Gnocchi with Pesto Cream Sauce
Gnocchi in pesto cream sauce is an Italian/American classic. And in this recipe video I show you how to make it. I haven’t made my own gnocchi, which would be the toughest part of this recipe, because there are a lot of good store bought options out there...and because I rarely have the time to make them. The rest of the dish takes little more than 30 – 40 minutes to make, but it looks like it takes a lot longer – which is course great if you want to impress a special someone!
Ingredients for Gnocchi with Pesto Cream Sauce (2 – 3 servings)
- Pesto (preferably homemade pesto, but store bought if needed)
- Heavy cream, half a pint
- Gnocchi – one package of 10 – 15 ounces
- Salt & pepper
Recipe Overview and Keys to Success
There isn’t much to watch in this dish, it’s almost fool proof, but pay attention to these things:
- Don’t overcook the Gnocchi. They get very soft and mushy when overdone. Generally, once they float in the boiling water, they are done, but check your package.
- Make sure you get the right, sauce to gnocchi ratio. Whatever you like, more or less sauce, be aware that you can easily thin the sauce out with a bit more cream/water, or reduce the sauce down with more time on the heat
Making Gnocchi with Pesto Cream Sauce
- Make (or buy) a basil pesto (you can do this a few hours ahead of time)
- Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and add in your Gnocchi
- In a sauté pan, bring the heavy cream to a simmer and start to reduce (by about a third)
- Just before the Gnocchi are done, add 2 – 3 tablespoons of pesto to the cream and stir to combine; season with salt and pepper
- Taste the sauce, and adjust the amount of pesto or seasoning
- Drain the Gnocchi when they are done, and add to the pesto cream sauce
- Toss to combine; taste and adjust seasoning if needed
- Serve and garnish with a bit of chopped basil, parmesan cheese and pine nuts (optional)
You can shave your parmesan over the top as I did ...which makes a great presentation. I love this dish with some good crusty garlic bread, and a nice bottle of wine. Hope you give it a try soon, and that you love it as much as I do. Leave a comment to let me know how it goes.
Enjoy!!
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