Ground Beef Pesto Gnocchi
Blog: www.nextinlime.com
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 small (100 g) onion - finely chopped
- 1 small (100 g) bell pepper - aka capsicum, any color, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic - finely minced or grated
- 1 pound (454 g) ground beef - aka beef mince (Note A)
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1.25 teaspoons salt - adjust to taste
- 2 tablespoons (397 ml) tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1.5 cups water
- ½ cup (50 g) parmesan - freshly grated - press down tightly into the cup to measure
- ½ cup heavy cream - aka thickened/whipping cream
- 1 pound (454 g) potato gnocchi - uncooked (Note B)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice - fresh, not bottled
- ¼ cup basil pesto - (Note C)
Optional Toppings
- some freshly grated parmesan
- some chopped fresh parsley - or basil
Instructions
- Heat cooking oil in a large, deep pan or skillet over medium heat.
- Add the finely chopped onion and bell pepper to the pan. Sauté for a few minutes, until softened. Then add minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the ground beef to the pan along with oregano, cumin, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt. Break it up with your spoon, stir and cook until browned.
- Stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and 1.5 cups water. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cook for 8-10 minutes to let the sauce reduce a bit.
- Turn the heat down to low, let the sauce sit for a couple of minutes so it cools down a bit. Then add cream and Parmesan and stir until the cheese melts.
- Add the uncooked gnocchi and stir it in. Turn the heat up to medium and bring it to a simmer. Cover the skillet and let it cook for 5-7 minutes. Adjust the heat as needed to keep it at a gentle simmer, but you don’t want the sauce to burn, so keep an eye. To check if it’s done, cut open a gnocchi. It should be soft inside, not doughy or raw. If it’s a little firm inside, let it cook a little longer.
- Once the gnocchi is cooked, take it off the heat, add lemon juice, and mix in the pesto. Taste it, and adjust the salt if you need to.
- Serve it up in deep plates or bowls, and if you want, sprinkle extra parmesan and fresh parsley or basil on top. Enjoy right away! See Note D below for a helpful tip on reheating.
Notes
Note A: Ground beef – if using frozen beef, make sure it’s fully thawed before you start.
Note B: Gnocchi – I use the shelf-stable gnocchi that comes vacuum-sealed and can be found 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 will still go in at the end, after you’ve turned the heat off.
Note C: Pesto – Store-bought pesto often has a layer of oil 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. This dish is already rich and creamy from the ground beef, cream, and Parmesan, so extra oil would be too much.
Note D: Reheating – Do not use the microwave. It's high and uneven heat can break the sauce and cause the fat/oil to separate. Instead, add a little splash of milk first, then heat it on the stove over gentle heat. Stir it often