15 Minute Gnocchi with Super Green Pesto

This easy and quick 15-minute gnocchi with super green pesto sauce is unbelievably good. Perfect when you need a delicious meal in a hurry.

Gnocchi is such a wonderful invention and really makes a pleasant change from pasta. But like pasta, it needs a brilliant sauce. I didn’t want to forgo enjoying lots of nutritious vegetables so created a super green pesto with peas and broccoli.

This still wasn’t enough green vegetables for my liking so I served the gnocchi with super green pesto on a bed of delicious ZESTY PAN FRIED COURGETTES These work so well against the softness of the gnocchi as the courgettes add that much needed slight crunch.

What is Gnocchi?

Traditional gnocchi is an Italian dish that is in fact little dumplings made from potatoes which also include flour and eggs. So like pasta, gnocchi is still high in carbohydrates.

Apparently, they came to be called “gnocchi” from an Italian word meaning ‘lumps’ because of their distinctive shape. You can sometimes find them with ridges on top or they are simple small spheres cut at angles for more texture.

We opted for a Gluten-free Gnocchi by Difatti which was delicious. Instead of wheat flour, it used corn starch and rice flour. Again it’s still high in carbohydrates but behaves a little differently from its wheat counterpart on blood sugar levels. So you will need to experiment a little to understand the impact it will have on yours.

What you will need for the 15-minute gnocchi with a super green pesto

• Gnocchi
  • Opt for Fresh or the longer life variety you can store in your cupboard
  • I used a Gluten-free Gnocchi by Difatti (affiliate link)
• Small Onion
  • Bring an essential flavour and gentle sweetness
  • Frozen chopped onions work brilliantly in this sauce as well
• Frozen peas
  • Not actually a vegetable but a legume like lentils, chickpeas, beans and peanuts.
  • Rich in fibre and protein
  • Add a delicious natural sweetness
• Broccoli
  • Has more protein than most other vegetables
  • Nutrient rich, including fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, and potassium.
• Vegetable Stock
  • Intense savoury kick
  • Can be quite high in salt so be careful with any additional seasoning
• Green Pesto
  • A store cupboard staple
  • Adds a lovely flavour and creaminess to the sauce
• Black Pepper
  • Essential seasoning
  • Adds a gentle peppery heat
• Parmesan or other hard Italian cheese
  • Adds a lovely salty, slightly nutty, bite to finish the dish

Serving suggestion for the 15-minute gnocchi with a super green pesto

Why not try serving the gnocchi on a bed of greens. We enjoyed ours on a bed of ZESTY PAN FRIED COURGETTES

Diabetes Note

I have to admit we have avoided Gnocchi for a while as I was a little scared of serving such a high carb dinner for my daughter however I was pleasantly surprised. For us, it didn’t seem to have as big an impact as some of the other high carb ingredients can.

Carb Counting

The overall carb count for a serving of the 15-minute gnocchi with super green pesto sauce is:

• Gluten-free Gnocchi by Difatti = 250g – 90g of carbs
• Green Pesto = approx 1g of carbs

Now add all the carbs together – 90+1 = 91g of carb per portion

Please note this carb count amount per portion is based on the standard ingredients listed above and may differ depending on what you use and how much you choose to eat.

15 Minute Gnocchi with Super Green Pesto

Super tasty and perfect when you need a delicious meal in a hurry.

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Course: MainCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Very Easy

Cook Mode

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Servings

2

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Total time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 150 g frozen peas

• 100 g broccoli

• 250 ml vegetable stock

• 4 tsp green pesto

• 500 g ready-made gnocchi

• 25 g hard Italian cheese

Directions

• Cook the broccoli and peas in a pan of boiling water. Drain, keeping 250ml of the water.
• Use the vegetable water to make up the stock
• In a pan fry off the chopped onion until soft in a little olive oil or butter
• Add the broccoli, peas, stock, green pesto, parmesan and lots of black pepper
• Using a hand blender or food processor, blitz everything into a thick coarse sauce.
• Cook your gnocchi for 2 minutes in boiling water, drain and cover in your super green pesto sauce.
• Serve immediately. Maybe on a bed of sauteed courgettes and top with some more grated cheese.

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