Gnocci with White Beans and Pesto

We loved this recipe! It's pretty simple to throw together especially if you already have pesto made up (or bought). I made my own Speedy Spinach Pesto to go with it. Gnocchi (pronounced 'Noki') are a type of pasta made from potatoes. They look like almond shaped little lumps of dough. In the photo here, I used mini-size gnocchi. Normally they are larger in size. You can typically find gnocchi in the pasta aisle at your grocery store. I buy mine at Wal-mart and they are in fresh sealed vacuum packs. For this recipe I didn't have any canned fried onions, so I left them out. I'll put them in the recipe but personally I don't think you would even need them! If you've never tried gnocchi give it a try!

Gnocchi with White Beans and Pesto

1 pound pre-packaged gnocchi
3 Tbsp. olive oil
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, de-stemmed and quartered
1 cup celery, diced
1 (15.5 oz.) can Cannellini (White) Beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups packed baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup black olives, sliced
1/2 tsp. ground sage
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup canned fried onions
3/4 cup pre-packaged or homemade pesto
1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional

1. Prepare gnocchi according to package directions; drain and set aside.
2. Heat a 10-inch skillet and 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat. When warm add mushrooms and cook for three minutes.
3. Add celery, cover and cook one minute more until celery is bright green and soft.
4. Uncover and cook until water has evaporated.
5. Remove celery and mushrooms from pan and set aside.
6. Add remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil; when warm add drained gnocchi and brown it alone until bottoms are crisp.
7. Stir and continue to brown the other sides.
8. Turn off the heat; add mushrooms, celery, cannellini beans, spinach, olives, sage, salt and onions.
9. In a separate bowl, mix pesto and broth together.
10. Top gnocchi with sauce and Parmesan cheese; mix well. Serve.

Makes about 6 servings.

Click HERE for my Speedy Spinach Pesto recipe.