This Freshly Made Gnocchi with Green Basil Pesto Sauce is a homemade potato gnocchi dish made with baked russet potatoes, flour, and egg, tossed in a bright pesto of fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan, and olive oil.

The gnocchi come out soft and pillowy, and the pesto coats every ridge.

Make it for a slow Sunday dinner, a date night in, or when your basil plant is overflowing in late summer.

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Freshly Made Gnocchi with Green Basil Pesto Sauce

Ingredients You’ll Need

Baking the potatoes instead of boiling them keeps them dry, which means you need less flour and the gnocchi stay light. For the basil pesto, use packed fresh basil leaves only (no stems) and a good fruity olive oil, since there’s nothing to hide behind.

Ingredients

2 lbs russet potatoes (about 3 large)
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 packed cups fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400F, prick the potatoes all over with a fork, and bake them directly on the rack for 50 to 60 minutes.
They’re done when a knife slides through the center with zero resistance.
Baking gives you a dry, fluffy flesh, which is exactly what you want for light gnocchi.
While the potatoes bake, make the basil pesto.
Pulse the pine nuts and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped, then add the basil and pulse until it’s broken down.
With the motor running, stream in the olive oil until the pesto is smooth but still has a little texture.
Stir in the Parmesan and lemon juice by hand, then season with salt and pepper.
Cut the hot potatoes in half and scoop the flesh out of the skins.
Press it through a potato ricer or food mill onto a clean work surface, spreading it out in a thin layer.
Let it steam and cool for about 10 minutes until it’s warm but not hot to the touch.
A ricer really matters here (mashing or blending turns the potato gluey).
Sprinkle the salt over the potato, drizzle on the beaten egg, and scatter about 1 cup of the flour over the top.
Use a bench scraper or your hands to gently fold and press everything together into a shaggy dough.
Add more flour a tablespoon at a time only until the dough stops sticking to your hands.
Handle it as little as possible, because overworking the dough makes the gnocchi dense and chewy.
Divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll each one into a rope about 3/4 inch thick on a lightly floured board.
Cut the ropes into 3/4-inch pieces with a bench scraper.
Roll each piece down the back of a fork or a gnocchi board to add ridges, which help the pesto cling.
This part is slow the first time, honestly, so put on some music and settle in.
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a gentle boil.
Add the gnocchi in batches of about 25 so the water stays at a steady boil.
They’ll sink, then float to the surface after 1 to 2 minutes.
Let them bob for 30 more seconds, then lift them out with a slotted spoon, saving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the cooked gnocchi.
Let them sit for 1 to 2 minutes until the bottoms turn lightly golden, then toss.
This optional pan-sear adds a nice contrast to the soft centers.
Take the skillet off the heat and add about 3/4 cup of the pesto with a splash of the reserved cooking water.
Toss gently until the gnocchi are glossy and evenly coated.
Keep the pan off the burner here, because direct heat darkens the basil and makes the pesto taste flat.
Serve right away with extra Parmesan and fresh basil on top. Enjoy!

Important Recipe Notes

Bake, don’t boil, the potatoes. Boiled potatoes absorb water, so you need more flour to bring the dough together. More flour equals heavier gnocchi.
Rice the potatoes while hot. Hot potato passes through the ricer easily and stays fluffy. Cold potato gets lumpy and gummy.
Use the least flour you can. The amount varies with your potatoes. Stop adding as soon as the dough feels soft and only slightly tacky.
Test one gnocchi first. Boil a single piece before shaping the whole batch. If it falls apart, knead in another 2 tablespoons of flour.
Keep the pesto off direct heat. Basil turns dark and loses its fresh taste when cooked. Toss the gnocchi in pesto off the burner, and use pasta water to loosen it.
Blanch the basil for greener pesto. Dip the leaves in boiling water for 10 seconds, then plunge into ice water and dry. The pesto stays bright green for days.
Toast the pine nuts. Two or three minutes in a dry pan brings out their buttery flavor. Watch closely, since they burn fast.
Freeze uncooked gnocchi. Freeze shaped gnocchi on a floured sheet pan until hard, then bag them for up to 2 months. Cook straight from frozen, adding a minute to the boil time.

How to Serve, Store & Customize This Recipe

Serving Serve this pesto gnocchi hot, in warm shallow bowls, with extra Parmesan and a few torn basil leaves. A side of roasted cherry tomatoes or a green salad with lemon vinaigrette balances the richness. Crusty bread is good for wiping up the last bit of pesto.

Storing Store leftover sauced gnocchi in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Extra pesto keeps for a week in a jar with a thin layer of olive oil on top, or you can freeze it in ice cube trays. Reheat the gnocchi in a skillet with a little butter and a splash of water.

Customizing Swap pine nuts for walnuts or almonds if you need a cheaper option. Add a handful of spinach or arugula to the pesto for more greens, or stir in some cooked chicken or shrimp to make it a fuller meal. For a dairy-free version, skip the Parmesan and add 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast.