Easy enough for a weeknight meal, but impressive enough for company, this Gnocchi with Pesto, Shrimp and Asparagus is packed with flavor and done in less than 30 minutes!
Gnocchi is a popular ingredient at our house, like this Gnocchi with Meat Sauce or this Chicken and Gnocchi Soup. If you are a gnocchi fan, you’ll also love this Gnocchi with Pesto, Shrimp, and Asparagus!
Originally posted March 17, 2008 – I originally posted this recipe on St. Patrick’s day as a last minute attempt at something green, and here I am again, last minute and not a green recipe in sight. This is not Irish by any means of the imagination, but green is better than nothing, right? And it definitely doesn’t hurt that it is crazy delicious. We have become gnocchi addicts in my house, and this is no exception. So St. Patrick’s day or not, this is a great spring recipe!
I was going to make a fun St. Patrick’s Day green treat to bring into work today, but that didn’t happen. Remember last month when I promised to do my Daring Baker’s challenge earlier in the month? Well, I did it yesterday, and with the creative liberties I made, it literally took me most of the day. So I was beat, and I didn’t have the energy to make anything else!!
So instead, I looked through my photos of foods patiently waiting to be posted about, and I found this green pasta dish. And why I didn’t post about it sooner is beyond me, because this was delicious!!
Until this dish, I had actually never had gnocchi before. But this will not be the last time, because my husband and I really enjoyed it. I did buy it premade, but now I’m ready to try making it from scratch one of these days. When I think of gnocchi, I think of Top Chef. Any of you Top Chef fans out there – is it just me, or have the judges criticized every single gnocchi that has been made on the show? I think this is one reason I’m a little scared to try to make it from scratch, because if these professional chefs have a hard time making it well, I will probably really struggle with it!! But then again, my husband and I are the only judges, and we are not nearly as harsh as Tom, Padma and Gail!
This is a dish that can literally come together in less than 30 minutes. And it’s versatile as well – my husband did not want shrimp, so I did chicken for him and shrimp for me. And as spring keeps getting closer and asparagus is showing itself on grocery shelves, this is a perfect springtime meal.
Love Pesto?
Basil Pesto Recipe
Pesto Pizza
Chicken Pesto Wraps
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Gnocchi with Pesto, Shrimp and Asparagus
Ingredients
Pesto
- 1 cup loosely packed basil
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts toasted
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Gnocchi
- 16 oz package gnocchi
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 lb asparagus tough ends removed then cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp tails removed
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Prepare the pesto:
- Combine the basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic and lemon juice in a food processor or blender. Season with the salt and pepper. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Stream in the olive oil until the mixture comes together in a smooth sauce.
Make the Gnocchi:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook until it floats to the top of the surface.
- While the gnocchi cooks, heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high. Remove the cooked gnocchi from the water with a slotted spoon to the sauté pan and cook until it is crisp on all sides, stirring and flipping the gnocchi as needed, about 5 minutes. Transfer the gnocchi to a plate.
- Heat another tablespoon of the oil in the same sauté pan and add the asparagus. Cook until crisp-tender, 3-5 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus. Remove the asparagus to the same plate as the gnocchi.
- Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the same sauté pan and add the shrimp. Cook until shrimp are pink, 2-3 minutes per side.
- Combine the gnocchi, asparagus and shrimp and add the pesto sauce. Stir to combine, then serve immediately.
Judith says
This looks delicious. I cannot wait to make it. Thanks so much for sharing.
Janet says
My daughter is a huge past a shrimp fan, she flipped over this!
crazybeautifulteaching says
I can’t wait to try this one! I have done green beans with gnocchi but this sounds delicious with shrimp too!
kokitty says
Absolutely wonderful dish! I tried making it this evening, and it was divine. The gnocchi was hard to track down, but it was worth the search! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Tracy says
What a yummy idea for St. Patrick’s Day! I don’t think I’ve had homemade gnocchi but I do recall the Top Chef judges being hard on contestants who attempted it. But since you’re not on the show, why not try it!
Emiline says
Sounds delish. I made gnocchi, like twice, and they didn’t turn out well. Maybe it was the recipe.
Pixie says
Gnocchi is wonderful, I’ve yet to make it myself but it is on the list, along with a 101 other dishes I want to make.
Chocolate Shavings says
That dish looks really good – simple and delicious!
ashley says
this looks really good! i finally tried making gnocchi from scratch for the first time about a month ago. i was scared too! i used the method where you bake the potatoes instead of boiling to help keep them from being too heavy. shaping them was still hard, but they were still so light and fluffy! it was totally worth it (and honestly not that hard or too time consuming)! try it! 🙂
ruthEbabes says
Your gnocchi looks fab!!! Love the look of the pesto too… i’ve never made pesto from scratch!
Beautiful colours in your dish.
Gretchen Noelle says
Gorgeous green dish! I have tried my hand at gnocchi without much success. I will be at it again one of these days!
KJ says
I’ve tried making gnocchi a few times but I’ve never really managed to get it right. I’ll keep trying though 🙂
Peabody says
Very festive and Spring like.
glamah16 says
Perfect spring dinner!
Kevin says
That gnocchi dish looks great! I think that the premade plain gnocchi is worth buying for the time that it saves but it is nice to make variations on it like sweet potato gnocchi or spianch and ricotta gnocchi at home. I like to fry the gnocchi in butter so that they have a crispy outside an a warm and soft inside.
Shandy says
What sa great idea, buying premade gnocchi! So much easier for a dinner. . .Yum! Prefect for St. Paddy’s Day too. Kudos on your Daring Baker Challenge already being done. =D