Pesto Skillet Gnocchi

Pasta is a great way to cut meal costs, fill up hungry bellies, and get food on the table fast, especially when you prepare a freezer meal. Make our Pesto Skillet Gnocchi recipe and you’ll be plating it in just about five minutes. That’s fast!

It’s an amazing feeling to plan ahead meals for your family, make them in bulk, and pop them in the freezer for later. Each evening, you pull out your meal for the next day and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

When you come home and cook dinner the next night, your meal takes minutes instead of hours, but still tastes delicious. If you want more recipes, be sure to check out our Freezer Meals 101 Club. Every recipe is posted there first! If you are looking for more fast pasta meals try Chicken and Sundried Tomato Pasta Sauce or One Pot Pasta Puttanesca.

Pesto Skillet Gnocchi Recipe

Ingredients for Pesto Skillet Gnocchi

• 1 lb. potato gnocchi, fresh
• 1/4 cup pesto
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup chicken broth or white wine
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/3 cup peas
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
• 1 large (gallon) freezer bag or reusable silicone bag
• 1 medium (quart) freezer bag

How to Make Pesto Skillet Gnocchi

Assembly Instructions

1. Place gnocchi, pesto, heavy cream, broth or wine, garlic, peas, and salt and pepper in a large resealable bag.
2. Remove excess air and seal.
3. Place Parmesan cheese in a medium bag.
4. Seal and staple above the seal to the large bag.
5. Freeze.

Cooking Instructions

1. Thaw.
2. Bring large bag ingredients to a gentle boil in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Top with Parmesan cheese and allow cheese to melt before serving.

What is Gnocchi?

These small round pasta beads are a combination of potato and flour which has been mixed and partially dried. They are shaped like footballs and come in two different sizes. Because gnocchi is potato-based, it has more depth of flavor in every bite and also has an entirely different, more gummy, toothy texture than flour-based dried pasta. You cook them in liquid just like pasta to rehydrate, but because they are only partially dried when sold fresh, it does not take as much liquid.

Can I use dried gnocchi?

Yes. However, you should read the packaging instructions and increase the liquid accordingly. The dish will also take longer to cook. In addition, the dried gnocchi doesn’t really need to be frozen, so it could be added at the time of cooking. Fresh gnocchi (the kind you find refrigerated in the store) is preferred.

What can I substitute for parmesan?

If you cannot find parmesan, you can use an Italian blend of cheese or freshly grated romano from the specialty cheese section. Either will work.

Pesto Skillet Gnocchi Recipe Ideas

It wouldn’t be a stretch at all to grill or sauté chicken for this dish. You could even chop up a rotisserie chicken and add the meat directly to your skillet to heat it up. The flavors of chicken and pesto will complement each other perfectly.

If you want protein and don’t enjoy chicken, this pasta dish will actually work beautifully with grilled steak, cooked and diced bacon, or cooked ground Italian sausage. Take your pick! Make the meat on the grill or in the skillet on the day of cooking. This will add a little time, but also please the meat lovers in your family. Make this faster by using grilled meat leftovers, or bulk grilling meat at the beginning of the week to slice and add at meal time.

Add a little heat with red pepper flakes. A little goes a long way. You could also add a dash of hot sauce to the sauce instead.

Make it a pink sauce by adding just a small amount of marinara sauce to the skillet when you cook the meal. I’d start with 1/8 cup and increase it to taste. If you just want tomato flavor though, I recommend adding sundried tomatoes, strained.

Use different veggies. This dish will work with diced summer squash, zucchini, red bell peppers, or sliced mushrooms. Just remember these veggies will take longer to cook or may need to be sautéed separately to cook through. Peas our are favorite because they cook as quickly as the pasta and don’t need special treatment.

This same sauce combo will work with pre-cooked medium shells, bowtie, or rotini.

How do I store Pesto Skillet Gnocchi

Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. You can freeze the pasta dish, but the cheese may change in texture during the freezing process. Frozen, the pasta dish will keep for three months.

What to Serve with Pesto Skillet Gnocchi

Serve this delicious pasta dish by itself or with a fresh salad and garlic bread. Add a side of roasted broccoli, asparagus, or brussels sprouts. Sauté some french green beans with garlic and oil. You have so many options! This is a rich creamy sauce, so think contrast and acidity when choosing a salad type.

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Pesto Skillet Gnocchi

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

Servings: 4

Calories: 508 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 lb potato gnocchi, fresh
• 1/4 cup pesto
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup chicken broth or white wine
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/3 cup peas
• salt and pepper to taste.
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions

Assembly Instructions

1. Place gnocchi, pesto, heavy cream, broth or wine, garlic, peas, and salt and pepper in a large resealable bag.

2. Remove excess air and seal.

3. Place Parmesan cheese in a medium bag.

4. Seal and staple above the seal to the large bag.

5. Freeze.

Cooking Instructions

1. Thaw.

2. Bring large bag ingredients to a gentle boil in a large skillet over medium heat.

3. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Top with Parmesan cheese and allow the cheese to melt before serving.