Preheat your oven to 400 degrees convection roast and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Cut your pumpkin in half or thirds, and scoop out the seeds. Place the pumpkin skin side down on your tray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast until a fork easily pierces the pumpkin flesh, approx. 40 minutes, and then remove from the oven.
Scoop the pumpkin from the skin and transfer it to a food processor or blender and process until very smooth. Work in batches, as needed. Measure 2 cups of puree and set it aside to make the gnocchi.
For the vegan pumpkin gnocchi
In a large bowl, add 2 cups of pumpkin puree, 3 cups of flour, and the seasoning. Mix to combine and transfer to a large floured work surface.
Knead the dough using your hands, adding a light sprinkle of flour to your surface and hands as needed to prevent sticking. Use the least amount of flour possible to prevent sticking, without adding too much. The dough should be a little sticky, this is normal. Be mindful not to add too much flour, or the gnocchi won't be soft.
Use a rolling pin to roll your dough so that it's approx. half an inch thick.
Then sprinkle a sharp knife or pizza cutter with flour and cut the dough into 1-inch strips. Then, cut each strip into approx. half-inch pieces to make a grid pattern. Sprinkle the pieces with a touch more flour if needed.
Optional: Use a floured gnocchi board or a large fork to gently press and roll each gnocchi to make ridges. Re-flour your board or fork to prevent sticking.
Place the prepared gnocchi in a single layer on a tray lined with parchment paper. If you'll be cooking your gnocchi within 2 hours, you may leave them at room temperature. Otherwise, follow the storage directions in the notes below.
To cook the gnocchi
This makes a large batch, so you may freeze some and cook some straight away.
To cook, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Then drop the gnocchi into the boiling water, working in batches to avoid overcrowding. Boil until tender and floating at the top of the water, approx. 5-10 minutes. NOTE: Cook time will vary according to how crowded the pot is, which flour you're using, and if using homemade pumpkin puree or canned.
Remove the gnocchi using a slotted spoon and place them in a serving bowl. Repeat with remaining gnocchi until you've cooked the desired amount. Serve with your favourite sauce and garnishes.
For the vegan sage butter sauce
Add all the ingredients to a high-speed blender and process until smooth. Serve over the gnocchi and garnish with fresh sage.
Video
Notes
Don't overwork the dough. You don't want to overly knead your dough or this will result in firmer gnocchi, and they taste best when soft. Work it for about 1-2 minutes and not longer.Don't go overboard with the flour. Use enough so that the dough is not sticking to your hands and work surface, but don't add too much or the gnocchi will be hard. A little stickiness is a-okay.A 3 lb pie pumpkin will produce approx. 2 cups of pumpkin puree which is what is needed for this recipe. If you have extra, refrigerate or freeze it to use in another recipe. Use only 2 cups for this recipe, or increase the flour to compensate for the difference if you want to use more.Keep extra flour handy while you work. You'll need it to sprinkle your work surface, your hands, rolling pin, knife, gnocchi board, etc.Make sure to keep your gnocchi in a single layer once prepared to prevent them from sticking to one another.To save time, you may use 2 cups of canned pumpkin puree and skip roasting the pumpkin with similar results.If you don't have a gnocchi boardor don't want to make the ridges, you may skip this step entirely. The ridges are cosmetic and will not affect the outcome or flavour of the dish.Once your gnocchi is prepared, (but not cooked) you may leave them at room temperature for up to 2 hours in a single layer. Or, refrigerate for 1-2 days if you're working ahead. Freeze uncooked gnocchi in a single layer for a few hours, until solid. Then, transfer to a sealed container or zip-top bag and keep frozen for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen, DO NOT THAW.Pumpkin gnocchi takes a little longer to cook than potato versions. They are not necessarily ready as soon as they float to the top. Check tenderness level around the 5-minute mark, and continue cooking until soft.***The nutritional information represents ⅛ of the pumpkin gnocchi with ⅛ of the quick vegan sage butter sauce. If you use another sauce the nutritional info will vary.Leftover cooked gnocchi keep refrigerated for 2-3 days.