Acorn Squash Gnocchi with Oyster Mushrooms & Sausage

I'm so looking forward to fall recipes full of squash and pumpkins.  I absolutely love the flavor of different roasted squashes and have really enjoyed trying out different varieties in the past.  I've seen a ton of pumpkin recipes coming out recently, but I'm not quite ready to go there yet.  And I'm not a big fan of pumpkin spice, so I'm going to stick with other squash for now.  I missed the farmer's market this week because we were out of town, but I still made sure to buy seasonal & organic produce from Trader Joe's.  Today's recipe features oyster mushrooms (my favorite type of easily available mushroom) and acorn squash.  When looking up recipes for inspiration, I found an amazing acorn squash gnocchi with garlic brown butter recipe.  I was instantly sold on the recipe and thought it would be great with some oyster mushrooms since I usually cook them in thyme and butter too.  Toss in some baby kale and you've got yourself a delicious recipe full of rich fall flavors.

Now, if you wanted to make this recipe vegan you could use vegan butter and skip the sausage.  I noticed last week when I didn't have any animal protein in my meals that I was hungry more often and that I was snacking a lot and usually on carbs. Everyone's body is different, but I think the perfect balanced diet for me is having a protein in one meal a day (which is still less than I used to).  Plus, there's just something so perfect about crumbled Italian sausage with mushrooms and squash.  

The recipe I found for the acorn squash gnocchi called for cassava and coconut flour, but I substituted whole wheat flour instead.  I don't eat a lot of gnocchi, so I was still thoroughly happy with the flavor and texture.  I was able to get the outside crisped up nicely in a cast iron pan and the inside stayed nice and soft. I'll admit, I need to work on my gnocchi shaping technique, but they tasted so fluffy, pillowy and delicious that I don't care how they look.

Total Time: 35-40 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 lb oyster mushroom

1 lb sweet Italian sausages, decased

2 cups acorn squash, roasted & cooled (1 medium)

1 1/4 cups whole wheat or AP flour

16 oz baby kale

4 tbs unsalted butter

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 tbs fresh thyme, chopped

Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Mix the squash with flour and 1 tsp salt and mash with a fork until thoroughly combined.
2. Pour squash mixture onto a floured cutting board and cut into 4 even pieces.  Lightly flour each piece and roll out into 3/4" wide ropes.  Cut the ropes into 1/2" pieces and set aside.
3. Cook sausage over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes, breaking into small pieces and allowing to brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. While the sausage is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.  Add the gnocchi in sections and cook for 3 minutes before removing.  The gnocchi should float for about a minute before you remove them and place them on a paper-towel lined plate.
5. While the gnocchi are cooking, add 2 tbs butter to the pan the sausage was cooked in.  Once the butter is melted, add the garlic, oyster mushrooms & thyme.  Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Heat a large cast iron pan over high heat and add 2 tbs butter.  Preheat for 1-2 minutes before adding gnocchil.  Add as many gnocchis as you can without overcrowding the pan.  Cook for 2-3 minutes per side over medium-high heat until a golden brown crust forms.
7. Add gnocchi, sausage and kale to the large skillet with the oyster mushrooms and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until kale is wilted and ingredients are incorporated.