Ready in 20 minutes, this pesto gnocchi recipe is an ideal dinner for summer season weeknights! With a vibrant pesto sauce, it is recent and scrumptious.
This pesto gnocchi recipe is precisely the type of straightforward dinner I’m craving proper now. It’s recent and summery, that includes bursty cherry tomatoes and loads of basil pesto. But on the identical time, it’s tremendous easy. Made with store-bought gnocchi, it comes collectively in 20 minutes or much less. File it below “summer weeknight dinners to make on repeat!”
This recipe is my extra-veggie spin on the Italian dish pesto gnocchi. Hailing from Liguria, pesto’s house area, it historically consists of gnocchi tossed in a vibrant basil pesto sauce—that’s it. No different add-ins or garnishes, apart from perhaps a little bit cheese on prime. In the spirit of summer season, I couldn’t resist including recent tomatoes to this twist. They give the sauce a tangy sweetness that I completely love. I feel you’ll too!
Pesto Gnocchi Ingredients
This recipe might be as easy or as concerned as you’d prefer it to be.
- For the only model, use store-bought gnocchi and store-bought pesto.
- If you’re up for extra of a challenge, make homemade potato gnocchi and do-it-yourself Basil Pesto. (The delicate, pillowy do-it-yourself gnocchi aren’t fast to make, however they’re SO scrumptious on this recipe!)
On weeknights, I often compromise and use store-bought gnocchi and do-it-yourself pesto. If you’re utilizing do-it-yourself pesto, make this pesto recipe utilizing 1/3 cup olive oil. Measure 1/2 cup of the pesto to make use of on this dish, and freeze the remaining for one more use!
Here’s what else you’ll must make this recipe:
- Cherry tomatoes – You’ll burst them in a sizzling skillet earlier than tossing them with the gnocchi. I like how their juicy texture performs off the chewy gnocchi.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – For sautéing the tomatoes.
- Pine nuts – For crunch! You’ll calmly toast them and sprinkle them over the gnocchi earlier than serving.
- Fresh basil – I at all times bathe this dish with recent basil leaves earlier than serving. They convey out the pesto’s wealthy basil taste.
- Parmesan cheese – For salty, nutty taste.
- And salt and pepper – To make all of the flavors pop!
Find the whole recipe with measurements under.
How to Make Pesto Gnocchi
This recipe has three predominant steps:
- Boil the gnocchi.
- Sauté the cherry tomatoes.
- Combine the 2 and blend with pesto.
Here are a couple of ideas for max pesto gnocchi success:
- The tomatoes ought to nonetheless maintain their form. The enjoyable factor about combining cherry tomatoes and gnocchi is that the 2 have comparable sizes and shapes. Cook the tomatoes till they begin to burst, however cease earlier than they completely crumble, so that you could benefit from the gnocchi and tomatoes aspect by aspect on this dish.
- Reserve the gnocchi cooking water. Instead of draining the gnocchi, use a spider or slotted spoon to scoop it out of the boiling water and instantly into the pan with the tomatoes. That approach, you should utilize among the reserved gnocchi cooking water to loosen the pesto and assist it calmly coat the gnocchi. Variation: To make creamy pesto gnocchi, skinny the pesto with a splash of heavy cream as a substitute.
- Stir gently. Gnocchi (particularly homemade gnocchi) and bursty cherry tomatoes are delicate! When you combine them with the pesto, stir gently to keep away from mushing them. If the pesto feels too thick to simply combine in, add a little bit gnocchi cooking water to loosen it.
Find the whole recipe with measurements under.
What to Serve with Pesto Gnocchi
This pesto gnocchi is a scrumptious dinner by itself! For a bigger meal, pair it with any of those appetizers or sides:
Storage Tips
This recipe is finest freshly made, however if in case you have leftovers, you’ll be able to retailer them in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 2 days. Reheat within the microwave or over low warmth on the stovetop.
More Pesto Recipes to Try
Can’t get sufficient pesto? Make one in all these straightforward pesto recipes subsequent:
Pesto gnocchi
Serves 2 to three
Ready in 20 minutes, this pesto gnocchi recipe is an ideal straightforward dinner for summer season weeknights! It’s recent and flavorful, made with bursty cherry tomatoes and a vibrant pesto sauce.
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Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil.
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Meanwhile, warmth the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low warmth. Add the cherry tomatoes, a pinch of salt, and a number of other grinds of pepper and cook dinner, stirring often, for six minutes, or till the tomatoes burst, soften barely, and start to launch their flavorful juices. Remove from the warmth.
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Cook the gnocchi within the boiling water for two to three minutes, or till they float. Use a slotted spoon or spider to switch the gnocchi instantly from the boiling water to the skillet with the tomatoes. Reserve the gnocchi cooking water.
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Gently stir to mix the gnocchi with the tomatoes, then add the pesto and gently stir till the gnocchi and tomatoes are properly coated. If the pesto is just too thick, add gnocchi cooking water, a couple of tablespoons at a time, to loosen it till it calmly coats the gnocchi.
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Season to style and divide into bowls. Top with the pine nuts and recent basil and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
