Basil Pesto Gnocchi

Though I have yet to post a lot of pasta-like dishes, I'm italian by blood and grew up on a some FINE italian cooking. YUM. Gotta love heritage! One night I introduced my carb-lovin' hubby to this little egg-shaped 'noodle' called gnocchi, and you can say the rest is history...

Gnocchi is different than your typical pasta in that it's a combination of wheat flour, egg, breadcrumbs and potatoes. It's one of my dad's favorite dishes and now one of the hubby's new favorite dishes. With this recipe I'm putting a personal twist on it with some homemade basil pesto sauce (another household favorite), cheese and of course a few veggies too.  

This one is packed with flavor, so enjoy! 

... Or shall I say, "Mangia, Mangia!"

Ingredients

1-24oz package frozen gnocchi
1/2 c. basil pesto, homemade (see recipe below) or store bought
6 oz roasted red peppers, diced
2 medium roma tomatoes, diced
1/4c. shredded mozzarella (or feta) cheese
1 onion, diced
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Directions

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil then add your gnocchi. Boil 6-7 minutes. You will know the gnocchi is cooked when they start to float to the top of the water! Drain and set aside.

Warm ~1 tsp oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the diced onion, garlic and saute 1-2 minutes. Add your roasted red peppers and tomatoes and saute an additional 3-4 minutes. Add  in the pesto sauce and simmer approximately 1 min.

Combine your veggies, gnocchi and basil pesto. Note that a little bit of pesto goes a long ways! Sprinkle cheese on top and serve!

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Homemade Basil Pesto Sauce

If you've never tried making your own homemade pesto, please do! It's quick, easy, and you can adjust flavors to your heart's desire. Here's the combination I use: 

2 c. fresh basil
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 c. pine nuts
3 medium garlic cloves
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and mix until smooth.

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Plenty o' carbs in this one... 
Perfect the night before a long run or other extended training session... 
Or maybe to fuel a marathon like that one I have coming up ;)

Marathon #5 Here I Come!


Happy Weekend!