After I graduated college, I traveled to Italy with my brother and his best friend. I fell in love with the country…and gnocchi. Gnocchi is now one of my all-time favorite meals. We like to make homemade gnocchi at home, but sometimes there just isn’t enough time to make gnocchi from scratch. On busy nights, we like to make Crispy Gnocchi with Pesto, which is a quick and easy meal that still gives me my gnocchi fix. And it is a great recipe for this week because it is green and would be a fantastic dish to serve on St. Patrick’s Day.
First, I made a simple basil pesto sauce to go with our crispy gnocchi. You can also use our Spinach Basil Pesto. Both are great with this recipe!
To make the gnocchi, I used a package of store bought gnocchi. You can find gnocchi in the pasta aisle-we like DeLallo brand. To make the gnocchi crispy, you pan fry it in olive oil until the outsides are golden brown and crispy.
Josh likes to eat the gnocchi plain from the pan. Yes, he burns his fingers and mouth, but he never learns:) I try to keep him out of the pan, but it is hard. The gnocchi is delicious so I don’t blame him. We garnished the Crispy Gnocchi with Basil Pesto with a little Parmesan cheese and served bread on the side. We were in carb heaven!
If you are looking for a simple and tasty meal, give Crispy Gnocchi with Basil Pesto a try. And you probably should add it to your St. Paddy’s Day menu! It is the perfect green dish to serve up!
Crispy Gnocchi with Basil Pesto
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 15 minutes
- Total Time
- 25 minutes
Ingredients
To make the basil pesto:
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves packed
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the Gnocchi:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1 lb.package potato gnocchi (we used DeLallo)
- Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor or blender and pulse until coarsely chopped. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil and process until smooth. Add the cheese and pulse until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
- Cook the gnocchi according to package instructions. Drain completely. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the gnocchi in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, until golden and crisp, about 3-4 minutes. Turn the gnocchi and cook, turning occasionally, until golden and crisp, about 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the pesto. You might have leftover pesto. Serve warm and garnish with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
If you like this Crispy Gnocchi with Pesto, you might also like:
- Pan-Fried Lemon Ricotta Gnocchi from Steamy Kitchen
- Crispy Gnocchi with Green Beans and Peas from Eats Well With Others
- Gnocchi with Mushroom Sauce from Dana Treat
I’m trying this recipe and I just don’t see where you give the amount of garlic that needs to be put into the pesto…has anyone ask you before? I’ve looked through the comment and just don’t see it. Thanks for posting the recipe and I’m just gunna wing it on the garlic-hope to hear back though. Thanks!
Thanks so much for such an awesome recipe! I tried it and I absolutely LOVED it!
http://bythesparklingsea.wordpress.com/2014/05/06/crispy-gnocchi/
Tired this tonight! So good. The hubby loves the crunchy gnocci and was eating it plain, just like your hubby. Thanks for posting!
I accidently crisped my gnoochi the first time I made it for my *now* husband, then boyfriend. I was trying to make a browned butter and sage sauce. He always requests it this way now. I cooked it “the normal way” and he said it was wrong! Great recipe! Excited to try it!
Maria, if I wanted to combine your basil pesto recipe with your spinach pesto recipe so that there are pine nuts and some spinach what proportions of spinach and pine nuts would you recommend?
So basically this should be retitled as a recipe for pesto sauce. Since there is no information on how to make the gnocchi oneself.
We used store bought gnocchi. See the recipe!
omg I made this tonight!! So delicious!! I know this is a vegetarian recipe but I paired it with some chicken breast. I used some pesto and mixed it with some mayo and topped each chicken breast with the pesto mix and some freshly grated parm and baked them. Gnocchi and cucumbers on the side. Yum!!
Glad you liked the gnocchi!
Wow, this was fantastic!! I have made a lot of gnocchi in my time, mainly following a recipe that I jotted down after watching a lady in Naples Italy make it. Never have I made it this way before, but what a brilliant idea for a delicious meal!! I used pecans instead of pine nuts, but did everything else as you said….well did add a few little garden tomatoes for garnish and color not to mention taste, but this would be devine even without that. Thanks for sharing this fabulous recipe!!
You are welcome! Glad you liked the recipe!
That looks very nice, I would love to have a go and thank-you!
This looks amazing! I’m allergic to all tree nuts (including pine nuts) – can you recommend a substitute, or would it be ok to leave it out? Or should I just stay away from this recipe? Thanks in advance! 🙂
Try this pesto, it is nut free: https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/spinach-basil-pesto/
This was delicious! I sometimes don’t care for how chewy gnocchi, but pan frying it gave it a delicious crispy outside.
After eating this dish, I am seriously considering naming my first-born child Basil Pesto. This was a triumph.
Could i add things to it like chicken or veggies. Mmmmm gnocchi!!
It was outstanding!
The pesto was great and the crispy gnocchi was a great addition! We had it with meatballs and a bit of spinach.
Hi!
Just found your recipe and was wondering how many people it serves?
I would like to make it for a dinner party for 6 as a side dish.
Thank you!:)
Nicole
4 main dishes, you can maybe get away with 6 if it is a side.
We loved this! The gnocchi took much longer than four minutes to brown for me for some strange reason, but otherwise the recipe went off without a hitch. I used a commercially prepared pesto, which made for a super easy prep. Thanks so much.
Wow. I can barely read the recipe through the popup advertisements.