Ground Beef Pesto Gnocchi

Combining ground beef, pesto, and gnocchi is just so dang good. And cozy. And bringing it all together in one pot takes this meal to the finish line of quick-dinner perfection.

I make this dish when I want to stretch my ground beef a little further, give that jar of pre-made pesto the good use it deserves, and make my comfort food night even more fun with gnocchi that feels like tiny clouds in every bite.

My first experience of combining pesto and ground beef was in a pasta dish. I’ve also cooked and thoroughly enjoyed ground chicken with pesto since. All that to say, ground meat and pesto are, in general, a great yet underrated match.

Makes me want to try an Italian sausage combination next.

This recipe is a crowd-pleaser, kid-pleaser, and a dinner-table-winner. I like it a bit saucy, but you can leave it more saucy or less, however you prefer.

Use a spoon, not a fork, to get that mouthful of all the flavors and textures coming together. I’m not to be blamed if you end up eating two heaping helpings and fall into a food coma.

Pre-cooking notes

As always, I’m sharing all the little things I’ve learned after making this gnocchi dinner several times. Calling these "pre-cooking notes" because it’s good to know ahead of time what to watch for and what you can tweak, so you get the best results.

• You can use shallots instead of onion. I’ve made this recipe with both red and yellow onions, and didn’t find much of a difference.
• Any color bell pepper works. The colors just mean different ripeness levels. Green is the least ripe, then yellow and orange, and red is the sweetest.
• If you don't have dried oregano, Italian seasoning works too.
• Skip the red chili flakes if you can't tolerate spice at all.
• I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but use freshly grated Parmesan, not the pre-grated kind.
• You’ll find different kinds of gnocchi at the store. I use the shelf-stable kind that comes vacuum-sealed in the pasta aisle. If you’re using dried, skillet, or frozen gnocchi, check the cooking instructions. Instead of cooking it in the sauce, add the cooked gnocchi after you’ve reduced the sauce to your liking. Pesto and lemon juice still go in at the end, after you’ve turned off the heat.
• The pesto I get from Costco (not a sponsored shoutout) is great, but there’s always some oil sitting on top. I just tilt the jar slightly so the oil pools to one side and then spoon out the pesto, trying to leave as much of the oil behind as I can. The dish is already rich and creamy from the ground beef, cream, and Parmesan, so extra oil would be too much.
• Also, I add pesto at the very end so it keeps its bright flavor. If you add it earlier, the oil can separate and make the dish too greasy.

A visual guide for making ground beef pesto gnocchi

Here are some photos to help you through the cooking process. I don’t think it’s very complicated, but having pictures to reference can be helpful if it gives you confidence that your food is looking the way it should at each step.

Heat cooking oil, add chopped onion and bell pepper, and sauté until softened. Then add minced garlic and cook until fragrant.

Next add ground beef to the pan along with oregano, cumin, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt. Break it up with your spoon, cook until browned. Mix in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and water. Let it simmer until the sauce reduces a bit.

Turn the heat down to low and let the sauce sit for a couple of minutes so it cools down a bit. Then add cream and Parmesan and stir. Add the uncooked gnocchi, turn the heat up to medium and bring it to a simmer. Cover the skillet and cook until the gnocchi is done.

Then take the skillet/pan off the heat, add lemon juice, and mix in the pesto. Serve it up, sprinkle extra parmesan and fresh parsley or basil on top and enjoy right away!