🌿 Gnocchi al Pesto
Gnocchi al pesto are potato dumplings tossed with a fresh green sauce of pounded basil, pine nuts and parmesan loosened with olive oil. The pesto clings to the soft, pillowy gnocchi and gives a bright, herby, nutty flavour. It is served warm straight after tossing, with a little extra parmesan on top.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 800 g floury potatoes
- 200 g plain flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 50 g fresh basil leaves
- 30 g pine nuts
- 40 g parmesan, grated
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
Method
- Boil the potatoes in their skins until tender, peel while warm and press through a ricer.
- Mix in the flour and salt to a soft dough, roll into ropes and cut into 2 cm pieces.
- Pound or blend the basil, garlic and pine nuts with a pinch of salt, then stir in the parmesan and olive oil.
- Boil the gnocchi in salted water until they float, about 2 minutes, and drain, keeping a little water.
- Toss the gnocchi off the heat with the pesto, loosening with a spoonful of cooking water, and serve.
How to make it lighter
- Make the pesto with 2 tbsp oil and a few spoonfuls of cooking water — 1 tbsp oil ≈ 120 kcal.
- Use less pesto per plate: 1 heaped tbsp per portion still coats the gnocchi well.
- Bulk out the bowl with steamed green beans or courgette tossed in the same pesto.
History
Pesto comes from Liguria, around Genoa, where it is traditionally pounded in a marble mortar; potato gnocchi with pesto is a common Ligurian pairing.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →