Gratinated Gnocchi with Pumpkin and Toma Cheese

Gratinated gnocchi with pumpkin and toma cheese is a tasty and comforting autumn dish. Here’s how to prepare it:

Ingredients

• 1 kg of potato gnocchi (you can buy ready-made ones or make them at home)
• 500 g of cleaned pumpkin
• 200 g of Piedmontese toma (or another similar cheese that melts well)
• 200 ml of cooking cream
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• Nutmeg to taste
• Butter for the baking dish
• Breadcrumbs (optional)
• A few sage leaves (optional for garnish)

Preparation

1. Start by preheating the oven to 200 °C.
2. Cut the pumpkin into cubes and cook it in a pan or in the oven with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper until it is soft. You can also add a pinch of nutmeg to enhance the flavor.
3. In the meantime, grate the toma cheese.
4. Butter a baking dish and spread a layer of gnocchi on the bottom.
5. When the pumpkin is cooked, mash it with a fork to make a coarse puree and distribute it over the gnocchi.
6. Pour the cooking cream over the pumpkin and gnocchi, add the grated toma cheese, and gently mix without breaking the gnocchi.
7. If desired, sprinkle with breadcrumbs to create a crispy crust on top.
8. Bake the dish in the oven and let it gratinate for about 20 minutes or until the surface is golden and crispy.
9. Garnish with sage leaves fried in a little butter for an aromatic touch.

Serve the gnocchi hot to best enjoy the contrast between the creaminess of the pumpkin and cheese and the crispiness of the gratin.

Curiosity

Gratinated gnocchi is a variation of the classic gnocchi dish, and the addition of pumpkin makes it an ideal dish for the colder months. Toma is a typical cheese from Piedmont, but if you can’t find it, you can substitute it with another soft cheese that melts well, like Fontina or Taleggio. The tradition of gratinating dishes comes from the idea of creating a crispy and flavorful crust on the surface that contrasts with the softness of the mixture underneath.