This creamy pesto gnocchi recipe makes a fantastic side dish or meatless main course. It's super easy (made in one pan) and takes only 20 minutes from start to finish!
The pesto parmesan sauce in this recipe is super simple and really good. I also went ahead and added some extra garlic. Naturally. And a splash of white wine! If this recipe is looking somewhat familiar, I also have a Creamy Pesto Shrimp Gnocchi recipe, but I figured that having it as a standalone recipe (without the shrimp) would be a good idea too.
For all my one pan gnocchi recipes I use shelf-stable gnocchi (find it in the pasta aisle). The refrigerated kind works too. As it cooks, it releases starch that thickens up the sauce. I don't pre-cook it prior to adding it to the sauce. Super easy and fewer dishes to wash! I don't recommend using homemade gnocchi because the one pan method can make it fall apart, so I would make the sauce separately if you want to go that route.
Love pesto? Try my Sausage Pesto Pasta or this Pesto Pan-fried Sausage and Potatoes Skillet.
Recipe notes & tips:
- I'm big on grating my own parmesan cheese... it just tastes and melts better. I used this cheese grater (I have a slightly older model) for this recipe. Microplane graters work great too!
- I used DeLallo brand pesto (I had some left over from a shipment they sent me for a sponsored post, but this post is not sponsored... I just love their products). You could also use homemade pesto if you prefer or whatever your favorite brand is!
- I'm not particularly loyal to any brand of gnocchi. I just buy whatever my grocery store happens to have. I've tried a few brands over the years (I'm in Canada and there isn't tons of gnocchi selection here) and they're pretty similar to each other.
More delicious gnocchi side dishes:
Questions about this easy pesto gnocchi recipe? Let me know in the comments below!
Creamy Pesto Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup pesto
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound uncooked potato gnocchi
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the pesto, cream, wine, and garlic to a deep skillet over medium heat.
- Once the sauce starts to gently bubble, stir in the gnocchi. Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
- Uncover the pan and give it a good stir. Continue to cook it for a couple more minutes, stirring often (the sauce will thicken quickly as the gnocchi releases more starch).
- Once the sauce is thickened to your liking, stir in the parmesan cheese. If the sauce gets too thick at any point, add in another splash of wine or cream. Season with extra salt & pepper as needed and serve immediately.
Notes
- Serves 4-6 as a side dish.
- The gnocchi cooks right in the sauce. No need to pre-boil it! The starch released helps thicken the sauce up quickly.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Trixie says
Whoa! This was delicious. Thanks for the recipe. I wanted to make this as a main dish so I added chopped walnuts and leftover tiny pieces of juicy pork chops. Served with a wedge salad. So good!
Natasha says
You're very welcome!!
Helen Katz says
Love this as its own! Usually when I make it I cook bay scallops and mix it in there. It's so tasty.
Natasha says
Awesome!! So glad to hear it, Helen!
Layla Evans says
I am planning on making this recipe tonight, but i am someone who likes everything to be a bit crispy. would it have any downsides to fry the gnocchi till golden brown, heat up the sauce separately, and then combine when ready??
Natasha says
Hi! So, the liquid measurements are based on the gnocchi cooking in the sauce and releasing starch to thicken it up. You could try frying the gnocchi and making the sauce separately, but you may need to thicken the sauce with a roux or some cornstarch.
Audrey says
I have made it with both lobster ravioli and spinach and cheese ravioli and both dishes were amazing!
Natasha says
That's great to hear!
Veronica says
Hi salt and lavender. I just tried this recipe for the first time and I absolutely loved it. Super simple very easy to follow. The flavors were excellent. I loved it.
Natasha says
Fantastic!! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know, Veronica!
EB says
Has anyone tried making this with spinach/cheese stuffed tortellini???
Jen says
Natasha-
Instead of cream do you think lactose free milk would work? I am assuming it would as the gnocchi releases starch as it cooks so it would thicken would it not? Thoughts?
Natasha says
Hi! I've never cooked with lactose-free milk, but I think in this case it wouldn't be a bad thing to try. Let me know how it goes!
Elenna says
You can get lactose free cream now I believe
Emily says
I’m excited to try this but I only have frozen gnocchi. Does this work the same or should I pre boil them a bit?
