Creamy Pesto Gnocchi Recipe (2024)

Try our comforting creamy pesto gnocchi. You'll only need five ingredients and less than 10 minutes to make them. What else could you wish for when it comes to fast and delicious cooking?

This pesto gnocchi recipe is probably the quickest dish I can think of. OK, eating bread with cheese goes even faster, but this is actually cooking. This makes an incredibly aromatic and tasty dish for any busy day of the week.

And if you love gnocchi as much as we do, try Gnocchi Gorgonzola, Gnocchi Bake, Spinach Gnocchi, or Crispy Air Fryer Gnocchi.

⭐️Why will you love this recipe?

• So delicious! Comforting, soft, yet slightly crispy fried gnocchi coated in a flavorful, creamy pesto and cream sauce.
• Family-friendly: Everybody loves pesto gnocchi. Even kids who might not be much into green stuff will love this milder, creamier version of it.
• Good value: You will only need four ingredients, or five if using Parmesan as well.
• Quick: The pesto gnocchi are ready in less than 10 minutes.
• Easy: Fry the dumplings in butter for a few minutes and stir with the other ingredients.

📋Recipe ingredients

• Gnocchi:
  • I prefer those sold in the refrigerator section of the supermarket.
  • Frozen are fine as well, and there is no need to defrost them. Instead, separate them if they stick together and fry them until deeply golden and slightly crispy on the outside. Add 1-2 minutes of cooking time if necessary.
  • I don’t recommend dried ones. If you must use them, cook them first, let them dry slightly, and then fry them. However, I don’t find them very tasty; they are often mealy and stodgy.
• Pesto:
  • Any kind you like. Regular basil is fantastic, but take any other type you have and love. Either homemade or bought, anything goes. I also love this recipe with mint or sage pesto, homemade; of course, I’ve never seen such “exotic” varieties sold anywhere. If you like pesto, you could try our Pesto Ricotta Pasta or Tuna Pesto Pasta.
• Heavy cream
• Butter: one tablespoon for frying the potato dumplings.

🍲Variations on the recipe

• Fry some bacon cubes together with the gnocchi.
• Use sun-dried tomato pesto instead of the green one.
• Add some blanched peas.
• Or some cooked green beans. Think about the popular Ligurian pasta dish, which combines potatoes, green beans, and pesto. The potato dumplings will stand in for the regular potatoes, and I can assure you that the combo is so good. And faster to cook than the original, as you will not need to peel and cook the potatoes.
• Replace cream with cream cheese, ricotta, or mascarpone. In this case, the sauce will be too thick. Add some milk to make it thinner.
• Sprinkle the pesto gnocchi with Parmesan before serving.

👩🏻‍🍳How to make gnocchi with pesto?

Fry gnocchi

• Heat a large nonstick pan or large cast-iron skillet on high heat.
• Let the butter melt and foam shortly.
• Pan-fry the potato dumplings gently on medium-low heat, stirring a few times in between, to make sure that they get golden and crispy on both sides.
• They should be firm and crispy on the outside and fluffy and soft on the inside. Don’t overcook them, or they will not be fluffy anymore.

Make the sauce

• While the dumplings are on the stove, mix pesto and cream. Use about 3-4 tablespoons pesto to taste.

Combine ingredients

• Pour the sauce over the fried dumplings and mix gently but thoroughly. Check for salt, but you will probably not need any; pesto is usually quite flavorful. Add only a little salt if you find it necessary.

❓Recipe FAQs

📖 Recipe

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