When it comes to pumpkin pasta everyone automatically goes sage and brown butter. But I have to admit, I don’t really like butter as a sauce. I like it to enrich other sauces, but not just on its own. So for Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Gnocchi, I went with inspiration from an unexpected place. An airport sandwich I had a million years ago in New Zealand.
That sandwich was roasted butternut squash, feta and roasted red bell pepper. Today, I’m putting arugula in play for freshness. This isn’t a full on recipe, because I really didn’t measure anything other than the pancetta. And it’s not so much a sauce, as a way to dress the gnocchi.
The pumpkin gnocchi does skew a tiny bit sweet, so the saltiness from pancetta and a little feta is a nice balance.
Get a pot of water on to boil (salt it) and meanwhile heat a non-stick skillet over medium. Render 2 oz. of pancetta, (half a package) cooking just until it’s crispy. Add 1 small diced roasted red pepper (a rounded 1/2 cup-ish) and cook for a minute or two, just until heated through.
Cook the gnocchi according to package directions, it takes just 2-3 minutes. Drain the gnocchi and add it to the skillet. Toss everything together and give it a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese.
Arrange the gnocchi on a platter and surround it with 3-4 handfuls of arugula. Break up some feta and distribute it evenly over the pasta and arugula. Give it another dusting of parmesan and drizzle olive oil over everything. Season with black pepper to taste.
Voilá!
Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Gnocchi is a mix of pumpkin and potato and it’s not too dense. It manages to stay fairly pillowy once cooked. But I will say the pumpkin flavor isn’t particularly strong. Even still…Would I buy it again? Yes.
Check out some other We Tried’s from Trader Joe’s:
Butternut Squash Mac n Cheese Bites