Natasha says
I think frozen gnocchi would work fine. You may want to give it a little extra time on a slightly lower heat.
Emily says
I did just that! I put the gnocchi in with a fourth cup of water, left it on for 5 minutes on medium/low, and after 5 the sauce was thick, creamy, and perfectly covering the gnocchi! I added the parm, some fresh basil and sliced almonds, and it was gone within 3 minutes! A new favourite in our home!
Natasha says
🙂
Addi says
Love this sauce, l have always cooked gnocchi in water then to sauce and it comes out mooshi..
So when l put it in uncooked was so much better and sauce thickens up...Love it.
Natasha says
That's awesome! So happy you like the one pan technique... I hope you'll try some of my other one pan gnocchi recipes. 🙂 Thanks for your review!
Beverley says
Really yummy & easy. My DH loved it & wanted to know “what’s in the sauce”?. I did brown up some sausage meat & added some bell pepper & onion. I’d had another recipe in mind originally but decided the pesto would be a nice change from the Alfredo & it was! Thank you!
Natasha says
I'm so happy it was a hit! Love those additions!
Skye T. says
This was sooo tasty!! I added mushrooms and wOW!! Definitely will be making this one again! Thank you!
Natasha says
Yay!! Glad you enjoyed it!!
Samantha says
So good, I will definitely make this again. I did add mushrooms which I think it needed and my mom suggested sun dried tomatoes for next time.
Natasha says
I'm so happy it was a hit! Love the mushrooms idea.
Sarah Martin says
This is the 2nd time I've made this. It's not only fast & easy but it's so good. Thanks for the recipe that will stay a constant in my home 👍
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
You're welcome, Sarah! We're thrilled to hear that!
Elyse says
Yummy! My husband and I have had this twice and really enjoy it.
Possible silly question, can it be made ahead of time (say the morning) and then reheated?
Natasha says
I'm so glad you guys enjoy it!! 🙂 I think that should be fine. I'd reheat it slowly over a low heat. The gnocchi will release more starch, so you might find the sauce gets even thicker when you reheat. If needed, add another splash of cream.
Valerie Curby says
Have made this 2 times. Soooooo good. The second time I added a couple of hands full of chopped, fresh spinach. Again, yummy!!
Natasha says
Yay!! I'm so glad you like it! Thanks for taking the time to write me a review. 🙂
Maya says
I needed a quick dish to bring to my dads birthday party and this was so simple and DELICIOUS! Everyone loved it! I added a little lemon juice and zest to it and didn’t add the cheese, it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe! I will definitely make this again!
Natasha says
I'm so happy it was a hit! Thanks for your review, Maya!
Valerie says
This is so easy and so good. My husband is not big on creamy sauces but he really enjoyed this.
Natasha says
That's great!! Thanks for letting me know, Valerie!
Karen Berger says
Made this last night, it was delicious. Next time adding spinach. Had it as a side with smoked pork chops. Thanks for a great recipe. It was my 1st time trying gnocchi, now I have a new side dish!
Natasha says
Awesome! I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Karen! 🙂
Amber says
So delicious! We loved it!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Great to hear!! 🙂
Kristin says
Just made this! Very tasty but I somehow ended up with the oil from my pesto separating immediately. Is this because I cooked it too hot?
Also mine was kind of sour. Is that normal flavoring?
Natasha says
Hi! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Yes, I usually give it a good stir before serving since pesto tends to separate. As far as the tangy taste, I think it depends on the brand of pesto you use. I love DeLallo's, and find it's very neutral tasting. I have bought brands in the past that are quite lemony.
Liz says
So scrummy. I served on bed of arugula as a main dish. Definitely a new main staple for lunch or dinner. Would be perfect as a side as well.
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
That's good to hear, Liz! Appreciate your review!!
DJinCA says
Made this tonight and served it as a side with seared chicken breasts drizzled with balsamic glaze. DEEEE-licious! When the balsamic glaze happened to mix with the cream sauce on the plate...oh, my! Heavenly!
This was my first time making any gnocchi recipe, and I'm sold. Something this delicious just shouldn't be so easy, but this recipe is a keeper and definitely "dinner guest worthy." Thank you for sharing it!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
You're very welcome! Gnocchi really is wonderful, isn't it!? So happy you enjoyed the recipe.
