Gnocchi float in two minutes, and then dinner is over
A pound of gnocchi goes into boiling water with a cup of frozen peas and comes out when the pieces float, which is roughly two minutes. Toss with a third of a cup of pesto and two cups of diced chicken.
Gnocchi are potato dumplings and they are denser than they look. Give a ten-year-old about a cup before a 6:00 practice, with cherry tomatoes beside it, and hold the rest for when they get home.
Ingredients
The recipe serves 4. Plan on about 20 minutes.
- 1 lb shelf-stable or refrigerated potato gnocchi
- 2 cups cooked diced chicken
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/3 cup basil pesto
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus pepper to taste
How to Make It
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the gnocchi until they float, 2 to 3 minutes; add the peas for the last minute.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water, then drain the gnocchi and peas.
- Return them to the pot off the heat and add the chicken, pesto, olive oil, and Parmesan.
- Toss gently, adding a splash of the reserved water until the pesto coats everything.
- Season with salt and pepper and serve with extra Parmesan.
Timing Before Practice
Start about 20 minutes out; gnocchi cook in minutes, so this is one of the fastest plates.
- T-minus 20: bring the water to a boil
- T-minus 10: cook gnocchi and peas, then drain
- T-minus 4: toss with chicken and pesto, plate
Make It Ahead or Save Leftovers
This holds for a second night, though the gnocchi soften a little.
- Dice the chicken ahead so dinner is just boil and toss
- Reheat gently with a splash of water to loosen the pesto
- Pack leftovers warm in a thermos for the car
- Serve with: cherry tomatoes, a slice of garlic bread
Parent Tip
Save that splash of starchy cooking water; it turns the pesto into a smooth sauce.
Make it fit tonight
Small changes that make this one fit your night
A ladle of the cooking water saved
Two spoons of starchy water loosen the pesto into a sauce that actually coats every piece.
Chicken diced while the water heats
Those four minutes of boiling are the only prep window this dinner gives you.
Peas dropped in with the gnocchi
A cup of frozen peas cooks in the same pot and saves a second pan and a second wash.
Half pesto, half butter for a cautious kid
Basil is strong; cut it with a spoon of butter and Parmesan for the one who says it is too green.
A thermos portion for the drive
This holds heat well, so a preheated thermos feeds the sibling with the later game.
Plan the next step
Browse more 20-minute pasta nights
Use the planner to line up a few fast hot dinners for the week.