Pan Seared Brown Butter Gnocchi with Crispy Pancetta and Sage is a simple Italian pasta dish made with soft potato gnocchi sauteed in brown butter, crispy pancetta, and sage. It is an easy weeknight dinner for the family.
As I was making my way down the aisles of Costco, I stumbled upon one of my favorite things to order in restaurants — gnocchi. What is gnocchi you ask? A gnocchi is a soft and plump dumpling made with potato and other starches. It is pillowy soft and has such a delicate texture. This is why it is so heavenly to pair with brown butter, crispy pancetta, and sage.
Years ago, we were invited to our dear friend’s home, The Munns, for an authentic Italian meal. Both Jacob and Tiffany lived in Italy for two years while they served a church mission, and they learned everything about true authentic Italian cooking. I watched Tiff take fresh sage leaves and saute them with some brown butter to get them nice and crispy. It made the brown butter sauce have so much earthy, nutty flavor and I was hooked. This Gnocchi with Brown Butter, Crispy Pancetta, and Sage recipe calls for that same crispy sage.
This Gnocchi with Brown Butter, Crispy Pancetta, and Sage calls for pancetta, an Italian cured bacon. This is sauteed until nice and crispy before adding it to the gnocchi and sauce. You can even substitute a center cut bacon if you don’t have access to pancetta. I have made this plenty of time with bacon and it is fabulous as well.
This recipe takes less than 20-25 minutes from start to finish. The gnocchi only needs about 1 minute to cook in boiling water. How could you get any easier? The sauce is made by browning the butter just until it gets to that golden brown color. You don’t want to burn your butter so watch it carefully! Look for the browned bits forming on the bottom of the pan. The sage is added to the butter and sauteed until it is nice and crispy. This is heavenly to eat on its own. Trust me on this one!
Once the sauce is done, the gnocchi has been cooked, and the pancetta or bacon is nice and crispy — toss it all together. This Gnocchi with Brown Butter, Crispy Pancetta, and Sage is a filling dish so a little goes a long way. I love eating pasta this time of year!
- 16 - 24 ounces Gnocchi (depending on how much sauce you want)
- ½ cup Salted Butter
- 8 -12 Fresh Sage Leaves
- ½ lb. Pancetta or Bacon, cooked until crispy and chopped
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese (plus more for garnish. I love to use shaved parmesan)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Heat a large pot of water on high until it begins to boil. Generously salt the water. Cook gnocchi according to package instructions.
- While gnocchi is cooking, cook pancetta or bacon until crispy.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. After several minutes, add the sage leaves. Cook until the sage is crispy and the butter starts to turn a golden brown color -- about 3-4 minutes.
- Drain the gnocchi and add it to the skillet. Toss to coat with butter sauce. Add pancetta (or bacon).
- Add parmesan cheese.
- Toss and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with crispy sage leaves and shaved parmesan cheese as garnish.
Happy Cooking, my friends! I would LOVE to hear what you think of this Gnocchi with Brown Butter Crispy Pancetta and Sage. Thanks for stopping by. Come say “hello” on Instagram @modern_honey.
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