Brown Butter Pumpkin Gnocchi with Crispy Sage, Goat Cheese & Pasilla de Oaxaca Infused Honey

The fall pasta you didn't know needed hot honey.

There are certain flavors we instinctively associate with fall: pumpkin, browned butter, toasted nuts, sage and warm spices. PSL am I right? 

Honey probably isn't the first ingredient you imagine when you think about pasta.

We're here to change that.

This pumpkin gnocchi is tossed in nutty brown butter, layered with crispy sage and tangy goat cheese, scattered with toasted pepitas, and finished with a drizzle of our Pasilla de Oaxaca Infused Raw Honey.

That last drizzle changes everything.

Sweetness arrives first. Then comes the deep, earthy smoke of Pasilla de Oaxaca chile, followed by a gentle warmth that cuts through the richness of the brown butter and goat cheese.

It's sweet. Savory. Smoky. Tangy. Nutty. Herbaceous.

And unmistakably fall.

Why Honey Belongs on Pasta

Think of honey less as a sweetener and more as a flavor-building ingredient.

In savory cooking, a restrained amount of honey can create contrast in much the same way chefs use balsamic reduction, fruit mostarda, maple, agrodolce or caramelized onions.

The key is balance.

Pumpkin has a subtle natural sweetness and earthy character. Brown butter brings toasted, almost hazelnut-like richness. Sage adds an aromatic, woodsy edge. Goat cheese contributes acidity and tang.

Then comes the Pasilla de Oaxaca Honey.

Rather than simply making the pasta sweet, it connects those flavors.

The honey amplifies pumpkin's natural sweetness while the chile's deep smoke echoes the toasted notes of the brown butter. Its gentle heat pushes against the richness of the cheese, and a squeeze of fresh lemon keeps the entire dish bright.

The result is the kind of bite we love:

rich → savory → smoky → sweet → tangy → warm

This is honey behaving less like a condiment and more like a finishing sauce.

Meet the Flavor: Pasilla de Oaxaca

Pasilla de Oaxaca isn't your everyday chile.

These distinctive Oaxacan chiles are prized for their deep, earthy smoke and layered character. Infused slowly into raw honey, they create a flavor that's far more nuanced than simple "sweet heat."

This isn't aggressive hot honey.

It's culinary.

The first impression is the familiar round sweetness of honey. Then the smoke begins to develop, followed by a medium chile warmth and a long, roasty finish.

That's exactly why it works here.

Pumpkin and brown butter need something capable of cutting through their richness without overwhelming them. Pasilla de Oaxaca brings smoke, sweetness and heat in a single ingredient. It's truly unlike any honey you've had before.

Brown Butter Pumpkin Gnocchi with Crispy Sage, Goat Cheese & Pasilla de Oaxaca Honey

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: About 35 minutes

Ingredients

Step 1: Toast the Pepitas

Place the pepitas in a dry skillet over medium heat.

Toast for 3–4 minutes, tossing frequently, until they become fragrant and begin to pop.

Transfer to a plate and season with a small pinch of flaky sea salt.

Don't overlook this step. That toasted crunch becomes an important contrast to the pillowy gnocchi and creamy goat cheese.

Step 2: Crisp the Sage & Brown the Butter

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Once it begins to foam, add the sage leaves.

Cook until the sage becomes crisp, then carefully transfer the leaves to a paper towel.

Continue cooking the butter, swirling the pan frequently.

Watch closely.

The milk solids will begin turning golden and then hazelnut brown, releasing an intensely nutty aroma.

That's your moment.

Remove the skillet from the heat before the milk solids become too dark.

Step 3: Cook the Gnocchi

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.

Cook the gnocchi according to package directions, removing them once tender and floating.

Before draining, reserve approximately ¾ cup of the cooking water.

Step 4: Give the Gnocchi Some Color

Return the brown butter skillet to medium-high heat and add the olive oil.

Add the drained gnocchi in a relatively even layer.

Let them sit undisturbed for a minute or two before tossing. You're looking for lightly caramelized golden edges—not a hard sear.

Those browned edges give the finished dish another layer of roasted flavor for the Pasilla honey to grab onto.

Step 5: Build the Sauce

Reduce the heat to medium-low.

