This easy pesto gnocchi recipe combines pan-seared gnocchi with fresh veggies and garlicky basil pesto. Go the extra mile and make everything from scratch, or use store-bought pesto and gnocchi for a simple weeknight dinner that’s ready in 35 minutes or less.
In the event you need it, consider this pesto gnocchi recipe your permission slip to go wild at the farmer’s market. Treat yourself to an entire rainbow of vegetables: bell peppers the color of a sunset, sweet little tomatoes, squeaky zucchini, and bouquets of basil and greens.
Though tender, pillowy Homemade Gnocchi and fresh Basil Pesto are a true pleasure, this recipe is just as good on a harried weeknight (for me, it’s after a daycare pickup) using store-bought shelf-stable gnocchi. You’ll be able to put together a gorgeous one-pan pasta dish in as much time as it takes you to chop and sauté the vegetables!
To get the best texture, this pesto gnocchi recipe calls for a two-step cooking process. First, we sauté the vegetables in order depending on their firmness. It helps to get out a big pan for this task. Second, we remove them from the pan entirely so we can sizzle up the gnocchi.
Pan-searing the dumplings means they crisp and get deliciously browned on the outside while remaining pillowy inside. We do this before adding the pesto and returning the cooked vegetables to the pan. Everything comes together for an easy-to-make beautiful medley of flavor, texture, and color. It’s a recipe you’ll want to make all summer long!
Table of Contents
Ingredients for this Pesto Gnocchi Recipe
This one-pan pasta takes a more-is-more approach to colorful vegetables. In late summer, you’ll be able to find everything you need at the farmer’s market, but nothing in the ingredient list is so seasonal that you’ll have trouble picking it up at the supermarket the rest of the year. You’ll need:
- Potato gnocchi are tender little pillows of pasta made with a mashed potato and flour. Make your own or buy refrigerated, frozen, or shelf-stable options at the grocery store. Some companies are even selling “skillet gnocchi” that don’t require par-boiling, which would save you a step for this recipe.
- Olive oil is an essential element for sautéing vegetables and getting a nice, brown crust on the gnocchi before adding sauce. Use a high-quality extra virgin variety (we recommend our smooth and buttery Italian Nocellara with this recipe.)
- Red onion gives moisture and subtle sweetness to the vegetable medley.
- Garlic is an essential flavor element for the vegetables in this sauté. Four cloves might sound like a lot, but it’s not overwhelming.
- Zucchini goes into the pan early in this sauté to cook off any extra moisture and concentrate its flavor into velvety sweetness.
- Bell peppers add a lovely mix of colors and beef up this veggie mixture with volume. I like adding them close to the end of cooking so they stay crisp.
- Grape tomatoes, bolstered in a hot pan, get irresistibly sweet and saucy in this mix.
- Baby spinach cooks down a great deal, so much so that you might not even notice it’s there. It’s a great way to get those greens in!
- Basil pesto sauces all of the veggies and gnocchi with a summery flavor. You can make your own or buy a jarred or refrigerated option.
- Parmesan cheese is optional, but adds a pleasant finishing touch to this tumble of pasta and vegetables.
How to Make Pesto Gnocchi
This simple, satisfying dish comes together in about 30 minutes and one pan. It’s a perfect weeknight meal for when you want a lot of vegetables, but in a form that still feels a little indulgent. Here’s what you need to do:
- Prep the gnocchi. Par-boil the gnocchi according to package instructions and drain thoroughly.
- Cook the vegetables. In a large non-stick skillet warm 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high. Add onion and sauté until fragrant and beginning to brown. Add garlic, zucchini, and peppers and toss together until zucchini and peppers are tender. Remove vegetables from the pan and set aside.
- Crisp the gnocchi. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan along with the gnocchi. Do not stir. Allow the gnocchi to cook on one side until nicely browned and crispy, then stir and cook again to repeat this process.
- Combine everything. Add grape tomatoes and salt to the pan and cook, stirring gently, until some of the tomatoes have burst. Add spinach and pesto and stir gently until spinach has wilted slightly. Return onion-zucchini-pepper mixture to the pan and stir to combine. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.
