Baked Squash Gnocchi
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Baked Squash Gnocchi
These are not like boiled gnocchi at all, but are creamy balls of squash baked in a tomato sauce. Guests who come on our cooking courses in Italy say that they are one of their favorite fall dishes.
- Prep Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 0 hours
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10
Ingredients
- 1kg (2 lb) butternut squash (or similar)
- 2 onions
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 kg (2 lb) tomatoes, skinned
- basil, a few leaves
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
- olive oil
- 150g (1 1/4 cup) white flour (you may need more or less depending on how wet your squash is)
- 100g (3 oz) parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Peel the squash, remove the seeds and cut into 2 cm (1 inch) cubes.
- In a heavy-bottomed pan, begin to stir-fry the squash in a good splash of olive oil. Add salt and pepper.
- Peel and chop the onions and garlic.
- When the squash has softened, add the onions and garlic to the pan and continue to fry for a few more minutes. Turn off the heat when the onion begins to brown.
- In a saucepan, combine a splash of olive oil, the tomatoes and the torn basil leaves.
- Cook on a low flame for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the squash mixture to an appropriate container and use a hand-blender to process. Return the mixture to the pan.
- Heat the mixture. Begin adding flour to it, little by little, stirring constantly.
- When the mixture is considerably thicker but still creamy (almost stiff mashed potato consistency), stop adding flour, turn off the heat and allow to cool a little. It will thicken further.
- Pour the tomato sauce into a large shallow ovenproof dish. If using, add the cream to the tomato in swirls.
- With 2 spoons, make walnut-sized balls of squash mixture and place in the sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan.
- Cook for 15-20 minutes on 180°C/350°F, until the cheese is browned.
