Sheet Pan Pesto Gnocchi is a favorite weeknight dinner! It’s loaded with tasty vegetables, flavorful pesto, and comes together in no time. It’s a dinner winner every time!
Easy Gnocchi Recipe
Our boys LOVE gnocchi. It is one of their favorite meals. They love our Crispy Gnocchi and 5-Ingredient Skillet Gnocchi and now this easy Sheet Pan Pesto Gnocchi is a dinner favorite!
Sheet Pan Gnocchi is one of those recipes that always hits the spot! Most busy families I know love having a meal like this in their rotation: it’s cost-effective, loaded with fresh vegetables, and prepares with minimal stress or planning. Home gardeners may even have many of these veggies right in their backyard! This is a great dinner recipe for summertime.
What is Gnocchi?
If you haven’t had gnocchi before, let me fill you in. Gnocchi means “lumps” in Italian and is a popular Italian dish. I fell in love with gnocchi when I traveled to Italy years ago and now our entire family loves it!
Gnocchi are small dumplings made with cooked, mashed potatoes and flour. When the small potato dumplings are cooked, they transform into light, fluffy pillows. Gnocchi can be made from scratch, but if you want to save time, you can buy fresh, frozen, or dried gnocchi at the grocery store. I like to use dried gnocchi for this recipe, DeLallo is our favorite brand. You can also use gluten-free gnocchi, if you need the recipe to be gluten-free.
Easy Weeknight Dinner
You’re going to be shocked by just how easy this recipe is. The pesto adds that perfect Italian flavor! You can use your favorite store-bought variety, or if you prefer a homemade pesto, try my Spinach Basil Pesto recipe. It is the BEST! I love making pesto in bulk and freezing it so I always have some on hand when a recipe like this one calls for it!
You’re looking at 35 minutes start to finish, but 25 of those are in-the-oven time! Like I said, this recipe for sheet pan gnocchi couldn’t be quicker or easier and it’s a total crowd pleaser and kid pleaser. My boys LOVE this easy dinner recipe!
How to Make Sheet Pan Pesto Gnocchi
- Preheat the oven to 425 and prep your sheet pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying with nonstick spray. The foil makes clean up a breeze!
- Remove your gnocchi from the package and separate any that are stuck together. This is important so every piece cooks evenly!
- Spread the gnocchi and all of the veggies (tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, and onions) on your baking sheet.
- Pour ½ cup of the pesto over the gnocchi and veggies and toss until everything is coated evenly. It’s already smelling amazing, right?! Ensure everything is in an even layer on the pan.
- Bake 20-25 minutes, tossing halfway through. You’ll know it’s ready when the tomatoes are about to burst and the gnocchi is slightly crisp but still soft!
- Remove everything from the pan, drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons of pesto, and garnish with parmesan. You can also add red pepper flakes and basil leaves at this point if you choose!
- Serve your sheet pan gnocchi right away. It’s delicious warm and right out of the oven!
- We rarely have leftovers, but if you do, keep them in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days! Reheat in the microwave.
More Sheet Pan Recipes:
- Lemon Thyme Chicken with Paprika Potatoes
- Sheet Pan Balsamic Chicken
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Veggie Sheet Pan Nachos
- Sheet Pan Pasta Bake with Chicken and Kale
- Sheet Pan Baked Salmon with Asparagus
Sheet Pan Pesto Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 16 ounces uncooked potato gnocchi
- 1 pint grape tomatoes
- 1 small zucchini, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup basil pesto, plus 2 tablespoons (divided)
- 1/4 cup freshly shaved parmesan cheese, for topping
- Crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- Fresh basil leaves, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Line a large sheet pan with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Remove the gnocchi from the package and make sure none of the gnocchi are stuck together. Spread the gnocchi, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, and onions on the baking sheet. Pour ½ cup of the basil pesto over the gnocchi and vegetables. Toss until the gnocchi and vegetables are well coated in the pesto. Spread the gnocchi and vegetables in an even layer on the sheet pan.
- Place the pan in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, tossing once half way through. The tomatoes should be soft and about ready to burst and the gnocchi should be soft and slightly crisp.
- Remove the pan from the oven and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of pesto. Garnish with Parmesan cheese. Divide the gnocchi onto plates or bowls and garnish with crushed red pepper flakes and basil leaves, if using.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?
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Photos by Dishing Out Health
This dish is served with bread and a little wine will match
Dinner perfection!
I made this for dinner tonight. It was easy, fast and little clean up! It was delicious! I’ll be making this again.
So happy you loved it!
My family loved this recipe. I like how easy it is and how it incorporates a super load of vegetables. After the bake time, I sprinkled some extra cheese over the top and broiled the mixture until it was nicely browned. Thank you for a terrific recipe.
Absolutely fantastic!! You need to make this TONIGHT! We have a family of six so I doubled the recipe and it was perfect. I loved the ease of putting this together and foil makes the clean up easy. But once you taste this deliciousness, you’ll add it into your dinner rotation! I also added cubed chicken for protein (just toss that in with rest) and dinner is ready.
So happy you loved this easy dinner! It is one of our favorites!
Made this for an easy dinner plus to have leftovers for the week. Really delicious. I had broccoli, orange pepper, red onion and tomatoes. Thanks for the goodness!
You are welcome! One of our favorite easy meals!
Quick, easy and delicious – thank you! I made this tonight (in Australia!) and will be making it again, and again, and again!
Saw this recipe on Instagram stories. It was simply amazing. Sad I didn’t make more! So easy and to prep and clean!
So happy you loved it!
We love this recipe! We’re making it again tomorrow for dinner. Your recipes are tasty and easy-to-follow. Thanks!
If I can only get frozen gnocchi, how do I need to modify the recipe?
I loved this recipe. I am 5 1/2 months pregnant and have been loving pasta dishes right now, and this recipe hit the spot perfectly. Thanks for sharing!
Is the gnocchi from frozen? That’s what I have, are modifications required or can I put frozen gnocchi on the pan. Also – are the tomatoes needed, in allergic so often have pesto as my go to. Any suggestion of a tomato substitute? Thanks.
I use packaged gnocchi from the pasta aisle, but I am sure frozen would work. You can add whatever veggies you like!
Another hit!!! Thank you–easy and delicious!!!
Yummy!!! I made the spinach pesto a couple of days ago and made this tonight. Loved the gnocchi!!
Thank you.
This recipe is my new quick and delicious dinner secret weapon! It all came together SO quickly and the result was truly more than the sum of its parts. Thanks for the recipe! Tip to other readers: don’t skip or skimp on the red onion – they add a nice sweet dimension to the dish.
I am glad you liked the recipe. Thanks for letting us know.
Can I use spaghetti sauce instead of pesto?
Excellent flavor and a great way to use up the garden goodies!
I make this all of the time! I really like the semi-crunchiness of the gnocchi. Love that you can use any veggies you have on hand or like! Thanks for a great adaptable recipe!
This recipe is SO good! The gnocchi are soft on the inside but crispy on the outside. I will never eat them the “normal” way again. I also love all the veggies. If you haven’t tried this, you should!
Glad you loved the recipe!