This 15-minute pesto gnocchi is a restaurant-quality meal of tender potato pasta with crisp, fresh asparagus in a light coating of fresh basil pesto sauce. The dish takes only minutes to make, but it tastes like something you would order at a fine-dining restaurant. Take dinner to the next level with this comfort food recipe!
Gnocchi (pronounced as nyow·kee) are little Italian dumplings made from potatoes, flour, and eggs. They are the perfect vessel for a creamy easy basil pesto sauce. Some gnocchi recipes use semolina flour instead of potatoes.
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Why We Love This Recipe
- An impressive dish that’s easy to make!
If you’re looking for a quick and easy Italian meal that tastes like it came from a restaurant, then this dish is perfect for you. - 15-minute dinner recipe!
Asparagus gnocchi can be on your table in 15 minutes, making it the perfect weeknight dinner. 30-minute meals like this will be your best friend on busy weeknights. - Customizable and adaptable.
The best part about this dish is that it can be easily customized. If you’re looking for a high protein meal, want to add some meat, or want a vegan option, plenty of plant-based cheeses are available.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Gnocchi – We prefer homemade, fresh gnocchi, but you can use store-bought to save time. It’s available fresh, frozen, and dried.
- Basil pesto – our homemade basil pesto sauce only takes 5 minutes to make, and the flavor is so much better when it’s fresh! But, you can use store-bought if you prefer. You should be able to find it in the grocery store aisle where they stock the pasta sauces.
- Asparagus – If you aren’t a fan of asparagus gnocchi, you can use another small green veggie instead. Good options are peas, tiny broccoli florets, or green beans.
Recipe Variations
Chicken Pesto: serve it with our pan seared chicken breasts or baked tenderloins chicken to make this a pesto gnocchi chicken dinner. Or, stir in some diced cooked rotisserie chicken.
Creamy Pesto Gnocchi: stir in 1/2 cup of heavy cream to make a sauce for added creaminess.
Tips for Perfect Asparagus and Potato Pasta
- Use plenty of salt.
Like traditional pastas, semolina dumplings and potato pasta are very bland. Add a lot of salt to the water for the gnocchi—if the water tastes like the sea, you are using enough salt.
- Cook the gnocchi to “al dente”.
When boiling the potato pasta, cook it for a few minutes less than the instructions on the package. So, if the package says to cook for 6 minutes, just cook it for 4 minutes.
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After boiling, it will go into the skillet with the asparagus, where it will finish cooking.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
When cooking gnocchi, ensure that you don’t overcrowd the pot. Boil the gnocchi in small batches to allow them to cook evenly and prevent them from sticking together. Once they float to the surface, let them cook for an additional 30 seconds to a minute before removing them with a slotted spoon. This technique helps achieve that perfect, pillowy texture that makes gnocchi so delightful.
- Reserve some of the cooking water.
Use a heat-proof measuring cup to reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water. You’ll use it to thin the sauce for the pesto gnocchi.
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Serving Suggestions
One of other great things about this gnocchi recipe is that the dish is fantastic at any temperature, even cold!
It’s a vegetarian dish, so it makes a great meatless meal, but it’s also really good as a side dish. We like to serve it as a pasta salad at picnics and potlucks.
Or, to enjoy it like traditional semolina dumplings, serve it warm. It’s great with Italian sides like caprese pasta salad, and you can never go wrong with a basket of sourdough rolls or some caprese flatbread.
Recipe FAQ
If you cook it for a long time, it will absorb some of the liquid it is cooked in, making it chewy and dense. So, be careful not to overcook it.
Consider these other pasta side dishes…
If you tried this pesto gnocchi recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
15-Minute Pesto Gnocchi
Ingredients
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice about 1/2 large lemon
- 2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons), divided
- 1 pound gnocchi (fresh, frozen, or dried gnocchi)
- 2 cups chopped asparagus about 12 spears, cut into 1-inch pieces
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium high heat. Keep the water at a boil until you’re ready to cook the gnocchi.
- To the bowl of a food processor or high speed blender, add the pine nuts, garlic, and lemon juice. Pulse about 10 times, until they are broken up. Next, add the basil and parmesan to the processor bowl and pulse 10 times again, until the basil is broken into small pieces.
- With the food processor on low speed, slowly drizzle in ⅓ cup olive oil. Taste the pesto and season with salt and pepper to your liking.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes, just until asparagus is crisp tender.
- While the asparagus sautés, cook the gnocchi for 2 minutes less than the package instructions call for (if the gnocchi says to boil for 6 minutes, then boil it for 4 minutes.) Reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid and then drain the gnocchi in a strainer.
- Add the cooked dumplings to the skillet with the asparagus. Add the pesto sauce and ¼ cup of the reserved cooking liquid. Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute, just until the pesto sauce thickens and evenly coats the gnocchi. If the sauce is too dry, add the remaining ¼ cup of reserved cooking water.
- Season with salt and pepper to your liking and serve immediately, or place in the fridge to chill– this gnocchi is delicious at room temperature, warm, or cold! Top with flakey sea salt, toasted pine nuts, and fresh basil, if desired.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Notes
- You can use homemade, fresh, frozen, or dried gnocchi, just adjust the cooking time accordingly.
- This recipe uses asparagus, but you could use other vegetables like peas, small broccoli florets, green beans, etc.
- This recipe is vegetarian as written. For a vegan option, substitute nutritional yeast for the cheese, or use a plant-based cheese alternative.
Nutrition
This post, first published in June 2022, was updated with new content in March 2023.
Lana says
The recipe was actually 15 minutees lol! So simple and very tasty, we all loved this for lunch. Thank you!
Kelley says
This recipe was so good! We used fresh herbs from the garden and it was fantastic!
Ned says
I freaking love this! Not only is it delicious, but it’s quick to make. Can’t wait for the leftovers for my lunch tomorrow!
Donalyn says
Pesto made such a beautiful sauce for these gnocchi! And thanks for this super easy way to get dinner on the table in a hurry!
Paula says
I was so impressed that something this delicious only took 15 minutes! Incredible!!