Creamy Pesto Gnocchi with Bacon & Parmesan | Easy Dinner Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What do Italians eat with gnocchi? ›

Tomato, pesto (or pesto alfredo), and butter-based sauces are the best components in a delicious Italian gnocchi recipe. All three are commonly found on restaurant menus. Some restaurants may offer gnocchi as part of a soup, salad, or paired with a plate of vegetables as well.

A slice of bread goes with pesto pasta. Pair this pasta with Rosemary Olive Oil Bread or No Knead Focaccia. Veggies. Sauteed Zucchini Recipe, Roasted Mushrooms, or Roasted Broccoli and Carrots would be scrumptious paired with this pasta.

Beef and gnocchi is such a good combo! There's also no need to pre-cook the gnocchi. It cooks right in the sauce, which is convenient and helps with cleanup. This hamburger gnocchi recipe makes plenty of delicious sauce.

The saying originated from lower-class food rationing and the people's need to maximize what ingredients they had at their disposal. Gnocchi, a substantial, high-calorie dish, was prepared on Thursday in anticipation of Friday, when, according to Catholic tradition, people fasted, abstaining from meat.

They are usually eaten as a first course (primo) as an alternative to soups (minestre) or pasta, but they can also be served as a contorno (side dish) to some main courses. Common accompaniments of gnocchi include melted butter with sage, pesto, as well as various sauces.

Looking for a quick answer? The best side dishes to serve with pesto pasta are mushroom risotto, steamed vegetables, sauteed vegetables, tempeh, beef and broccoli, teriyaki salmon, eggplant parmesan, shrimp scampi, fried shrimp, cheese curds, arugula salad, bread rolls and white beans and bacon.

This versatile pesto pasta recipe is easy to customize by adding your favorite protein, if you like. Chicken, sausage, and chickpeas are all delicious mix-ins.

Italian Tradition

Pesto is the perfect sauce to enjoy with a dish of trofie (the traditional Ligurian short pasta), lasagna, potato gnocchi or as a topping for a bowl of minestrone. It can be mixed into tomato sauce to enhance the flavor of pasta dishes or used with fish fillets to make them more appetizing.

Pesto gnocchi can be served as a delicious lunch or easy dinner main. We often like to pair it with our garlic bread, but it can also be paired with a simple salad or additional roasted vegetables like green beans, Brussels sprouts, or asparagus spears.

Gnocchi is quick to cook, versatile and makes a stunning dinner party dish or easy supper for two. Discover our top recipe ideas for these little Italian dumplings.

Is it better to boil or fry gnocchi? ›

Gnocchi should be soft, melt-in-your-mouth, fluffy pillows. They should not be tough and chewy. Is it better to boil or fry gnocchi? Both boiling and frying are good for gnocchi, but boiling is the most traditional method—and it's quick and easy.

The Gnudi, or spinach and ricotta gnocchi, is a typical recipe from Tuscany, usually served with a simple tomato sauce or with butter and sage. In fancy restaurants, sometimes these are served with very special aged parmesan cheese like pecorino or with a slice of lard that melts in contact with the hot gnocchi.

Nutritional Value

Believe it or not, regular pasta is actually more carb-heavy than gnocchi, coming in at around 2 times the amount of carbs per serving. Gnocchi is also notorious for having a lot more sodium, with over 200 grams of it per serving. Regular pasta doesn't have nearly as high of a sodium content.

Gnocchi is frequently tossed with sauce—a butter and sage sauce is a popular choice, but any sauce is a good choice. Whether you add it to soups, fry them in a pan, swap them for pasta or potatoes in salads or use them in pasta bakes, gnocchi is delicious for brunch, lunch or dinner.

Pasta is often served as a primo (first course), with a meat, seafood or vegetable course called a secondo coming after that. To do as the Italians do, try serving a smaller portion of pasta as a primo for an Italian-inspired dinner party, or as precursor to a meat, fish or vegetable main.

While gnocchi are a traditional Italian pasta shape, what makes them distinct is that they use potatoes as the main ingredient. Therefore, they're commonly considered to be a dumpling. Like many dishes in Italian cuisine, gnocchi vary in both name, appearance, and recipe across the regions of lo Stivale.