Pumpkin gnocchi with speck, walnuts and parmesan cream.
I love the traditional way of serving pumpkin gnocchi with a sage butter. However, this recipe for pumpkin gnocchi with speck, walnuts and parmesan cream is divinely delicious too!
Gnocchi di zucca con speck, noci e crema di parmigiano.
Visitors who have read recent Past Project posts will know that I made pumpkin gnocchi at home recently. Although I had made normal potato gnocchi before, this was my first attempt at gnocchi made with pumpkin. I have to say how chuffed I felt once my Sicilian hubby, Salvatore, had declared my pumpkin gnocchi ‘squisito’ (exquisite!), especially when served in this pumpkin gnocchi with speck, walnuts and Parmesan cream recipe.
(This post was first published a year ago but has been updated)
Different kinds of Italian pumpkin gnocchi.
There are different ways in Italy of making pumpkin gnocchi. They can be made, as I did with potatoes, flour and roasted pumpkin puree. They can be made without the potatoes, just pumpkin and flour or with ricotta instead of potatoes and some people also make them using breadcrumbs.
Like potato gnocchi, pumpkin gnocchi are often served in a cheese sauce such as parmesan, gorgonzola or tallegio to which ingredients like truffles, walnuts, broccoli or mushrooms may be added. And speck, pancetta and sausage are the most traditional ‘meat’ ingredients used in pumpkin gnocchi recipes. These gnocchi are also great baked and I’m planning to do a baked pumpkin gnocchi dish before pumpkin season comes to an end!
Homemade gnocchi can be frozen to use at a later date.
Homemade gnocchi can be frozen and then cooked without defrosting. So, if you make some, make extra and freeze them. However, they need to be put into the freezer on a tray or plate, so they don’t stick together. Once they are frozen, you can put them into a freezer bag. Then it takes no time at all to put together a delicious meal when you’re pressed for time! In fact, I have some in the freezer left over from the ones I made last week!
Two ways with pumpkin gnocchi.
I used my first batch of pumpkin gnocchi in two recipes, the traditional sage butter recipe (very easy to do) and this pumpkin gnocchi with speck, walnuts and parmesan cream recipe! It was divine! I cooked the speck until it started to brown, then added chopped walnuts and fresh rosemary from my garden. The Parmesan cream is just cooking cream and grated Parmesan, cooked on a low heat until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens. Then once the gnocchi were ready I put the cream in the bottom of the plate, the gnocchi on top and the speck and walnuts over the gnocchi! Sounds good, doesn’t it?
Although this pumpkin gnocchi with speck and walnuts recipe involves preparing 3 different lots of ingredients, none of them take very long if you don’t count making the gnocchi themselves. This of course takes longer but isn’t that difficult and so worth doing.
If you do make this recipe I’d love to hear how it turned out. You can comment here on the blog at the bottom of the page or on The Pasta Project Facebook page.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Buon Appetito!
Make your own gnocchi!
Other pumpkin pasta recipes on The Pasta Project
- Cannelloni with pumpkin and goat cheese
- Baked pasta with pumpkin and zucchini
- Casarecce with pumpkin and orange pesto
Save this recipe for later?
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Pumpkin Gnocchi with Speck, Walnuts and Parmesan cream.
Ingredients
- 400 g pumpkin gnocchi (14oz) see my recipe for how to make them
- 170 g speck (6oz) cut into cubes or bought already cubed
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 60 g walnuts (2oz) chopped
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 90 g Parmesan (3oz) grated
- 200 ml cooking cream
- 1 pinch nutmeg (optional)
- salt to taste and to cook gnocchi
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put a pan of water on to boil for the gnocchi. Add salt once it starts to boil. Then bring to the boil again
Prepare the speck and walnuts
- Cut the speck into small cubes, chop the rosemary and the walnuts.
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan or skillet. Fry the speck until it starts to brown slightly. Add the rosemary and cook until the speck is almost crispy. Add the chopped walnuts. Allow them to toast a little then turn off the heat.
Make the Parmesan cream
- Put the cooking cream into a saucepan on a low heat. Reduce the cream slightly and then add 60 g of the grated Parmesan. Stir until the cheese melts and the sauce thickens. Add a pinch of nutmeg if desired and salt and pepper to taste. (If the cream seems to watery you can add an egg yolk to thicken it. Continue to stir until the egg is cooked and the cream thicker)
Finish the dish
- Divide the cream between the plates you are going to serve on just before the gnocchi are ready.
- Cook the gnocchi in the boiling salted water when they come up to the surface remove them with a slotted spoon and put them in the plates/bowls with the Parmesan cream. (don’t mix the gnocchi with the cream. Just place them on top)
- Sprinkle the speck, walnuts and rosemary on top of the gnocchi in the plates. Serve immediately with extra grated Parmesan.
Notes
Pin for Later
Wow this gnocchi is something I would love to try! If you have another great recipe like these, it would be great if you could share it at Tuscookany cooking vacations blog 🙂 Looking forward to your blog.
Thank you! This recipe really is delicious! I hope you’ll try it! I’d be happy to share recipes on your blog. Have sent you an email!
Two of my favorite things together, pumpkin and gnocchi! What a great combo… something that I will definitely have to save for later!
Thanks Sharon, yes pumpkin and gnocchi is a great combo! One of my autumn favourites!
oh my goodness, everything is right about this recipe! perfect for the season. love pumpkin with pasta and rosemary is the perfect herb too!
So happy you like this recipe Stine! This is one of my favourite autumn recipes!
This pumpkin gnocchi is such an incredible Fall dish. Looks so tasty.
Thank you Katherine! Yes perfect autumn recipe and a wonderful combination of flavours!
I love this twist on gnocchi and this dish is so very flavorful I bet it went quick!
Grazie Claudia! Yes this really is a very tasty recipe. A real crowd pleaser!
Such a brilliant idea to make a pumpkin gnocchi! I bet it’s delicious!
Pumpkin gnocchi are great Ellen. Perfect autumn fare!
This looks absolutely incredible – I’m a big fan of pumpkin and this is such a delicious looking dish. I must give it a try
Thanks so much Bintu! I’m sure you’ll love this dish!
Pumpkin gnocchi sound and looks delicious. I love this recipe.
Thanks Jemma, yes, pumpkin gnocchi are really delicious and pretty easy to make too!
This dish looks absolutely amazing! I’m not sure where I’d find speck walnuts, could I use regular walnuts instead?
Thanks so much Alexis! Speck and walnuts are 2 separate ingredients here. Speck is a kind of bacon from Northern Italy and the walnuts are just normal walnuts. You can replace speck with pancetta.
I’ve been making homemade gnocchi lately and been looking for new sauce ideas so thanks for the inspiration!
Glad you like the sound of this sauce Julia. There are so many yummy ways to serve homemade gnocchi!
This looks like a restaurant dish! Yet simple to make at home. Wonderful recipe!
Grazie Danielle! I also think this dish looks divine! But, as you say, it’s easy to make at home!
I am all about the pumpkin recipes at the moment and gnocchi is just so comforting. Can’t wait to try this!
Thanks Danielle! I’m sure you’ll love this delicious comforting dish!
Love that you made pumpkin gnocchi! This sounds like such a fabulous combination and I can’t wait to give it a try!
This is a great combo Kim! I’m sure you’ll love it!
I have made these with sweet potatoes never pumpkin, now I am intrigued to try them and wonder if the consistency will be better. Thanks for posting
I’ve never made sweet potato gnocchi Claudia! I must try it. Sounds good. These gnocchi have a super consistency, pillowy without being stodgy!