Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce

Brown Butter Sage Gnocchi with baby broccoli in a round shallow bowl with a black charger and striped napkin on a wooden background.

5 from 3 votes

Gnocchi with Brown Butter Sage Sauce

Brown Butter Sage Gnocchi is a super simple dinner made by sautéing gnocchi until crispy, adding baby broccoli, and tossing it all together in an equally simple brown butter sage sauce. If making this dish for 4 people, double the ingredients and work in batches or use two saute pans.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Calories: 712kcal

Author: Lauren Skardal

Ingredients

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb gnocchi
2 bunches baby broccoli
3 tablespoon butter
6 large sage leaves, minced

Instructions

Heat a large sauté pan to medium-low to medium heat. On our electric stove I set the heat to between 4 (out of 10). Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Allow to warm through 1-2 minutes, then add the gnocchi, working in batches if necessary. Do not overcrowd the pan.
Once you add the gnocchi, do not stir, but keep a close eye on it. When the bottom starts to turn a crispy brown then stir and flip the gnocchi. This is anywhere between 5-10 minutes depending on how hot and how crowded the pan is. Do this 2-3 times until the gnocchi is browned on a few sides, adding more olive oil as needed. Then remove from the pan.
Add a couple more tablespoons of olive oil, then add the baby broccoli, add a pinch of salt and stir occasionally for 5-7 minutes. Remove from the pan.
Add the butter to the pan stirring occasionally until it starts to turn brown. Add the sage and cook for another 1-2 minutes, ensuring that the butter does not burn.
Add the gnocchi and baby broccoli back to the pan, toss to coat with the brown butter sage sauce. Add salt to taste. Remove from heat and serve.

Notes

Meal for Two: The ingredient quantities are dished for a meal for two. If making this for 4 people, double all the ingredients and work in batches or use two sauté pans simultaneously.
Buying Gnocchi: If you happen to have a specialty Italian market nearby, check to see if they also make homemade gnocchi. We have one not too far from us, and it is significantly better than what you can get in the store (even though we really like the store brand).
Sage: Use fresh sage leaves, they make the sauce what it is. Don't be tempted to use dried sage, or if you do, know that it won't have quite the same punch.
Sauteeing Gnocchi: Don't be tempted to flip the gnocchi over or stir the gnocchi before they become brown and crispy. They will stick to the pan and it is more effective to leave them. If you continue stirring it will actually take longer to brown.
Setting a Timer: When you add the baby broccoli set a timer for 5 minutes so that you don't overcook it. I'm always setting short timers when cooking to avoid forgetting how much time has passed and overcooking something. Even though I cook all the time, I find this immensely helpful. It's easy to get distracted.
Optional Crispy Sage for Garnish: If you have extra sage leaves you can add them in whole when browning the butter and sauté them until crispy. Remove the sage leaves, then add them on top of each dish at the end for garnish.
Serving: Serve the Brown Butter Sage Gnocchi in a large shallow dish so that the gnocchi and broccoli are not piled on top of each other. If the gnocchi are crowded on the serving dish they will steam and get soft rather than stay crispy.

Nutrition