Dinner / Italian-American
Creamy Pumpkin Gnocchi Bake
Pillowy potato gnocchi baked in a creamy pumpkin-sage sauce with melty vegetarian mozzarella and crispy breadcrumbs.
By Vegetarian Recipes Kitchen · Updated
- Prep
- 20 minutes
- Cook
- 30 minutes
- Total
- 50 minutes
- Serves
- 6
Gather your ingredients
Everything you need.
Allergen notes
- Wheat is commonly present in 1 lb (450 g) potato gnocchi, 1/2 cup (30 g) panko breadcrumbs; check the actual product labels, including any gluten-free replacements.
- Contains milk. Check dairy and cheese product labels.
- Packaged pasta and bread products may contain egg or milk; check the actual labels rather than assuming every version is identical.
- Yeast extracts, stocks, seasoning blends and fermented sauces can contain additional allergens such as cereals, celery or sulphites; check the actual product labels.
- Check all packaged ingredients and substitutions for allergens; vegetarian or vegan labels do not establish allergen safety.
Check product labels and any substitutions; packaged ingredients can introduce additional allergens.
Let's cook
Step by delicious step.
Tap a step number to mark it complete as you cook.
Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and sage for 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin puree, broth, cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg; simmer for 5 minutes. Use plain pumpkin purée, not sweetened pie filling. Stir the sauce until smooth before adding the gnocchi.
Stir the gnocchi into the sauce until coated, then transfer to the baking dish.
Top with vegetarian mozzarella, vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese, and the breadcrumbs.
Bake until bubbly and golden, 18 to 20 minutes. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
0 of 6 steps complete
A little kitchen know-how
- For extra crunch, broil for 1 minute at the end.
- If the sauce thickens too quickly, add a splash of broth before baking.
- Swap in butternut squash puree for a slightly sweeter flavor.
Make it yours & keep it well
Replace pumpkin purée with smooth cooked butternut squash, checking the sauce thickness before baking.
Storage: Cool promptly in shallow portions and refrigerate covered. Eat within 48 hours or freeze suitable extras promptly. Reheat cooked leftovers only once until steaming hot throughout. Portion the bake before chilling; warm covered initially so the gnocchi does not dry before the centre heats.
For cooling and reheating, follow the Food Standards Agency’s leftover guidance. Rice has a shorter refrigerated storage limit, as described in its recipe notes.
Estimated nutrition per serving
540 kcal · Protein 19 g · Carbohydrates 63 g · Fat 24 g
Approximate figures; brands, portions and substitutions change the result.
Good things to know
Can I make this ahead?
Assemble the bake up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate. Add 5 minutes to the bake time.
What can I use instead of panko?
Swap in crushed crackers or toasted breadcrumbs for the same crunchy topping.
What if my gnocchi cooks faster?
Check the packet instructions and taste a piece. Different refrigerated and shelf-stable products soften at different rates.
Keep the good food coming.
Creamy Tomato Tortellini Skillet
Cheese tortellini simmered in a creamy tomato-basil sauce with spinach for a weeknight vegetarian comfort dinner.
Eggplant Parmesan
Crispy baked eggplant cutlets layered with bright marinara, stretchy vegetarian mozzarella, and Parm for a lighter take on the red-sauce staple.
Baked Spinach Ricotta Shells
Jumbo pasta shells hold a spinach-ricotta filling in tomato sauce, topped with vegetarian cheeses and baked until golden and bubbling.