This spinach ricotta gnocchi recipe with creamy pesto, asparagus, broccolini and dukkah makes a delicious pasta with store-bought gnocchi that comes together in no time. Pan frying the gnocchi gives the pillowy pasta a crispy exterior, while the creamy pesto sauce is loaded with flavour and texture thanks to the fresh just-cooked green vegetables, crispy bacon and crunchy dukkah.
According to my mum, this spinach ricotta gnocchi recipe with creamy pesto, asparagus, broccolini and dukkah makes one of my best pasta recipes. If you’re like mum and love a comforting creamy, cheesy pasta sauce, you’ll love this. If you’re like me and prefer a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and more texture, you can do that too and add dukkah or pounded nuts, as I’ve done. Or shower it with basil for more fresh flavour and fragrance.
Bonus: it’s a quick and easy pasta recipe, made with a packet of store-bought shelf-stable spinach ricotta gnocchi, which I’m relying on a lot these days. My mother adores gnocchi – she could live on pasta alone, if she had her way – and because, yes, I’m still here in Australia juggling writing and recipe development, with cooking and caring for mum. You could make homemade pesto or use shop-bought. More on this recipe below.
Looking for more quick and easy pastas? We’ve got recipes for gnocchi with a creamy tomato pasta sauce, a penne Bolognese for a ‘cheat’s Bol’, an asparagus, mushroom and bacon gnocchi, a cherry tomato feta pasta, spaghetti pangrattato, a sardine pasta with caper gremolata and pangrattato, tuna pasta with scallions, capers and fresh herbs, a speedy bacon and mushroom pasta, this aromatic lemon pasta or pasta al limone, and fusilli with creamy pumpkin pasta sauce.
Pesto lover? Do try our recipes for pesto gnocchi with homemade pesto alla Genovese, my basil pesto pasta with potatoes and beans, this pesto spaghetti and meatballs with peas and broccoli, my broccoli pesto pasta recipe, a pesto potato salad, this pan-fried asparagus with pesto hummus, our pesto scrambled eggs, my cherry tomato burrata salad with asparagus, basil pesto and dukkah, and my Southeast Asian pesto.
*We’ve literally been eating this spinach ricotta gnocchi with creamy pesto for days, as I’ve made so much of the stuff during the recipe testing process, and each time I’ve showered the pasta with fresh basil leaves. But the day of this shoot I could not find any basil, sadly. So if you’re a basil lover, definitely have some on hand.
Before I tell you more about my spinach ricotta gnocchi recipe with creamy pesto, asparagus, broccolini and dukkah, I have a favour to ask. Grantourismo is reader-supported. If you’ve enjoyed our recipes, please consider supporting Grantourismo by using our links to buy something on Amazon, such as these cookbooks for culinary travellers or classic cookbooks for serious cooks.
Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe with Creamy Pesto, Asparagus and Broccolini
I don’t know about you, but my idea of a perfect pasta is one that’s handmade, with two or three quality key ingredients, drizzled in a a great extra virgin olive oil, seasoned with a little sea salt and pepper or chilli flakes, sprinkled with some Parmigiano Reggiano, and showered with fresh herbs and/or pounded nuts or dukkah.
But my mum is the biggest fan of creamy pasta sauces – the creamier the better – and if there’s gooey cheese, that’s her idea of heaven. That’s how I ended up creating another richer iteration of my deliciously simple crispy pan-fried gnocchi with broccoli and bacon, which evolved into this creamy cheesy spinach ricotta gnocchi.
I’ve used a store-bought spinach ricotta gnocchi, which is a lifesaver for speedy midweek meals. But you could make your own gnocchi. I love making handmade pasta at home in Siem Reap with Terence on a weekend evening with a bottle of wine open on the kitchen bench and Miles Davis on in the background. But here in Australia, nearing the end of a busy week of ‘mum stuff’, all I can do is whip up a speedy pasta with a packet of store-bought shelf-stable gnocchi.
I’ve got some tips to making this spinach ricotta gnocchi recipe with creamy pesto, asparagus, broccolini and dukkah for you below.
Tips to Making this Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe with Creamy Pesto, Asparagus and Broccolini
Just a few tips to making this spinach ricotta gnocchi recipe with creamy pesto, asparagus, broccolini and dukkah, beginning with some notes on the pesto and dukkah.
Basil Pesto
You could use your favourite store-bought basil pesto if you’re tight on time. But if you want to make your own homemade basil pesto you could make it ahead of preparing this recipe. Covered in a little extra virgin olive oil in a well-sealed air-tight jar, it will keep a few days in the fridge.
You could use this genuine Genovese pesto recipe based on the original basil pesto recipe from Northern Italy. Just as Italians traditionally do, I make my basil pesto using an Italian marble mortar and pestle. But by all means, if you’re short on time, use a food processor or blender.
Dukkah
I always have some dukkah, the traditional Middle Eastern nut, seed and spice mix, in a jar alongside my spice blends. I love to sprinkle dukkah on pastas and it’s fantastic on this spinach ricotta gnocchi. Like pesto, you can make dukkah ahead of time if you don’t have any on hand. Dukkah will stay crunchy for weeks in an air-tight jar, such as a mason jar.
This is my favourite dukkah recipe, which has quintessential Middle Eastern flavours, but you can create a dukkah with any combination of nuts, seeds and spices, and give your dukkah a more Italian flavour. Or for this recipe, simply pound together some nuts, such as walnuts, hazelnuts and pine nuts.
Again, I use a mortar and pestle for making dukkah. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, I highly recommend buying one. We have a handful of mortar and pestles at home in Siem Reap. It’s our favourite Asian cooking utensil. But I love my KROK mortar and pestle, handcrafted by artisans in Thailand, for making dukkah.
