Creamy Pesto Potato Gnocchi
For Italian gnocchi lovers, this variation with a classic pesto is outstanding. I've been perfecting my potato gnocchi recipe for decades, and it pairs fantastically well with the creamy basil, garlic, and parmesan sauce. You can have the potato gnocchi frozen and cook it as needed.
Servings 6 servings
Ingredients
Potato gnocchi:
- 2 pounds Yukon gold or russet potatoes peeled
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Pesto sauce:
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 garlic cloves
- ⅓ cup walnuts chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
Make potato gnocchi:
- Wash and peel 2 pounds Yukon gold or russet potatoes. Chop them into large pieces. Boil in water until fork-tender. Drain and mash with a potato masher or potato ricer. Let it cool until warm, covered so the top layer doesn't dry out, about 20 minutes. Don't let them cool completely and don't use cold puree.
- Season mashed potatoes with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper. Add 1 egg and 1 cup of flour. Stir to integrate; don't beat!. Gradually add the remaining flour until you have a dough that is firm but manageable. Use only the necessary flour; don't make it overly stiff.
- Transfer dough to a floured surface. Knead the potato mass until smooth, adding flour to prevent sticking. Again, avoid adding too much flour.
- Divide the dough into four parts. Roll each into a ½ inch thick log or sausage. Cut each rope into bite-sized pieces. Optionally, press each piece against a fork or gnocchi to make the traditional ridges. Dust gnocchi with flour and set aside on a flour-dusted baking sheet. Leave them to dry in a cool place. Repeat for all remaining dough. At this point, I like to freeze them until it's time to cook them.
Make the pesto sauce:
- Combine ½ cup fresh basil leaves, 2 garlic cloves and ⅓ cup walnuts in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped and somewhat combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
- With the food processor running on low, slowly drizzle in ¼ cup olive oil. Process until smooth and a paste forms, being careful not to over-process.
- Pour 1 cup heavy cream into a large skillet or saucepan that will fit the pesto and gnocchi. Add the pesto base from the food processor to the saucepan with the cream. Stir well to combine.
- Heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through and slightly thickened (about 5-7 minutes). Do not boil.
- Remove from heat and stir in ⅓ cup shredded parmesan cheese until melted and incorporated. Season with ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste.
When ready to eat:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Blend all sauce ingredients until smooth and set the skillet over very low heat after you add the raw gnocchi to the cooking water.
- Cook gnocchi in batches in boiling water (2-3 batches). Gnocchi are done when they float.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked gnocchi and add them directly to the sauce. Save cooking water and add it in tablespoons to the skillet to loosen up the sauce and make it stick to the pasta.
- Serve gnocchi warm with fresh parmesan cheese and basil leaves.
Notes
Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have the correct ingredients, proper equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
Dry ingredients: sift dry ingredients like flour before adding them as they can be clumpy and not blend as well with the other ingredients.
One thing to know about homemade gnocchi, it really is a matter of practice. You have to learn to feel the dough. If you put too much flour you will have cute little rocks, but if you put too little you risk having a big bowl of lumpy mashed potatoes with flour.
Freezing the gnocchi before cooking helps prevent it from becoming gummy or sticking when boiling.
Cook what you need to eat: uncooked frozen gnocchi lasts longer than cooked frozen or refrigerated gnocchi.