Julie Sharpe Collins says
This was so good.. I did add chicken ...
Natasha says
Great! 🙂
Adam says
Truly love this recipe, thanks for posting!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
So happy you enjoyed it, Adam!!
Xenia D says
Very nice receip and delisious...😍😍
Natasha says
Thank you!!
Sabrina Long says
Can I use red pesto in this recipe?
Natasha says
Sure! I don't see why not.
Teresa says
This was absolutely delish!
I had some dental surgery and can only eat soft foods and this totally fit the bill!
Will continue to make again and again!
Thanks for such a great and easy recipe!
Will be trying more of your recipes soon!
Natasha says
Thank you!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I hope your recovery goes smoothly. XO
Kathy says
I made this tonight for dinner and everyone LOVED it! Thanks for sharing!
Natasha says
Excellent!! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know, Kathy!
Isabel amaya says
I loveeee this recipe, it came out so tasty and creamy
My boyfriend loved it. Thank you so much for sharing.
Natasha says
Fantastic!! I'm so happy to hear that. Thanks for taking the time to write me a comment! 🙂
Stacey says
Is this something you could add some broken up italian sausage into? I had a creamy gnocchi with sausage dish at a restaurant the other night and have been searching for a way to recreate it!
Natasha says
Hi Stacey! I don't see why not. But I do actually have a few similar gnocchi with sausage recipes on here. Just type "sausage gnocchi" into any of the search bars on my website and they'll come up. This one's my personal fav: https://bit.ly/3hvCR7y
Danielle says
Good recipe though I added 5 garlic cloves and 1.5 lbs of gnocchi. Would make it again!
Natasha says
So glad you enjoyed it!!
AngelaML says
Another big hit in our household! I made the Lemon Chicken Gnocchi two weeks ago and couldn't wait to try this one. I wanted a one pan meal, so I added pan fried chicken (used garlic powder and flour). Cooked that first and then set aside to follow your recipe. I substituted light cream for the heavy cream to make it a tad healthier, and used only 1/4 cup parm for the same reason. I had mistakenly bought spinach for this dish so used it anyway. I used half of a 5 oz bag and next time I will use the whole bag since it wilts down.
I have two more of your gnocchi recipes bookmarked and ready to try! 😀
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and I love how you tweaked it to add the chicken and spinach. 🙂
Shelby says
I use this recipe all the time now. It was an accidental find and my oh my it’s a household fav!
Natasha says
I'm thrilled to hear that, Shelby! 😀 Thanks for letting me know.
Bill Brown says
This looks great as a side. What do you recommend as the main dish? We have some meat lovers coming over.
Thanks.
Natasha says
Hi! Hmm... maybe this Chicken Scallopini? https://bit.ly/395Ph1p baked chicken thighs: https://bit.ly/3lELX2k or you can browse thru all my main courses here: https://bit.ly/3r8pICZ
Bill Brown says
Love your main recipes - all look amazing. Too busy for tonight; I'm pretty much a beginner. Will try some other time. Chicken sounds great, though. Maybe some "fried" baked recipe; don't want to crowd the stove top . Your Creamy Pesto Gnocchi should really impress our guests. I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks, Natasha.
Natasha says
Sure! Let me know 🙂 I hope it works out.
Louis says
Super good and tasty! (Although I added a more pesto and cheese for flavour)
Natasha says
So glad you enjoyed it, Louis!
Wendy says
I just made it and love it!! Question tho- my husband hates gnocchi cause of the texture (I love it lol), but could this be made similarly with other fresh pastas? Like tortellini or ravioli from the refrigerated section?
Natasha says
Wonderful! I think it will work. Tortellini and ravioli still release starch, but I find they do release a little less, so you may need to tweak cooking time a tad or liquid measurements depending on the outcome.
Kaylee says
Hi there! Any recommendation on modifying the cream and making it lactose free?
Natasha says
You could try the dairy-free whipping cream by Silk brand - other readers have tried it with success in some of my recipes with cream.
Meghan says
This recipe was so easy but SO tasty! Both my husband and I loved it and said this would be on our dinner rotation!
Natasha says
That makes me happy!! Thanks so much for commenting, Meghan!