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!
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.
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.
Let the pumpkin cool. Then, peel and cube. The peel should come off easily with your fingers.
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.
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.
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 with plenty of extra parmesan.
Looking for more delicious weeknight pasta recipes? Here are some of my favorites:
- Spicy Tahini Baked Penne with Broccoli & Spinach
- Super Green Pesto Pasta Salad
- Pasta with Basil, Tomato, Arugula, & Pine Nuts
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Aglio e Olio Gnocchi with Broccoli Rabe & Pumpkin
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.
I've made this before but with butternut squash which may be easier to find than the sugar pie pumpkins. Once I added sauteed Italian sausage.
Butternut squash is a great substitution! And would be great with sausage, too... yum!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was great! I couldn't wait to treat my kids to such a cozy fall meal. Maybe next time I'll even let the boys help with the recipe!
So fun! They will love that. Glad you enjoyed!
This is right up my street so I had to make it! I adore gnocchi, pumpkin and broccoli and this is such a creative way to use them! Perfect for these chilly fall evenings. So I subbed with broccoli instead of broccoli rabe and loved it. Thanks for sharing.
That is awesome, Sasha! Glad to hear you enjoyed it... and broccoli for broccoli rabe sounds just as delicious!