gnocchi with bacon and creamy pumpkin sauce

Dinner

Gnocchi with Bacon & Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

Get into the fall spirit with this one-pan gnocchi with a creamy pumpkin sauce. Some pumpkin and other squash sauces can be cloyingly sweet, but not this one--it's savory all the way, thanks to the bacon, garlic and thyme. Instead of being boiled, a package of store-bought gnocchi--one of our favorite convenience products--is browned and crisped in a little bit of bacon fat. Then the sauce (made with canned pumpkin--another great convenience product) is prepared right in that same pan, so cleanup is minimal too. Serve with a simple green salad for an easy dinner that comes together in 30 minutes.

Ingredients

1 slice bacon, chopped
1 (16 ounce) package shelf-stable gnocchi
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
¾ cup reduced-fat milk
1 ½ ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
¾ cup unseasoned canned pumpkin
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Add gnocchi to the pan with the bacon fat and cook, stirring often, until plumped and starting to brown, about 5 more minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Add oil and onion to the pan; cook, stirring, until softened and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Whisk milk and cream cheese in a small bowl; add to the pan along with pumpkin and pepper. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to maintain the simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the bacon, gnocchi and Parmesan; cook, stirring, until heated through, about 2 minutes more.