…with brown butter balsamic cream!
Oh my, this Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts with brown butter balsamic cream… who likes a good party trick? This is your next one. This dish is an insanely easy 30 minute meal disguised as a meal that you slaved away for hours to make. Gnocchi, brussels sprouts and butternut squash roast together in the oven while you make a quick and easy, yet insanely delicious, brown butter sauce that you drizzle over everything right before serving. All you really have to worry about is pouring the wine for your guests. Not up for a party? Still make this, but eat it straight off the pan standing at the kitchen counter like I do. Still pour the wine though.
If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a minimum of 12,482 times… I would eat brown butter on a shoe if you served it to me. It’s rich, it’s nutty, it’s delicious, it’s liquid gold and you can’t tell me different. So, once again we are using brown butter to take a recipe completely over the top. And we’re mixing it with tangy balsamic vinegar and yes, heavy cream. I probably say this about everything I make, but this one really is a must try.
Scroll past the recipe if you’re looking for tips, substitutions, questions, etc. and details on how to make this recipe, but if you want to get straight to it, here’s my recipe-ish…
Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprouts and Brown Butter Balsamic Cream
Ingredients
For the gnocchi:
- 1 lb gnocchi
- 3 cups butternut squash cut into 1/2” cubes
- 2 heaping cups brussels sprouts halved
- 1/2 red onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp fresh sage chopped
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- Red pepper flakes
For the brown butter balsamic cream:
- 1/2 cup butter Brown Butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 Tbsp balsamic
- Salt
For serving:
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese finely grated
- 2 Tbsp pine nuts
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450.
- In a large bowl combine the gnocchi, squash, brussels sprouts, onion, garlic, olive oil, sage, thyme and a big pinch of red pepper flakes. Season with S&P and toss well.
- Divide between two baking sheets.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, switching pans’ position on the oven racks about halfway through.
While it bakes make the brown butter.
- Brown the butter in a sauce pan and just before it’s finished, add in the garlic.
- Remove from heat and stir in the cream and the balsamic. Season with salt and whisk well.
- Remove the sheet pans from the oven, drizzle over the brown butter balsamic cream and top with parmesan and pine nuts.
Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts Recipe ingredients, tips, substitutions:
Gnocchi – I use the shelf stable gnocchi that you find with the dried pasta in the market.
Herbs – you can use fresh herbs or dried herbs, and feel free to mix them up… oregano would be good, or basil, or rosemary.
Red Pepper Flakes – I like a little heat in this recipe, but you can omit it. Or, you can sub in a pinch of cayenne or Calabrian Chili or Aleppo Pepper for variety.
Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts Recipe Variations:
- Broccoli Version – if you don’t like brussels sprouts (you’re wrong, first of all), you can sub in broccoli, but I would add it on at the last 10 minutes of cooking so it doesn’t get overcooked..
- Sweet Potato Version – sub in sweet potatoes for the squash and add in 1 tsp fresh rosemary.
- Spicier Version – add in an extra dash of cayenne pepper along with the red pepper flakes.
- Cheesier Version – in the last few minutes of cooking at about a cup of melty cheese over the top of the pans.
Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts recipe, how to make it…
Well, there’s easy and then there’s this…
In a large bowl combine a package of shelf stable gnocchi, cubed butternut squash, halved brussels sprouts, chopped onion, garlic, olive oil, sage, thyme and a big pinch of red pepper flakes. Season very well with S&P and toss it in the oven.
While it bakes make the brown butter balsamic cream sauce and pour a glass of wine (for yourself because you’re working so hard. Optional, but recommended).
Brown the butter in a sauce pan and just before it’s finished, add in the garlic. If you don’t know how to brown butter but you still want to continue being friends with me I suggest you read this.
Remove the garlic butter from the heat and stir in some heavy cream and balsamic vinegar. Season with a pinch of salt and whisk well.
Remove the sheet pans from the oven, drizzle over the brown butter balsamic cream and top with parmesan and pine nuts.
Refill your wine glass and eat.
looking for more easier than they look dinner recipes? try these…
- Cast Iron Chicken Parmesan
- Honey Glazed Pork Chops
- Chili Oil Ramen Noodles
- Ricotta Pesto Pasta with Roasted Red Peppers
- Risotto Gorgonzola with Prosecco
Let me know what you think below and if you like this Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts Recipe then I know you’ll love my Marinated Brussels Sprouts Recipe. It’s my fave.
Outstanding! The balance of flavors and textures is amazing, and the balsamic sauce added at the end is delicious. I am not one for heat, so I did not use the pepper flakes. My whole family loved it! So easy! Also, I have a huge roasting pan and just used that for cooking the meal (as well as mixing and tossing the whole mixture together to save on cleanup.)
I love how you made it a true on-pan meal! Thanks for commenting. 🙂