Add approximately ¼ cup of reserved gnocchi water and toss vigorously.

The starchy water and brown butter will begin to emulsify into a glossy sauce that lightly coats the gnocchi.

Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and another splash of pasta water if necessary.

Finish with approximately 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and several turns of cracked black pepper.

Taste before adding additional salt.

Step 6: The Important Part — Finish with Honey

Remove the gnocchi from the heat.

Divide among warm shallow bowls.

Scatter each serving with crumbled goat cheese, toasted pepitas and crispy sage.

Then drizzle Lazy Goat Studio Pasilla de Oaxaca Infused Honey across the finished gnocchi.

Don't drown it.

A deliberate finishing drizzle is exactly what we're after.

Finish with Parmigiano-Reggiano, flaky sea salt and a little fresh lemon zest.

Why We Add the Honey Last

This is where the recipe gets interesting.

We aren't trying to turn Pasilla de Oaxaca Honey into part of the brown butter sauce.

We want you to taste it.

Added at the end, the honey remains a distinct finishing element. One bite might have a little more smoke and chile. Another might lean heavily into brown butter and sage. Another catches a pocket of tangy goat cheese followed by honey.

Those changing bites are what make a seemingly simple bowl of gnocchi interesting from beginning to end.

And visually, that glossy final drizzle doesn't hurt either.

The Flavor Architecture

For the food obsessives among us, here's what's happening on the plate.

Pumpkin Gnocchi — Earthy + Sweet

Pumpkin provides the mellow, earthy-sweet foundation. But not too sweet! Just the right amount that has you going ... Yup, that's the spot. 

Brown Butter — Nutty + Toasted

Browning the milk solids develops deep roasted flavors that bridge pumpkin and smoked chile.

Sage — Herbaceous + Aromatic

Sage provides a savory, woodsy aroma that keeps the dish firmly planted in fall.

Goat Cheese — Creamy + Tangy

Fresh chèvre introduces acidity and richness, creating contrast against the honey.

Pepitas — Toasted + Crunchy

Pepitas reinforce the nutty character of the brown butter while giving the dish necessary texture.

Lemon — Bright + Acidic

A small amount of citrus keeps butter, cheese and honey from becoming heavy.

Pasilla de Oaxaca Honey — Sweet + Smoky + Warm

The final layer. Honey rounds the edges while smoked Oaxaca chile gives the dish depth, complexity and a lingering warmth.

Put it all together and you get something far more interesting than "sweet pasta."

You get balance.

What to Serve With It

This gnocchi can easily stand alone as a fall dinner, but it's especially good alongside something crisp, bitter or acidic.

Try it with an arugula and shaved fennel salad dressed simply with lemon and olive oil. Radicchio would be excellent here, too. You truly can make it your own depending on what you like or how you're feeling in the moment. 

For wine, look for acidity rather than weight. A dry Riesling, Grüner Veltliner or crisp cool-climate Chardonnay can handle the brown butter while refreshing the palate between bites.

For a heartier fall table, serve smaller portions of the gnocchi as a first course before roast chicken or pork.

Want to Push It Even Further?

Add roasted wild mushrooms.

Seriously.

Cremini, maitake, oyster or chanterelle mushrooms introduce another layer of earthy umami that absolutely loves smoked chile and brown butter.

For an especially decadent version, sauté the mushrooms until deeply browned and crisp around the edges, then spoon them over the gnocchi immediately before adding the goat cheese and Pasilla infused honey.

That's dinner-party territory.

Honey Isn't Just for Toast

This is exactly the kind of recipe that excites us about infused honey.

Yes, you can drizzle honey over biscuits.

But you can also use it to finish roasted vegetables, balance vinaigrettes, glaze meats, build cocktails, pair with cheeses—and completely change a bowl of pumpkin gnocchi.

That's what we mean when we talk about honey as a Flavor Solution.

Sometimes a dish doesn't need twelve more ingredients.

It just needs the right one.

Drizzle. Pair. Savor.

Explore Lazy Goat Studio's collection of raw infused and creamed honeys and start experimenting beyond the honey jar. If you want to get started on this recipe be sure to grab our Pasilla de Oaxaca in a 12oz jar or 12 oz squeezie for easy application.