After all of that cooking for Thanksgiving, who’s ready for a break?  This dinner comes together in minutes and is packed full of nutritious flavor. Barricato al Pepe brings a fruity and peppery addition to this pesto, and nicely balances the spinach. This pesto is so easy that you’ll want to make a double batch and pop some in the freezer. Enjoy! 

Ingredients

• 1 package Gia Russa Gnocchi 

• 4 ounces fresh spinach

• 1 garlic clove, rough chopped

• 1 tablespoon Marcona almonds*

• 1 tablespoon capers*

• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake

• 1/2 cup Barricato al Pepe, finely grated*

• 1/2 -3/4 cup olive oil*

*Items with an asterisk can be found at The Cheese Shop of Salem.

Directions

 1.     Using a blender, food processor or immersion blender, combine the spinach, garlic clove, capers, almonds and a slow drizzle of olive oil until ingredients come together to form a paste. Add in the red pepper and cheese and pulse until well combined.  

2.     Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, add in the gnocchi and cook for 2-3 minutes until gnocchi is floating.

3.     Drain the gnocchi, reserving 2 cups of the water. Stir together the gnocchi and pesto, adding pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce. Top with grated cheese, freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil to serve.

Makes 2 cups of pesto