Gnocchi Recipe with Pesto

5 from 92 votes

Find more recipes at marcellinaincucina.com

This Gnocchi Recipe with Pesto is a wonderful comfort food that is simply bursting with flavor. It combines homemade potato gnocchi with tasty basil pesto to create a dish everyone will love!

Prep Time1

Cook Time5

cooling time5

Total Time1 3

Servings: people

Author: Marcellina

Ingredients

2.2 pounds (2 pounds 3 ounces/1 kilogram) potatoes ((See note 1))
2⅓ cups (287 grams) all purpose plain flour (or Tipo 00 flour (See note 2))
1 egg (beaten)
¾ cup basil pesto (homemade or store bought)
salt (to taste)
freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano) (as desired)

Instructions

How to make gnocchi dough.

Place unpeeled potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water and add a large spoonful of salt. Bring to the boil.
Boil for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes can be easily piece with a knife.
Once potatoes are tender, drain and allow to cool a little until you can manage to handle them. They need to be quite warm.
Peel the potatoes and while still hot pass them through a potato ricer or vegetable mouli onto the work surface.
Spread out so that the steam evaporates. Potato needs to cool a little so that the egg doesn't cook and the flour and potato don't become gummy. Sprinkle over most of the flour, a pinch of salt and add the egg. With your fingers or a fork stir lightly to combine
Gently and gradually press the mixture together. It is important to not over knead but thoroughly combine. The dough should be light, not gooey or gummy which is a sign of over kneading and will result in heavy gnocchi.
Form the dough into a ball.

To shape the gnocchi

Cut small portion of dough and roll into a long rope about the thickness of your thumb.
Cut into 1 inch/2.5cm lengths.
Take each nugget of dough and using your index and middle finger, press the dough onto the tines of the fork ( or a gnocchi board which can be purchased in specialty shops) and roll. Making a concave indentation on one side and ridges on the other side.
Place gnocchi on a baking tray that has been dusted with flour.
An optional idea is to line the tray with baking paper and flour the paper as well. This way when you are ready to cook, you just pick up the ends of the paper and slip all the gnocchi into the boiling water.
Continue making gnocchi until all the dough is used up.

To cook and dress the gnocchi

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
Add gnocchi in batches to the boiling water. Stir gently. When they are cooked, the gnocchi will rise to the surface, which will be about 2-3 minutes. The water may not return to the boil, but if the gnocchi float, they are cooked.
Use a large slotted spoon to lift the gnocchi out. Drain well and place onto a large flat serving plate. Keep warm.
Add spoonfuls of pesto (try my nut free pesto recipe which also has the classic version) and a handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano). Gently stir with a silicone spatula. Continue cooking, draining and dressing the gnocchi until they are all done and all the pesto has been used.
Sprinkle with extra grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano) and place the platter of gnocchi in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves.

Video

Notes

Choose a floury, starchy potato not a waxy or a "salad" potato. Look for good potato varieties for mashing, baking, or roasting like Russet, Sebago, Maris Piper, or King Edward. Even if you choose the correct potato, the starch content varies depending on the season and growing conditions.
A tablespoon or two of extra flour may be added if the dough seems too soft. Plus you'll need more for rolling and shaping.

Tips for Success

Keep potatoes as dry as possible by boiling unpeeled potatoes and then draining well.
Have potatoes warm but not hot when adding flour and egg
Use a light hand to incorporate the flour and egg into the potatoes but be sure to combine well.

Check the extra information above for FAQ.

Nutrition