I stopped by Highland Orchards, my favorite all-natural farm, on my way home from Philadelphia.  I left with armfuls of great fruits and vegetables, including some really nice looking kale.  I should have taken a picture of it raw for you.  You will just have to trust me, it was nice kale.

Lauren is home, so I have a great excuse to cook vegetarian every night.  So for this dish, I got to combine a butternut squash from the garden  with the kale to make a really delicious gnocchi dish.

I have always had difficulty cooking gnocchi – typically over cooking it.  But this was so simple and straightforward, the gnocchi came out perfect.  Another plus, the small cuts of butternut squash – 1/2″ cubes.  They cook surprisingly quickly, the key to making this a really great dish to make for a weeknight dinner.

Gnocchi with Squash and Kale

from Food Network Magazine

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (from teh garden)

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (from the garden)

1 Tbsp roughly chopped fresh sage

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Kosher salt

1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken (or vegetable) broth

1 bunch kale, stemmed and roughly chopped, about 8 cups (from Highland Orchards)

1 17.5-ounce package potato gnocchi

3/4 cup grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese

Directions

Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat.  Add squash and cook, stirring, until slightly soft and golden, about 8 minutes.

Add the garlic, sage, red pepper flakes and 1 tsp salt; cook until the garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.

Preheat the broiler.

Add the broth to the skillet.  When it starts to simmer, stir in the kale and cook until it wilts slightly, about 2 minutes.

Add the gnocchi, stirring to coat.  Cover and cook until the gnocchi are just tender, about 5 minutes.  Uncover and stir in 1/4 cup parmesan and the remaining 1 Tbsp butter.

Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup parmesan; transfer to the broiler and cook until golden and bubbly, about 3 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Serves 4.