Gnocchi with Lemony Sage Brown Butter Sauce

My easy ricotta gnocchi recipe meets its match with the most heavenly 5-ingredient lemony sage brown butter sauce. It’s a breeze to make in just 30 minutes completely from scratch!

I mean, the name for this one pretty much says it all. ♡

If you love gnocchi (soft, light, pillowy, irresistibly delicious homemade gnocchi) and if you love a mouthwatering brown butter sauce (simmered until the butter is perfectly toasty, and then brightened up with fresh lemon juice and lots of crispy, earthy, fried sage leaves), there’s no question about it. You are going to love this homemade gnocchi and lemony sage brown butter sauce recipe.

It’s our hands-down favorite way to prepare gnocchi in our little home. And when made with my super-simple ricotta gnocchi recipe, this entire dish can be made 100% from scratch and on the table in just about 30 minutes or so. We love it because it’s rich and decadent enough to be served for any number of special occasions. (Believe me, everyone around the table will flip that you made gnocchi from scratch!)  Yet it’s also so simple enough to be made on an impromptu weeknight when you’re craving some cozy comfort food.

Basically, this gnocchi is here for you anytime.

Let’s make some!

Gnocchi with Lemony Sage Brown Butter Sauce Ingredients:

Alright, let’s talk ingredients. To make this gnocchi recipe, you will need:

• 20-minute ricotta gnocchi: One batch, made easily with ricotta, egg yolks, flour (“00” or all-purpose), Parmesan, salt and pepper.
• Butter: I recommend using unsalted butter, then later adding salt to taste. (But salted butter will totally work too.)
• Fresh sage leaves: I recommend using lots of fresh sage leaves in this recipe.
• Lemon: We will use both the zest and juice of one small lemon.
• Crushed red pepper flakes: This recipe just calls for 1/4 teaspoon to add some subtle flavor. But feel free to add more if you would like more significant heat.
• Parmesan: The more the merrier when serving this dish.
• Salt and pepper: As always, for seasoning.

How To Make Gnocchi with Lemony Sage Brown Butter Sauce:

To make this gnocchi with lemony sage brown butter sauce recipe, simply:

1. Cook the ricotta gnocchi. I’ve detailed out the full recipe instructions here — it’s super quick and easy, and 100% worth making from scratch.
2. Prep the sauce. Once the gnocchi are prepped, go ahead and melt the butter in a separate pan. (I recommend a nice large sauté pan that is big enough to hold all of the gnocchi.)  Add in the sage leaves and crushed red pepper flakes, and cook until the butter is lightly brown. As always, keep a very close eye on the butter because it can go from lightly brown to burnt very quickly!
3. Combine. Once the butter is lightly brown, remove the pan from the heat and add in the gnocchi, lemon zest and lemon juice. Toss to combine. Then give the mixture a taste and season with however much salt and pepper is needed. (I usually add in a generous pinch of each.)
4. Serve. Then dish it up while the gnocchi and sauce are nice and warm, garnished with lots and lots of fresh Parmesan cheese.

Possible Variations:

Want to customize this recipe a bit? Feel free to add in:

• Protein and/or veggies: Cooked chicken, steak, pork, shrimp, or scallops would go well with the gnocchi, and/or any sauté-friendly veggies that you felt like adding in. I would just recommend doubling the sauce recipe if you choose to add extra proteins and/or veggies.
• Nuts: Toasted pine nuts, almonds or walnuts would also be delicious.
• Garlic: If you would like a more garlicky sauce, feel free to add in a few cloves of minced garlic.
• Extra fresh herbs: Chopped fresh rosemary, basil and/or thyme would also be delicious additions to the fresh sage.
• White wine: If you happen to have some good dry white wine on hand, add a swirl to the pan for some extra depth of flavor. (Just add it in gradually, since it will bubble up!)

Gnocchi with Lemony Sage Brown Butter Sauce

4.60 from 10 votes

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Makes: 4 -6 servings

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My 20-minute ricotta gnocchi recipe meets its match with the most heavenly 5-ingredient lemony sage brown butter sauce.  Feel free to also add in a bit of garlic to the sauce, if you would like.

Ingredients

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• 1 batch 20-Minute Ricotta Gnocchi
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 20 large fresh sage leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 small fresh lemon
• freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
• fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste

Instructions

• ▢
  Cook the ricotta gnocchi according to recipe instructions.
• ▢
  Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Once the butter has nearly melted, add in the sage leaves and crushed red pepper flakes.  Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until the butter has turned a light brown color and the sage leaves are crispy.  (Keep a very close eye on the butter so that it does not burn!)
• ▢
  Remove pan from the heat.  Add in the cooked (and drained) gnocchi, plus the zest and juice (about 1-2 tablespoons) of the lemon.  Toss to combine.  Then taste and add however much salt and pepper is needed.  (I used a generous pinch of both.)
• ▢
  Serve warm, garnished with lots and lots of Parmesan cheese.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!

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