Fry the Bacon
As there’s no need to put a pot of water on to boil for this shelf-stable gnocchi, which can go straight into the fry-pan, the gnocchi can wait. I start with frying the bacon in olive oil, so you then have bacon-y oil to fry your veggies in. In a large lidded deep fry pan or skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and fry the finely diced bacon.
Fry the bacon until it’s cooked to your liking – soft bacon works, but crispy is good for lovers of crunchy bacon and texture. Scoop out the bacon with a slotted spoon and transfer it to a large bowl.
Fry the Vegetables
To the same fry pan, add another tablespoon of olive oil and heat it, then fry the hard pieces of asparagus spears – don’t do the softer asparagus tips yet – in the bacon oil for a few minutes until just cooked. I love firm green asparagus for the crunch as much as the colour. Plus it will keep cooking in the pesto sauce.
When the asparagus is almost done to your liking, add the broccolini florets and softer asparagus tips and fry for two minutes more. It shouldn’t need longer, again, you want it just-done as it will keep cooking in the sauce. Transfer the cooked vegetables to the same bowl as the bacon and stir to combine the lot.
Pan Fry the Gnocchi
Next you need to pan fry that store-bought spinach ricotta gnocchi. Check the instructions on the packet, but if it’s a shelf-stable gnocchi, which has been steamed, it should say that it only needs a few minutes to cook in a fry pan.
Add another two tablespoons of olive oil to that pan and heat, add the spinach ricotta gnocchi, stir so the gnocchi are separated and fully coated in oil, then fry for a couple of minutes until golden.
I use long tongs to turn the gnocchi over as I like a nice even colouring and prefer that one side of the dumplings don’t cook faster and aren’t darker than the other side. But if you find that too fiddly, just use a wooden spoon to stir the pasta or shake the pan.
Put the lid on and cook the gnocchi for another minute or so, watching the gnocchi. When the gnocchi puffs up, remove the lid. Give the gnocchi a stir with a wooden spoon or shake the pan. When the gnocchi is mostly brown all over, taste a piece. The gnocchi should be soft and fluffy within and crispy on the outside.
Combine the Lot and Create the Sauce
When the gnocchi is ready, return the bacon, asparagus and broccolini to the pan, add the basil pesto and thickened cream, season with salt and pepper, and stir to well combine, and let the sauce reduce.
When the basil pesto sauce has reduced, taste it and adjust the seasoning to suit your palate. For an even creamier cheesier sauce, add a cup of grated mozzarella (optional), and stir to combine. When the mozzarella cheese has melted, serve immediately.
Serve the Pasta
Lastly, distribute the gnocchi between plates. If you love a good extra virgin olive oil drizzled on pasta, do that now – or put a bottle of good EVOO on the table. Sprinkle on some dukkah (see my note above) and pine nuts, which you could toast in a small pan if you wish. Or simply pound together some nuts, such as walnuts, hazelnuts and pine nuts.
Shower the pasta with fresh basil leaves and serve with a simple green salad, and more fresh basil, grated Parmigiano Reggiano, a dish of dukkah, grinders of good sea salt and cracked black pepper, an a good bottle of extra virgin olive oil on the table.
Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe with Creamy Pesto, Asparagus and Broccolini
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil - divided
- 2 bacon rashers - rind removed, finely diced
- 12 asparagus spears - trimmed of hard white ends, cut into quarters
- 200 g broccolini - florets only
- 500 g spinach ricotta gnocchi - shelf-stable, store-bought
- 2 tbsp basil pesto
- 300 ml thickened cream
- ½ tsp salt - or to taste
- ½ tsp cracked black pepper - or to taste
- 1 cup mozzarella - grated, optional
- 2 tbsp dukkah
- 1 tbsp pine nuts
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- In a large lidded deep fry pan or skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and fry the finely diced bacon until cooked to your liking. Scoop out the bacon with a slotted spoon and transfer it to a large bowl.
- To the same pan, add another tablespoon of oil and heat, then fry the hard pieces of asparagus spears in the bacon oil for a few minutes until just cooked. Add the broccolini florets and softer asparagus tips and fry for two minutes more. Transfer the vegetables to the same bowl as the bacon and stir to combine the lot.
- Add another two tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and heat, add the spinach ricotta gnocchi, stir so the gnocchi are separated and fully coated in oil, and fry for a couple of minutes until golden. Use tongs to turn the gnocchi for even colouring – or simply use a wooden spoon to stir the pasta or shake the pan.
- Put the lid on and cook for another minute or so, watching the gnocchi. When the gnocchi puffs up, remove the lid. Give the gnocchi a stir with a wooden spoon or shake the pan. When the gnocchi is mostly brown all over, try a piece. The gnocchi should be soft and fluffy within and crispy on the outside.
- Return the bacon, asparagus and broccolini to the pan, add the basil pesto and thickened cream, season with salt and pepper, and stir to well combine, and let the sauce reduce.
- When the sauce has reduced, taste and adjust the seasoning to suit your palate. For an even creamier sauce, add a cup of grated mozzarella, stir to combine. When the cheese has melted, serve immediately.
- Distribute the gnocchi between plates, drizzle on a little extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle on the dukkah and pine nuts, and shower with fresh basil leaves.
- Serve with a side salad and more grated parmesan, dukkah, and salt and pepper on the table.
Notes
Nutrition
Please do let us know if you make this spinach ricotta gnocchi recipe with creamy pesto, asparagus, broccolini and dukkah in the comments below as we’d love to know how it turns out for you.
