Squash Gnocchi, Sausage and Kale Bake

I have a lot of squash leftover sitting in my shed from the Pick Your Own back in October. So I'm now endeavouring to do things with it, the first thing I thought of was gnocchi, so I made a huge batch of the dough, most of which I froze but the rest of which I used to make this lovely bake. It was very tasty.

Squash Gnocchi, Sausage and Kale Bake
(Serves 4)

250g gnocchi or squash gnocchi
6 sausages, sliced
1 bunch kale, tough stems removed and leaves chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp plain flour
250ml milk
2 tbsp pesto
100g mozzarella, grated
salt and pepper, to taste
25g parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease an ovenproof dish.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook gnocchi according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

In a large frying pan, cook the sausages over a medium-high heat for 8-10 mins or until thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently; set aside. Place the frying pan back on the heat and cook the kale for 5 mins, or until wilted a little. Put the sausage back into the frying pan.

In a saucepan over a medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the garlic and cook until lightly golden, about 1 min. Whisk in flour until mixture thickens. Add the milk gradually and whisk until the sauce thickens. Stir in the pesto and 50g of the cheese. Stir until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the gnocchi, sausage, and kale to the cheese sauce and stir to combine, pour into the ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 25 mins. Remove the foil and bake for an 5 mins longer, or until the cheese is golden and melted. Serve with a green salad