi?
Pumpkin Gnocchi is a perfect combination of russet potatoes and pumpkin puree to create a perfect orange dumpling. What’s great about gnocchi is it can be easily shaped into a pumpkin.
I purchase store-bought pumpkin puree in a can. It is easier and saves me time. The pumpkin puree does come out of the can quite wet. So I use paper down and lay it on a flat surface and let it sit for a few minutes. I repeat this 3-4 times to make sure all the liquid is absorbed.
Gnocchi is actually not pasta, but rather a dumpling. I have butchered the pronunciation of this word so many times. It is a word that is not easy to sound out, however to properly say it in Italian (Nyoh-Kee).
Why make this?
This recipe is perfect for the fall season. I even make a big batch so I can make this for my kids’ lunches and they will devour it.
The Asian-Inspired sauce is very different from the traditional sage and butter sauce that is commonly made for gnocchi. The Asian-Inspired sauce has soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger which is simple and flavorful.
Ingredients and variations
Russet potatoes: The best potatoes to use for gnocchi. I also recommend Yukon gold potatoes if russet potatoes are not available.
Pumpkin puree: Use canned pumpkin. Make sure it’s not the pie filling. They are always sided by side at the grocery store. I also highly recommend using paper towel to absorb as much moisture as possible. I lay it on a paper towel and use a spoon to scrap it off. I would suggest doing this up to 3-4 times with a new paper towel each time to ensure all the moisture is removed.
All-purpose flour: For my pumpkin gnocchi I use all-purpose flour. This is what I have available in the pantry. However, 00 flour can be used as well. 00 flour is super finely-ground Italian flour used to make pasta or pizza dough. I commonly see 00 flour at my local supermarkets.
Egg: Use the best quality egg you can buy at your local grocery store.
Salt: Add saltiness to the gnocchi.
Cloves: The cloves resemble the pumpkin stem. This is 100% for aesthetics and is not necessary, but it is darn cute! Rosemary herb also works really well as well. (Optional)
Asian-Inspired Sauce
Soy sauce: Gives the sauce a nice light salty flavor. Substitute with tamari or coconut aminos.
Sesame oil: Adds a smoky nutty flavor to the sauce.
Garlic and ginger: This wouldn’t be Asian-Inspired sauce without garlic and ginger. Adjust to your preference. If you don’t want ginger you can omit it. I sometimes omit the ginger since my girls don’t like the taste. The garlic is sufficient enough and can carry the flavor of this sauce on its own as well.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making the pumpkin gnocchi dough
Boil water in a small pot. Once the water starts to boil add the russet potatoes and boil for 15-20 minutes. The time will vary due to the size of the potatoes. Use a fork to poke it and if the fork slides in easily its cooked.
Take the russet potatoes out and let it cool down. Once its slightly cooled down and can be handled begin to peel the skin off. Use a sharp knife and score the skin down to make it easier to peel.
Put the peeled cooked potato through a potato ricer to get a soft and consistent texture.
Lay out the paper towel and spread the pumpkin puree on top and let it sit for 2-3 minutes. Complete this step 2-3 times until the pumpkin puree is dry.
Mix the flour, dried pumpkin puree, potatoes and salt in a bowl. The dough should be a soft texture. Add minimal flour if the dough is too wet. Avoid adding to much flour this will make the gnocchi tough in texture once cooked.
Dust a flat surface with flour and pour the dough and knead for about 5 minutes. Cut the dough into 6 pieces. Roll into 1-inch rope and cut into 1-inch wide pieces.
Forming the Pumpkin Shaped Gnocchi
Roll the cut pieces of dough into a ball with both of your hands in a circular motion. Press the ball down from the top to give it the flattened pumpkin shape. The best tool to create the pumpkin grooves is with a toothpick or string. Press down from the top and press along the sides. I do this 4 times on the top to create the groves all around the pumpkin.
Cooking
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the pumpkin gnocchi for 1-2 minutes or until the pumpkin gnocchi floats to the top.
