Gnocchi with pesto
These gnocchi with pesto are simple yet impressive. The handmade gnocchi are served with a fresh pesto made from basil, pine nuts, garlic and parmesan.

Ingredients and preparation
I recommend setting aside about an hour for this recipe so that the preparation is stress-free and as successful as possible.
To give the gnocchi their characteristic ridges, I use a gnocchi board when preparing them. It can be used to shape not only beautiful gnocchi, but also other wonderful pasta such as garganelli. A small but great investment for all pasta lovers.
The grooved pattern of the gnocchi is not only visually appealing, but also improves the adhesion of the sauce, which is why it is so popular. If you don’t have a gnocchi board, you can also scrape the pieces of dough over a fork to achieve a similar result.

Ingredients for 4 people
For the homemade gnocchi
- 800 g floury potatoes (preferably an old variety)
- 200 g Farina Tipo 00 or wheat flour type 405
- 4 tsp salt
- Durum wheat semolina for sprinkling
- 1 egg large M (optional)
For the pesto
- 1⁄2 clove of garlic
- 30 g pine nuts
- 80 g Parmesan cheese
- 30 g parsley
- 30 g basil
- 140 g olive oil (chilled)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or lemon zest (optional)
If you’re making gnocchi for the first time, I recommend reading my guide to homemade gnocchi. There I give my best tips and explain how to keep gnocchi soft and fluffy instead of heavy and compact.

Make your own gnocchi with pesto – here’s how
Boil the potatoes for about 15 to 20 minutes (depending on their size) [1] until they are soft and can be easily pierced with a knife [2]. Drain them well, put them in a bowl [3] and remove the skin [4].

Press the warm potatoes through a potato ricer onto the floured work surface [5, 6]. Form a well [7] and work about half of the flour into the potato mixture [8].

Press the dough into a lump and knead it [9, 10]. If the dough still sticks to your fingers, sprinkle flour on the work surface and knead it in [11]. Only knead until the dough no longer sticks to your hands [12].

Cut off a piece of dough [13] and cover the remaining half with a bowl to prevent it from drying out [14]. Roll out the piece of dough into a strand about 2.5 cm in diameter [15] and divide it into pieces about 1 cm wide [16].

To get particularly nice gnocchi, roughly roll the pieces of dough into a ball with both hands [17, 18]. Then roll them over the gnocchi board [19], pressing lightly with your thumb, and place them on a lightly floured baking tray [20].

Place the pine nuts, garlic, lemon, salt and half of the olive oil in the blender and blend for 30 seconds on high speed [21]. Add the basil, parsley and Parmesan and blend for 15 seconds at low speed [22]. Add a little olive oil and blend again for 15 seconds [23]. Repeat the process three to four times until all the olive oil has been used up and the ingredients are coarsely chopped [24].

Bring salted water to the boil and add the gnocchi [25, 26]. Keep one or two tablespoons of the cooking water in a bowl [27]. The gnocchi are ready as soon as they float to the surface [28].

Pour the pesto into the bowl and mix it with the pasta water [29, 30]. Transfer the gnocchi to the bowl with a slotted spoon and mix them thoroughly into the pesto [31]. Serve the gnocchi in warmed plates and sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy your meal!

The gnocchi are ready and can be served on a nice plate.
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