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Potato Gnocchi with Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce

This recipe is a blend of two things I love: autumn, and the Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce that I posted earlier this summer. That sauce has all the authentic creamy flavors and textures of an Alfredo, but it’s completely vegan and unprocessed. It is one of my all-time favorites and I make it with fettuccine at least a few times per month.

What we have here, however, is a whole different animal. Yes, it starts out with the same basic white sauce, but we add pumpkin and spices to give it a gorgeous fall-inspired feel. And instead of pasta, this version pairs perfectly with light pillows of gnocchi.

I get excited about recipes like this. I love it when you can whip up an amazing, healthy, unprocessed meal in 25 minutes and make it seem super-fancy with refined and complex flavors. This is a perfect example of my message: you don’t have to sacrifice time or taste to cook healthy unprocessed food.

Pumpkin Gnocchi Top

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 16 oz potato gnocchi (store-bought or homemade
  • 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
  • 2 1/2 cups chunked cauliflower
  • 1 1/2 cups plain unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
  • 3-4 tablespoons tahini
  • 1 lemon (juice)
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • sea salt
  • black pepper
  • 1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds (garnish)
  • Fresh chives (garnish)

Pumpkin Gnocchi

Step One

Break up the cauliflower head into 2 1/2 cups of medium-sized pieces and add them to a pot with the pumpkin, almond milk, nutritional yeast, tahini, lemon juice, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cover and allow the ingredients to gently simmer for at least 15-20 minutes, but do not let the mixture boil.

Step Two

When the cauliflower has begun to break down and becomes soft, transfer the mixture to a blender and blend thoroughly until the sauce is totally creamy and no chunks remain. At this point, give the sauce a taste and adjust any ingredients as necessary – feel free to add more tahini, salt, lemon juice, etc.

The sauce will thicken and improve in flavor as it sits. I would recommend refrigerating for 2-3 hours ahead of time, but if that isn’t an option, don’t worry: it’s great right out of the blender as well.

Step Three

When ready to serve, prepare the gnocchi by bringing a pot of water to just under a boil and slowly adding in the gnocchi. Honestly, I used frozen store-bought gnocchi for this particular recipe because I didn’t want to make it. But making gnocchi is fairly easy and much more economical. If you’d like to give it a shot, check out this Vegan Gnocchi Tutorial by Chez Bettay.

With the gnocchi fully cooked, use a slotted spoon to pull it from the water and add generous amounts of the sauce over top. Gently toss with a spoon to evenly coat the gnocchi. Plate and garnish with sliced almonds and finely-chopped chives.

Pumpkin Gnocch

Pumpkin Gnocchi Fork

13 Comments

Leave a Reply
  1. Amazing Sauce Idea for Thanksgiving, I’m going to give this a try! I just make a fresh batch of gnocchi this morning and was pleased to find this pumpkin sauce recipe.

    Thank you very much for referring the adventurous to my Vegan Gnocchi Recipe!

    • Hi, Betty! You’re more than welcome 🙂 and thanks for sharing your awesome gnocchi recipe with us – I can’t wait to give it a shot!

  2. Hey Andrew,

    I love the cauliflower sauce and will be making this tonight. I noticed you have pasta listed in the ingredients, but it’s not used in the recipe.

    Thanks for all the work you put into your site. I cook your recipes weekly and love them.

  3. I was super excited about this recipe, but now I totally want a divorce, Andrew!!! Lol. I am obsessed with pumpkin everything, but the tahini flavor was a little much for me in the sauce, and I only did 3 tbsp. I think I’ll try this again, but maybe eliminate the tahini, add in a couple cloves of garlic, and maybe a pinch of cinnamon. I’m not sure if cashews would maybe replace the creaminess instead of the tahini?! I dunno, but I’m willing to go to counseling because I love your recipes!! Thanks for sharing your creations!

    • Sorry, Elizabeth! I hate it when any of my recipes don’t turn out as expected. 🙁 I really liked this one, however, so I’m not so sure there’s any hope for us, hahaha 😀

  4. Saw this recipe and really wanted to try it. Followed it exactly and the sauce came out as a really thick puree totally dominated by cauliflower. Really disappointed.

  5. Idk what everyone is talking about with the sauce not coming out right, because I have made it a few times, using both tahini and cashew butter and it’s excellent!
    The first time I made it, I even made my mother cry she was so proud (I used to hate to cook, and she is Italian, so…yeah haha)
    And you cant go wrong with gnocchi! Love it.

  6. Every recipe I make from your site is absolutely delicious and this one is no exception. The sauce came out beautifully and the toasted almonds really add a nice crunch and flavor. Amazing!!

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