Name: Cheesy pesto gnocchi recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: Serves: 4
Ingredients: 500g pack gnocchi; Pinch of salt; 200g full-fat soft cheese; 3 tbsp pesto; 30g Parmesan, grated; Freshly grated nutmeg; Rocket, to serve

By Octavia Lillywhite

published 19 January 2022

in Recipes

Cheesy pesto gnocchi is a simple Italian-inspired dinner, and it's ready in next to no time.

Gnocchi (pronounced nyo-kee, not nyo-chee) are like little soft pillows of pasta, though they are actually usually made of potato. They are from Northern Italy but are now common all over the country, with recipes varying by region. If you are looking for a quick, easy and immensely satisfying dinner, they are a godsend. They cook in just three minutes. And unlike regular pasta, you can tell when they're done because they bob to the top of the water. Gnocchi work well with really simple, flavoursome sauces like this one, and you can have a delicious, warming meal of them ready in less than 15 minutes.

Ingredients

500g pack gnocchi
Pinch of salt
200g full-fat soft cheese
3 tbsp pesto
30g Parmesan, grated
Freshly grated nutmeg
Rocket, to serve

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Method

Pour boiling water from the kettle into a pan. Add the gnocchi and salt, bring back to the boil and cook for 3 minutes until the gnocchi float to the surface.
Drain the gnocchi. Add the soft cheese to the pan with the pesto and heat gently to melt. Return the gnocchi to the pan and stir gently to coat in the sauce. Sprinkle over the Parmesan and a good grating of nutmeg. Serve with rocket.

Top tips for making cheesy pesto gnocchi

Unlike pasta which can dry out in the fridge, gnocchi leftovers in sauce keep well in a sealed container for 2-3 days. If you're storing them without sauce on, drizzle over a little olive oil so they do not dry out.

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Octavia Lillywhite is an award-winning food and lifestyle journalist with over 15 years of experience. With a passion for creating beautiful, tasty family meals that don’t use hundreds of ingredients or anything you have to source from obscure websites, she’s a champion of local and seasonal foods, using up leftovers and composting, which, she maintains, is probably the most important thing we all can do to protect the environment.