In a medium saucepan melt the butter and add the garlic and ginger on medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes until you can smell the garlic and singer infuse into the butter. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil. Stir for 30 seconds and add the cook pumpkin gnocchi and mix well. Place the cloves on top of each pumpkin gnocchi to make them look more realistic.
Serve immediately. Remember to remove the cloves as they aren’t
How to serve
Serve this immediately. This pairs well with any meat dish such as pork chops, steak or chicken. Check out my easy one pan healthy chicken breast with lemon garlic cream sauce here
How to store
Uncooked gnocchi unfortunately cannot be stored in the refrigerator. They are however good to be kept frozen for up to 3 months. I would lay them out on a plastic tray and freeze them for 2 hours. Once they are frozen you can throw them in a freezer bag. The color changes. If you would like to
Cooked gnocchi can be kept in an air-tight container for 1 day.
Expert Tips
I recommend boiling the potatoes with the skin on. This will help the potatoes reduce the amount of water it absorbs. Once the potatoes are done let it sit and rest so until you can peel the skin off. Reducing the moisture helps to handle the gnocchi dough much easier, especially when you are moulding and shaping them into pumpkin shape.
Recipe FAQs
Are there alternatives to making this without pumpkin?
Pumpkin puree is easy since it is just straight out of the can, however you can your buttercup/kabocha squash. Carefully peel and steam the squash and smash it. Use the same measurement.
Alternatively, instead of using pumpkin replace it with more potato and use orange food coloring if you don’t have pumpkin or squash on hand and want to make the pumpkin shape. Use 1-2 drops and if you want to make a deeper orange colour use 3-4 drops.
Did you make these Pumpkin-shaped Pumpkin and Potato Gnocchi? I would love to hear from you! Comment below
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Pumpkin and Potato Gnocchi with Asian-Inspired Sauce (Pumpkin Shaped)
Equipment
- potato ricer
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree remove as much moisture as possible
- 1 russet potato
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg medium
- ½ tsp fine salt
- cloves handful for stems
Asian-Inspired Sauce
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1½ tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- ¼ tsp ginger grated
Instructions
Making pumpkin gnocchi dough
- Boil water in a small pot. Once the water starts to boil add the russet potatoes and boil for 15-20 minutes. The time will vary due to the size of the potatoes. Use a fork to poke it and if the fork slides in easily its cooked.
- Take the russet potatoes out and let it cool down. Once its slightly cooled down and can be handled begin to peel the skin off. Use a sharp knife and score the skin down to make it easier to peel.
- Put the peeled cooked potato through a potato ricer to get a soft and consistent texture.
- Lay out the paper towel and spread the pumpkin puree on top and let it sit for 2-3 minutes. Complete this step 2-3 times until the pumpkin puree is dry.
- Mix the flour, dried pumpkin puree, potatoes and salt in a bowl. The dough should be a soft texture. Add minimal flour if the dough is too wet. Avoid adding to much flour this will make the gnocchi tough in texture once cooked.
- Dust a flat surface with flour and pour the dough and knead for about 5 minutes. Cut the dough into 6 pieces. Roll into 1-inch rope and cut into 1-inch wide pieces.
Forming the pumpkin shape gnocchi
- Roll the cut pieces of dough into a ball with both of your hands in a circular motion. Press the ball down from the top to give it the flattened pumpkin shape. The best tool to create the pumpkin grooves is with a toothpick or string. Press down from the top and press along the sides. I do this 4 times on the top to create the groves all around the pumpkin.
- Freeze for 30 minutes to keep the shape before cooking.
Cooking
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the pumpkin gnocchi for 1-2 minutes or until the pumpkin gnocchi floats to the top.
- In a medium saucepan melt the butter and add the garlic and ginger on medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes until you can smell the garlic and singer infuse into the butter. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil. Stir for 30 seconds and add the cook pumpkin gnocchi and mix well. Place the cloves on top of each pumpkin gnocchi to make them look more realistic.
- Serve immediately. Remember to remove the cloves as they aren’t edible.
