This dreamy 30-Minute Healthy Chickpea Sausage Gnocchi with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce is bursting with layered savory, warming flavors that comes together super quickly and in one pan (just like my 30-Minute Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry!). Simply cook up the fragrant garlic, onions and mushrooms with the vegan sausage then make a silky sauce with canned pumpkin, add the gnocchi and chickpeas and enjoy! This is about to be your new favorite dinner staple recipe to cosy up with.
I know, I know, a comforting, creamy pasta that comes together in just 30-minutes that’s equal parts delicious and healthy sounds too good to be true, but I promise you, it’s seriously as good as it sounds!
Why I love this Creamy Sausage Gnocchi
- The flavor combination of fresh sage and thyme, garlicky goodness and silky pumpkin sauce paired with hot Italian (vegan!) sausage is seriously out of this world.
- AND we pair it with pillowy gnocchi!!! Oh, and did I mention pan-fried mushrooms, too?
- It’s surprisingly well-balanced with protein from the veggie sausage and chickpeas, fiber from the chickpeas and pumpkin, and loads of veggies from the kale and mushroom!
- It’s cooked entirely in one pot, which is perfect because I absolutely haaate washing dishes.
- It’s basically the most comforting, decadent meal that’s still healthy, which is really all we can ask for!
What Makes This Gnocchi with Pumpkin Sauce Healthy?
As a Registered Dietitian, you know I love a healthy meal that’s well-balanced with protein, fiber, and healthy fats, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to compromise flavor (like, ever). I knew healthy food that also tasted amazing was possible (like, hello, have you tried my Sticky Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry with Green Beans?!) and this pumpkin gnocchi is no exception!
- We have tons of protein from vegan sausages, chickpeas and soy milk.
- Plus lots of fiber from the canned pumpkin and chickpeas!
- It’s packed with veggies, from the kale to the mushrooms to the pumpkin!
- And we can’t forget the healthy fats from the olive oil and soy milk.
To avoid having a half-used can of pumpkin lurking in the back of your fridge that’s going bad after making this (it can’t just be me!) why not try my Pumpkin Spice Muffin Tops, Vegan Pumpkin Spice Latte or Pumpkin Spice Vegan Pancakes!
Round Up Your Ingredients!
Okay, this might look like a lot of ingredients, but I promise it doesn’t feel like it when you’re making the dish- Especially when you realize how all of the ingredients add to the delicious goodness!
Onion, garlic, fresh sage, thyme, and mushrooms: For tonsss of aromatic flavor! I used fresh thyme and sage in this recipe, but feel free to use dried!
Vegan sausage: This adds a meaty, slighty-spicy flavor to the pasta! I used Beyond Meat Hot Italian Sausage, but pick whatever vegan sausage you like best! Or, you can use real sausage if that floats your boat.
Canned pumpkin: For the silky sauce! Most importantly, make sure you’re using plain canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling! Otherwise, you’ll have a pretty weird tasting sauce.
Unsweetened Soy Milk: To add some extra creaminess to the sauce and for additional protein! If you don’t have unsweetened soy milk on hand, any milk or milk alternative will work.
Canned chickpeas: For extra fiber and protein! Of course, you can use chickpeas cooked from dried, but this meal comes together way faster with canned!
Gnocchi: Of course! This pillowy pasta is cooked right in the pan with the rest of the ingredients, so no need to cook ahead of time.
Nutritional yeast & lemon: Added at the end for an extra burst of umami and tangy flavor!
Kale: For extra nutrition and some color!
Using dried sage and thyme rather than fresh? Use about 1/3 of the dried amount as recommended for fresh! So that would be 1/3 tsp dried thyme and 2/3 tsp dried sage. This conversion can be done pretty much anytime you’re using a dried spice rather than fresh.
Let’s Cook Some Gnocchi!
- Start by adding your olive oil to a large pan and letting it heat up over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion, minced garlic, sage and thyme to the pan and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
- Push aside the onion and garlic mixture in the pan and add the sausages and mushroom to the pan alongside the onion and garlic. Cook the sausages on all four sides, for about 2 minutes on each side, until they’re evenly browned. Sauté the mushrooms until the water has evaporated.
- Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside on a plate. Add the chickpeas, puréed pumpkin, soy milk, veggie broth, salt and pepper to the pan.
- Mix together until the soy milk and veggie broth are fully mixed into the pumpkin to make a creamy sauce, then add to the gnocchi to the pan. Add the lid and let the mixture come to a gentle simmer and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the gnocchi is soft.
- Meanwhile, chop your cooked sausage into disks and add back into the pan with the sauce for the remainder of the cooking time.
- Once the gnocchi is fully cooked through, add the chopped kale, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast. If the sauce has thickened too much for your liking, feel free to add an additional splash of soy milk. Stir everything together in the pan and let the kale wilt, then serve and enjoy!
Connect with Lauren
I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! If you try it, let me know what you think by leaving a rating and a review in the comments below. You can also find 60 other delicious, easy plant-based recipes in my cookbook, The Simple Vegan Kitchen!
Also, be sure to take a photo and tag me at @tastingtothrive_rd so I can re-share on my stories! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest so you never miss a new recipe or blog post.
30-Minute Healthy Chickpea & Vegan Sausage Gnocchi with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Large pan
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme chopped
- 2 tsp fresh sage chopped
- 225 g cremini mushrooms chopped
- 2 vegan sausages
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 cup unsweetened soy milk plus more as needed
- 1 cup canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
- 500 g gnocchi
- 1 cup kale
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 lemon juiced
Instructions
- Start by adding your olive oil to a large pan and letting it heat up over medium heat. Add the diced onion, minced garlic, sage and thyme to the pan and sauté for 3-5 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
- Push aside the onion and garlic mixture and add the sausages and mushroom to the pan alongside the onion and garlic. Cook the sausages on all four sides, for about 2 minutes on each side, until they're evenly browned. Sauté the mushrooms until the water has evaporated.
- Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside on a plate. Add the chickpeas, puréed pumpkin, soy milk, veggie broth, salt and pepper to the pan.
- Mix together until the soy milk and veggie broth are fully mixed into the pumpkin to make a creamy sauce, then add to the gnocchi to the pan. Add the lid and let the mixture come to a gentle simmer and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until the gnocchi is soft.
- Meanwhile, chop your cooked sausage into disks and add back into the pan with the sauce for the remainder of the cooking time.
- Once the gnocchi is fully cooked through, add the chopped kale, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast. If the sauce has thickened too much for your liking, feel free to add an additional splash of soy milk. Stir everything together in the pan and let the kale wilt, then serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
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