A Fall-inspired aglio e olio recipe with gnocchi, broccoli rabe, and pumpkin. Elegant comfort food at it’s finest, with an easy garlic sauce made with ingredients you already have in your pantry!

Two hands holding ceramic bowl with vegetables and gnocchi.

How to cook broccoli rabe - with step by step photos

Heat 2 tablespoon olive oil in a saute pan or shallow pot large enough to hold the cooked pasta and veggies over medium heat. Roughly chop the broccoli rabe, season with salt (photo 1), and cook it in the oil for 6-8 minutes until bright and tender (photo 2).

You can serve the broccoli rabe as a side dish just like this, but I enjoy adding it to pasta since it is such a healthy superfood and that special, bitter flavor tastes great with pasta.

Two hands holding ceramic bowl with cooked green broccoli rabe.

How to cook pumpkin for pasta

Preheat the oven to 350F. Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise (photo 1). Scoop out the seeds with a spoon (photo 2). Place cut side down on a baking sheet (photo 3). Bake 30 minutes.

Pumpkin cut in half with seeds scooped out on baking sheet.

Let the pumpkin cool. Then, peel and cube. The peel should come off easily with your fingers.

Peeled pumpkin cut in half on baking sheet.

Step by step pumpkin gnocchi

Save 1 ½ cups of pasta water before draining the gnocchi. Cook per the directions on the package.

Prepare your ingredients. To easily peel your garlic, smash the cloves with the side of your knife. Then peel and rough chop.

Ingredients on marble counter with garlic on black cutting board.

Heat ⅓ cup of olive oil over medium heat in a large pot big enough to hold the cooked pasta and veggies. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Do not let the garlic burn or brown, but golden is OK. Add the red pepper flakes and turn the heat down to low.

Carefully add the 1 ½ cups of reserved pasta water to the olive oil. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and simmer for 5 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by ⅓.

Olive oil in silver pan with garlic and spices.

Add the strained gnocchi to the olive oil sauce. Turn off the heat. Add the parmesan, parsley, and broccoli rabe. Mix well.

Add the roasted pumpkin. Gently toss to mix.

Mixing gnocchi with vegetables in silver pan.

Serve immediately with plenty of extra parmesan.

Pasta with pumpkin and green vegetables in silver pan and in ceramic bowl with pumpkins.

Looking for more delicious weeknight pasta recipes? Here are some of my favorites:

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Print Recipe

5 from 15 votes

Aglio e Olio Gnocchi with Broccoli Rabe & Pumpkin

A Fall-inspired aglio e olio recipe with gnocchi, broccoli rabe, and pumpkin. Elegant comfort food at it’s finest, with an easy garlic sauce made with ingredients you already have in your pantry!

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Main

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings:

Calories: 564kcal

Author: Candice

Ingredients

▢ 1 sugar pie pumpkin
▢ 1 bunch broccoli rabe or rapini, roughly chopped
▢ 1 lb. gnocchi
▢ ⅓ cup good olive oil + 2 tbsp
▢ 8 large garlic cloves smashed and roughly chopped
▢ ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
▢ ½ cup minced fresh parsley
▢ 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus extra for serving

Instructions

Preheat to 350F.
Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Place cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes.
In the meantime, heat 2 tablespoon olive oil in a saute pan or shallow pot large enough to hold the cooked pasta and veggies over medium heat. Add the broccoli rabe, season with salt, and cook the broccoli rabe for 6-8 minutes until bright and tender. Remove and set aside.
Add the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook according to the directions on the package. Save 1 ½ cups of pasta water before draining.
Heat ½ cup of olive oil over medium heat in a large pot big enough to hold the cooked pasta and veggies. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Do not let the garlic burn or brown, but golden is OK. Add the red pepper flakes and turn the heat down to low.
Carefully add the 1 ½ cups of reserved pasta water to the olive oil. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and simmer for 5 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by ⅓.
In the meantime, the pumpkin should be ready. Remove from the oven, peel, and cube.
Add the strained gnocchi to the olive oil sauce. Turn off the heat. Add the parmesan, parsley, and broccoli rabe. Mix well.
Add the roasted pumpkin. Gently toss to mix. Serve immediately.

Notes

Be sure not to overcook the pumpkin. You want it to hold instead of becoming mush.

Reserve the pasta water. The starch in the pasta water adds body to the sauce.

Nutrition

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