Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Gnocchi, butternut squash and spicy sausage – It came to me in a dream this Fall, and I had a chance to give it a try on Sunday for a Week’s Worth of Lunches.  I ate every last drop of it today.  This is a keeper.

Ingredients

Gnocchi (whole wheat or sweet potato preferred), 2 packages

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1 lb mild turkey sausage, removed from casings.

Salt and pepper to taste

Trader Joe’s Butternut Squash Soup (another Trader Joe’s Hit)

Nutmeg, fresh grated, to taste

Baby spinach, one bag

Shredded fontina (about a cup)

A sprinkling of toasted chopped walnuts (if you have them)

Directions

Boil water in a large stock pot for gnocchi. 

In a large non-stick electric stick, heat a swirl or two of oil.  Add onions, carrots and celery and sauté on medium heat for 5 minutes.  Add the turkey sausage.  Brown and break up, like ground meat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Once the sausage is just cooked through, add about ¾ of the soup-in-a-box.  Let it boil up, then turn down to simmer.  Sprinkle with a little nutmeg.  Taste.  Add more salt, pepper or nutmeg if needed.  Toss the entire bag of baby spinach over the top of sauce, and place the lid on top.  Keep simmering.

Add a palmful of salt to the boiling water and cook gnocchi according to package directions, about 3 minutes.  Drain gnocchi well, then add to the sauce and spinach.  Mix it up to wilt the spinach and incorporate the sauce and gnocchi.  Top each serving with a sprinkling of fontina, toasted walnuts, salt and pepper.

Makes 8 serving at 6 points per serving.  Great for lunch.