Black Pepper Ricotta Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Swiss Chard in Béchamel Sauce
Soft ricotta gnocchi in a creamy parmesan béchamel sauce with fall vegetables. Rich and comforting, perfect for a cool fall or winter night.
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Ingredients
Gnocci
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta strained, if necessary
- 1 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper reduce to 1/2 tsp if you're more sensitive to spice
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup flour plus more for rolling
- 1 1/4 cups parmesan grated
- 1 teaspoon salt
Veggies
- 2-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 bunches Swiss chard chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chipped
- 1 small butternut squash cut into small, bite-sized pieces
- pinch cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and pepper a pinch each of whatever combination is on hand
Ingredients
Gnocci
Veggies
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Instructions
Veggie Prep
- Preheat oven to 375. Toss butternut squash pieces with 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil, spices, salt and pepper. Spread out on a foiled baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes. When soft, set aside in a large bowl.
- In a large skillet, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil and set heat to medium-low. Add garlic and cook about a minute or so, until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add Swiss chard, adding in batches if needed, and cook down. Once the chard is done, add it to the bowl with the squash and set aside.
Gnocchi
- Combine ricotta, eggs, parmesan, pepper, and salt. Stir in half a cup of flour, then another quarter cup at a time until the mixture makes a nice sticky dough. If you want to test the dough, drop a small ball into boiling water - if it keeps together, it's ready, if it falls apart, add more flour.
- Take about a quarter of the dough and roll it out into a thin rope on a well-floured surface. Repeat with remaining dough. Take a sharp knife and cut individual pieces of gnocchi. From here, you can use a fork to make a nice design, or roll each individual piece into a nice oval, or just leave them somewhat jagged - or "rustic" - and save yourself a ton of time. (Start assembling the sauce now so that you can drop the boiled gnocchi right into the sauce.)
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Drop batches of the gnocchi into the water allowing them enough space so that they don't stick together. Once the gnocchi rises to the surface it's done, fish them out with a slotted spoon.
Sauce
- Melt the butter in a large pan (reuse the same one used for the chard) on medium. Add the garlic and nutmeg and cook for a minute, then add the flour and stir well, combining all the flour with the butter. Allow it to bubble, but not brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the half and half and whisk constantly. Bring the sauce to a boil, add the salt and pepper, and continue whisking. Lower the heat once sauce starts thickening. Once the sauce has thickened nicely, stir in the cheese and off the heat.
Combine & Serve
- Once the sauce appears to be done, add in the gnocchi. Ideally, this can be timed with cooking the gnocchi so that the gnocchi can be scooped from the boiling water and moved directly to the sauce. Gently fold in the veggies as well, and serve immediately.