Ways to Mix it Up
Think of this recipe as a template that can flex to accommodate what you’ve got on hand. Here are a few ideas to change it up:
- Change up the vegetables: I love this late-summer combination of zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, and greens, but you can absolutely modify the combination to suit your tastes. Just think of vegetables into three categories. Anything firm should go in the pan early (when the onion does) to give it time to soften. Medium-textured vegetables should go in next. And then tender greens should always be the last thing to add.
- Swap out the pesto: Replace the basil pesto with another pesto, like vegan Carrot Top Pesto or Pesto alla Trapanese (Sicilian Almond Pesto).
What to Serve with Pesto Gnocchi
A tumble of gorgeous colors and tender little pillows of pasta is a meal in and of itself. However, if you want to treat it as a side, serve it with our Pan Seared Salmon or meaty steaks of Grilled Swordfish.
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Pesto Gnocchi with Summer Veggies
Ingredients
- 1 pound gnocchi (store bought or homemade)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 3 to 4 handfuls baby spinach
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Prep the gnocchi. Cook the gnocchi in boiling, salted water according to package instructions. Drain thoroughly.
- Cook the vegetables. In a large non-stick skillet or wok, warm 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, zucchini, and peppers and toss together until the zucchini and peppers are tender, about 4 minutes. Tip the pan’s contents onto a rimmed plate, then return the pan to medium-high heat.
- Crisp the gnocchi. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan. When it sizzles, add the gnocchi and do not stir. Allow the gnocchi to cook on one side until nicely browned and crispy, about 3 minutes, then flip and brown on the second side.
- Combine everything. Add the tomatoes, salt, and a grind of black pepper to the pan and cook, stirring gently, until some of the tomatoes have burst, about 3 minutes. Add spinach and pesto and stir gently until spinach has wilted slightly, about one minute. Return onion-zucchini-pepper mixture to the pan and stir to combine.
- Serve. Ladle onto your serving plates, top with Parmesan cheese, and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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It was tasty! I used an extra zucchini, which I’m glad I did. Next time, I would probably use less bell pepper if any at all. Not a huge pepper fan and the amount of it in this dish was a little much for me.
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Julia!
Coming back days later to add that my fiance enjoyed this dish a lot, which is rare for him with health-conscious foods.
Yessss! Love that!
Love this! Lots of flavor.
Excellent recipe!
This is delightful. I made it for me and my mom. The tomatoes pop in your mouth. I added some mozzarella cheese to it.
Perfect! Thanks so much for sharing, Kelly!
This dish was so yummy! I had a ton of basil in my garden and was eager to try making pesto. My family gobbled it up and said I have to make it again!
Yay! Love that! Thanks, Beth!
This recipe is just “meh” in my opinion. I would reduce the amount of pesto since 1/2 cup overwhelms this dish. Also, the gnocchi gets too hard to eat toasted as directed. I’m glad I stopped mid-way.
This was really good! My food never looks like the picture though. I would add mushrooms to it!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! My husband and our 5 year old granddaughter LOVED it!
Yay! Total win when even the kids approve! Thanks so much!
This recipe looks wonderful and I would love to try it because I have so many of the required ingredients growing in my summer garden. But instead of using gnocchi, could I use tortellini instead??
Sure, Sue! I would just skip the “crisping” part if you’re going to use tortellini. Enjoy!
This dish a was a huge hit with my family! I was lucky enough to get all the fresh ingredients at the local farmer’s market. It’s a light, flavorful dish- the brightness of the basil/pesto enveloping the gnocchi with a hint of sweetness from the tomatoes. This was a breeze to make & folks went back for seconds!
I just made this recipe and my husband and I loved it! I used mostly organic vegetables. The gnocchi was not. It was from Trader Joe’s. The changes I made to the recipe are that I did not use zucchini, pesto or Parmesan cheese. I don’t like zucchini and didn’t have pesto and am dairy free. I used everything else and added fresh basil instead of the pesto. I made the recipe in a wok pan and my gnocchi did not brown. It kinda stuck to the bottom of the pan. It was very good. We had the recipe with chicken patties. Thank you for sharing 😋