Description
This vibrant kale pesto and chicken gnocchi recipe combines tender gnocchi with a flavorful homemade kale and basil pesto, shredded chicken, and creamy crème fraîche. Enhanced with fresh spinach, peas, and pine nuts, it offers a quick, nutritious, and comforting meal perfect for weeknight dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
Pesto
- 65g kale, washed and roughly chopped
- 100g spinach
- 1 small garlic clove, roughly chopped
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- ½ small bunch of basil leaves, plus extra to serve
- 15g pine nuts
- 1 tbsp parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve
- 25ml olive oil
Main Dish
- 250g cooked chicken breast, shredded
- 200g frozen peas
- 50g light crème fraîche
- 150ml vegetable stock
- 300g gnocchi
Instructions
- Blanch the Greens: Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil and prepare a bowl of ice-cold water. Add the kale and spinach to the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately transfer to the cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain thoroughly and squeeze out excess water.
- Make the Pesto: Place the blanched greens, garlic, lemon zest and juice, basil leaves, pine nuts, parmesan, and olive oil into a food processor. Blitz until smooth and season lightly with salt and pepper to taste.
- Prepare the Sauce: Transfer the pesto into a saucepan, then add the shredded cooked chicken, frozen peas, light crème fraîche, and vegetable stock. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Cook the Gnocchi: Add the gnocchi to the boiling sauce and cook for 3-4 minutes until the gnocchi are cooked through and float to the surface.
- Serve: Scatter extra basil leaves over the dish and grate additional parmesan cheese on top before serving.
Notes
- Use cooked chicken breast to save time—rotisserie chicken works well.
- To make it vegetarian, omit the chicken and increase the crème fraîche for extra creaminess.
- If a food processor is not available, use a blender or finely chop the pesto ingredients and mix manually.
- Frozen peas can be substituted with fresh peas when in season for a sweeter flavor.
- For a nuttier pesto, lightly toast pine nuts before blending.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian-inspired
Keywords: kale pesto, chicken gnocchi, quick dinner, Italian-inspired, creamy pesto, healthy dinner
