This easy Vegetarian Pesto Gnocchi is a dinner winner! Cooked in a skillet on your stovetop, it's loaded with Mediterranean flavours from roasted tomatoes, artichokes, peppers, spinach, pesto, optional plant-based sausage and gluten-free gnocchi! It comes together in less than 30 minutes.
1pound (16 oz)potato gnocchi,gluten-free for gluten-free diet
7oz. (200 gm)plant-based sausage, like Beyond Meat sausage,or your favourite Italian sausage
1mediumred bell pepper,cored, seeded and cut into ½-inch squares
114 oz. canartichokes in water,quartered
⅓cupbasil pesto
2cupsbaby spinach leaves
½cupParmesan cheese,freshly grated
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450°F. Arrange tomatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss with your hands to coat evenly. Roast for 10 - 12 minutes or until the tomatoes are beginning to char or burst. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat a large pot of generously salted water on the stovetop. Once it is boiling, add the gnocchi. When they float to the top, remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Save ½ cup of the cooking water for later.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to a large skillet. Slice the sausage into ¼ inch slices and brown on both sides until cooked through. Remove the sausage slices to the bowl with the tomatoes.
Sauté the red pepper in the skillet until it begins to soften, then add the quartered artichokes.
Lower the heat, then stir in the pesto, a little at a time. Add the spinach and stir until it begins to wilts.
Add the roasted tomatoes and cooked gnocchi into the skillet. Stir in ⅓ to ½ cup of the reserved gnocchi water to help bring the sauce together.
Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a few basil leaves or chopped parsley if you'd like, and serve hot.
Video
Notes
Instead of draining the gnocchi, use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked gnocchi from the water. They don't all rise to the top at the same time, so fishing them out as they float up guarantees they will all be cooked perfectly.
Start with a small amount of pesto as you can always add more once you taste it!
Remember to lower the heat a little once you add the pesto. High heat will destroy pesto's fresh bright flavour. All you have to do at this point is stir everything together.
When shopping for plant-based meat, check the label. Some plant-based meats contain gluten.