Pumpkin Gnocchi in a butter & thyme sauce

Love me a bit of winter, cosy stews and pastas are my love language.  So here's one that's really awesome for those who love pasta but are trying to cut down on the amount of it they eat. It is vegetarian and can be made gluten-free, just depends on the flour you use.  

Here is the printable version.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 large crown of pumpkin cut into chunks
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 1/2 C flour (use gluten-free if that's what you're into)
80g butter
A few sprigs of thyme
Shaved parmesan and sprigs of thyme to serve


HOW TO
Heat your oven to 200deg Celsius.  Prepare a baking tray with non-stick spray and baking paper or aluminium foil
1 - Layer the pumpkin chunks on a single layer on the baking tray, give it a good sprinkling of salt & pepper.  Make the chunks quite small, it will decrease cooking time.  Cook the pumpkin until it's soft

2 - When the pumpkin is ready, throw it in a bowl with the nutmeg and mash it up until it's smooth.  Add the flour: keep adding it in until you get a dough that can be shaped but is still a bit sticky.  Roll the dough into a sausage and cut it up into small bit-size gnocchi pieces.  

3 - Now get a medium sauce pot of salty water on the boil.  Add a few pieces of gnocchi at a time - you'll know that they are ready when they bounce up to the surface - about 2 to 3 minutes.  Pull them out of the water with a slatted spoon and place them in a bowl and cover with foil until you've worked your way through all of the gnocchi.

4 - Now grab a sauce pan and melt the butter and thyme. Add your gnocchi and fry them up until they are slightly golden on each side.  Garnish with a healthy lashing of parmesan and fresh thyme sprigs.  Pat yourself on the back for making these little pieces of heaven.  

Serve immediately, but they're great the next day as left overs too.