Creamy Pesto Gnocchi (with Shrimp) from Salt & Lavender

Creamy Pesto Gnocchi - made January 5, 2023 from Salt & Lavender

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 and pepper to taste

1. In a deep skillet over medium heat, combine pesto, whipping cream, wine and garlic, stirring to a boil.
2. Once the sauce starts to gently bubble, stir in the gnocchi. Cover pan and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Uncover the pan and stir. Continue to cook for 2 more minutes, constantly stirring, until sauce has thickened to preference. Stir in parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

I love pesto. It's the only reason I used to grow my own basil. I'm not currently growing basil (too cold) but thanks to Trader Joe's, I can snag fresh basil in quantities that allow me to make pesto. I like to make my own because the storebought stuff comes as more of a sauce whereas I like to food-processor-process the basil while it's still small bits and not a paste. I don't use a recipe anymore but just throw the basil (sans stems), olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, pepper and parmesan cheese into the food processor and pulse until it's the texture I like.

For this recipe, I used a generous amount of pesto (more than 1/4 cup) but followed the rest of the recipe exactly. This is rich and makes a lot of sauce, even after it thickened. It's not for the faint of heart (all that cream) or a dieter (cream and gnocchi) but it's good in moderate portions. You can add any protein of your choice. I went with shrimp and it added a nice touch.