Pesto Gnocchi with Roasted Tomatoes and Parmesan
The key to this simple weeknight dinner is the homemade pesto. Because the pesto is at the forefront of the flavors, it can’t be replaced with jarred pesto. It is a very simple recipe to make, and the homemade pesto recipe is included below.
If you love pesto-forward recipes, make sure to take a look at my pesto spinach ricotta ravioli recipe, pesto chicken bagel sandwich, avocado toast with scrambled eggs and pesto, and roasted broccoli pasta with walnut pesto.
Ingredients
- Gnocchi – 1.5 lb potato gnocchi (680-700 grams)
- Tomatoes – 1.5 lb baby tomatoes (plum or cherry, 680 grams), try to get ripe/sweet ones
- Lemon – zest of 1 lemon
- Salt – a pinch of kosher salt or flaky sea salt, to taste
- Pepper – a pinch of freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Homemade pesto – 1 cup, see recipe below or in more detail in a separate post here.
- Parmigiano Reggiano – ¼ cup freshly-grated Parmigiano Reggiano/Parmesan
- Olive Oil – 1 tbsp light olive oil or another neutral oil for roasting the tomatoes
For the Homemade Pesto
- Fresh Basil – 2 cups fresh basil leaves (packed) (about 4.2oz or 120 grams)
- Pine Nuts – ⅓ cup pine nuts
- Garlic – 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Parmigiano Reggiano – ½ cup freshly-grated Parmigiano Reggiano/Parmesan
- Salt – pinch of kosher salt
- Black Pepper – pinch of black pepper
Variations: If you want to make this dinner more substantial, you can add some fresh burrata just on top (about one 8 oz ball divided into 4, with one fourth on top of each bowl). You can also serve this with some parmesan garlic bread (the flavors are complementary). If you want more protein, you can serve some diced grilled chicken with it.
How To Make It
Step 1. Roast the tomatoes. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). To a tray, add the washed tomatoes, a pinch of salt, and the light olive oil. Mix them well. Roast in the oven until blistered and soft (about 20 minutes).
Step 2. Make the pesto. While the tomatoes are roasting, make the pesto. Add the basil leaves, pine nuts, minced garlic, salt, and pepper to a food processor or blender and puree/blend for about 20 seconds. Then, add the grated parmesan and process it/blend it until everything is finely minced. While processing/blending, slowly add the olive oil. Adding it slowly while blending/processing it helps emulsify the pesto. Taste it and adjust it to your preference. For detailed step-by-step instructions, you can follow my pesto recipe here.
Step 3. Boil the gnocchi. Bring a pot of salted water (about 1 tbsp salt) to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the gnocchi and cook according to package instructions. They’ll be ready when they float. For fresh homemade gnocchi, it can be as quick as 1 minute. For store-bought, it can take 2-3 minutes. As soon as they float, reserve 1 cup of water* and drain them.
*Note. You’ll only need 1/3 cup of the water in the next step, but it’s best to reserve extra in case you want to adjust the sauce consistency.
Step 4. Combine everything. In a pot over low heat, combine the pesto, freshly ground black pepper, lemon zest, 1/3 cup of gnocchi water, and the cooked gnocchi.
Add the roasted tomatoes and gently combine.
Step 5. Serve. Serve with freshly grated parmesan on top and any optional add-ons like burrata (mentioned in the ingredient notes).
With this recipe, I had enough for four bowls of gnocchi, as you can see below. Gnocchi makes for such a quick and simple weeknight dinner.
If you make this dish and love it, let me know in a review below.
All-in-One Recipe Card
Ingredients
Gnocchi & Roasted Tomatoes
- 1.5 lb potato gnocchi
- 1.5 lb baby tomatoes plum or cherry
- zest of 1 lemon
- pinch kosher salt or flaky sea salt to taste
- pinch freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano/Parmesan freshly-grated preferable
- 1 tbsp light olive oil or another neutral oil for roasting the tomatoes
Homemade Fresh Pesto (1 cup for 4 servings)
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves packed (2 cups is about 4.2oz or 120 grams)
- â…“ cup pine nuts
- 2 medium cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup freshly-grated Parmigiano Reggiano/Parmesan
- pinch kosher salt
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Roast the tomatoes. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). To a tray, add the washed tomatoes, a pinch of salt, and the light olive oil. Mix them well. Roast in the oven until blistered and soft (about 20 minutes).
- Make the pesto. While the tomatoes are roasting, make the pesto. Add the basil leaves, pine nuts, minced garlic, salt, and pepper to a food processor or blender and puree/blend for about 20 seconds. Then, add the grated parmesan and process it/blend it until everything is finely minced. While processing/blending, slowly add the olive oil. Adding it slowly while blending/processing it helps emulsify the pesto. Taste it and adjust it to your preference. For detailed step-by-step instructions, you can follow my separate pesto recipe.
- Boil the gnocchi. Bring a pot of salted water (about 1 tbsp salt) to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the gnocchi and cook according to package instructions. They’ll be ready when they float. For fresh homemade gnocchi, it can be as quick as 1 minute. For store-bought, it can take 2-3 minutes. As soon as they float, reserve 1 cup of water* and drain them. *Note. You’ll only need 1/3 cup of the water in the next step, but it’s best to reserve extra in case you want to adjust the sauce consistency.
- Combine everything. In a pot over low heat, combine the pesto, freshly ground black pepper, lemon zest, 1/3 cup of gnocchi water, and the cooked gnocchi. Add the roasted tomatoes and gently combine.
- Serve. Serve with freshly grated parmesan on top and any optional add-ons like burrata (mentioned in the ingredient notes).
Notes
Don’t forget to save this recipe to one of your weeknight dinner or pasta dinner boards.
