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Gnocchi in a creamy pesto saucewith spinach and cannellini beans

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By Lizzie Moss

I could truly eat pesto every day. Particularly when I have a craving for comfort food.

Last night I wanted something warm, creamy and packed full of carbs. Of course, I chose to make this when the weather was still a balmy 30 degrees. So there I was, putting piping-hot potatoes through my ricer, enough steam in the kitchen to power a historical train ride from Newport. I’m sure if it were winter I would use the word ‘hearty,’ but ‘starchy’ is probably a more accurate description compared to summer’s usual light, fresh dinner alternatives. I used double the amount of pesto I usually would for this particular dish and it still didn’t have enough basil for my liking so please adjust to your taste. Of course, you can use whatever beans you have on hand as these seem to be one of the only things at the supermarket not tripling in price! OI you’re thinking, ‘Wow, this looks great but there’s not enough carbs’, then I’d recommend serving with a baguette or focaccia to mop up the sauce. 

Ingredients

  • 1kg of potatoes
  • Around 2 cups of plain flour
  • A potato ricer (or masher!)
  • 2 big bunches of basil
  • 2 tablespoons of pine nuts
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 teaspoon of coarse sea salt
  • 1/2 a cup of grated parmigiano reggiano
  • 1/4 cup of grated pecorino
  • A good glug of great olive oil
  • 1 can of cannellini beans
  • 250ml of oat cream (I use Oatly, but you could use your usual dairy stuff if you can tolerate it, unlike me)
  • Half a bag of spinach

Method

  • Halve your potatoes and boil in salted water.
  • Meanwhile, in a mortar and pestle (or a little blender), crush your pine nuts and salt.
  • Add the garlic, and crush and mix everything until it’s a paste.
  • Add the basil, one handful at a time and continue to combine it all into a paste.
  • Add the grated cheese and mix.
  • Add oil until you have your desired consistency, adjust cheese, basil and salt to taste.
  • Remove the potatoes from the pot and pass through the ricer onto a clean board.
  • Add flour as you go, combining the potato until a dough is formed.
  • Roll into sausages and cut into your desired size.
  • Salt a large pot of boiling water, ready to cook the gnocchi.
  • In a pan, pour the cream and warm it through.
  • Add the spinach and stir until it has cooked down.
  • Finally, turn the heat off and spoon in the pesto, mixing to combine.
  • In the other pot, boil your gnocchi for a minute or two, till it rises to the top.
  • Add the gnocchi into the sauce and stir for a few minutes before serving.

Lizzie Moss
Lizzie Moss
Lizzie Moss is a home cook and pasta lover, usually found hosting dinner parties and generally making a mess of her little kitchen in the inner west. Pasta, please! is her Italian fever dream, which you can follow on Instagram @pastaplease_

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