Homemade gnocchi with vegan basil pesto

Making homemade vegan gnocchi is incredibly simple, and a fresh basil pesto makes for a pairing that can never go wrong.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

Pesto
50g basil leaves
30g pine nuts
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp table salt
1 lemon, juiced
1 garlic clove, diced

Gnocchi
1kg potatoes
350g flour
15g fine salt
Extra flour to dust surfaces

Method

Pesto

1. Chop the basil leaves and add them to your blender with the pine nuts.
2. Add the salt, lemon juice and garlic. Blend until the mixture is well combined.
3. Drizzle the olive oil in as you blend further. Keep blending until you reach a creamy consistency. Add a splash of water if it is too solid.
4. Put in a bowl and keep in the fridge for up to four days.

Gnocchi

1. Boil the potatoes in a pot of water for 40 minutes.
2. Once cooked, peel the potatoes while they are still hot — as it makes the skin removal a lot easier.
3. Mash the potatoes onto a large surface and spread evenly.
4. Add the flour and salt onto the potatoes, without the flour going over the edge.
5. Use your hands to combine the ingredients; press well between your fingers and thumbs to obtain a soft and well-integrated mixture. Roll it into a ball.
6. Take a section of the mixture and roll into a long thick strip of dough.
7. Chop sections of the dough so as to get bite-size pieces. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until all the mixture is bite-size.
8. Put each of the pieces on a dish and press down softly on each one with a fork.
9. Cook the gnocchi in boiling water until they float to the surface. Remove them from the pot and leave on a separate plate.
10. Eat hot with the homemade pesto.

Like peanut butter and jam, or burgers and chips, pasta and pesto is a classic combination that can never go wrong. My first time making gnocchi blew my mind. A dish I always thought only Italian grandmothers could handle, it’s actually incredibly simple. And while most gnocchi are about the size of your thumb, I recommend cutting them in half — as they will be coated better in pesto, and take half the time to cook.

Pesto alternatives usually also contain vegan cheese or tofu, but if your basil leaves are fresh enough, these ingredients will not be missed. The green sauce is great for salads and even just with bread, but I highly recommend this vegan version be eaten with trofie, fusilli, or your very own homemade gnocchi.

Check out more vegan recipes like this homemade gnocchi and basil pesto.