This weekend Jourdan came to visit from Orlando and we went to the Incubus concert in Tampa. It was the best live show I've ever seen. Great set list (although I was hoping for "Make Yourself"), great performance and energy. Anyhoo... we were hanging on the couch talking recipes and Jourdan was telling me she had made one of the Everyday with Rachael Ray recipes and how delicious it was. I decided to give it a shot. Pesto Gnocchi for dinner! I figured after talking so much about it I didn't need the recipe I could "Wing It"... well according to Jourdan, my picture didn't look ANYTHING like it was supposed to... it tasted delicious though!
Pesto Gnocchi with Chicken Sausage
Ingredients:
2 medium tomatoes, sliced into thick slices
2 drizzles of extra virgin olive oil
2 drizzles of balsamic vinegar
1 pinch sugar
salt & pepper
2 swirls extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 links of fresh hot italian chicken sausage, remove casing
1 package of gnocchi
1 cup milk
3 tblspoons pesto
handful of parmesan
salt & pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450. In a medium bowl, mix together EVOO, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Marinate tomatoes while waiting for oven to preheat. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with nonstick spray. Lay tomatoes out in a single layer. Roast for 25 minutes or until soft and "roasty looking".
In a large pot, bring water to boil. Add gnocchi and boil for 3 - 4 minutes. Drain and set a aside.
Heat a large skillet on medium with 2 swirls of EVOO. Add garlic and sausage and break up sausage while browning. If you can't find links of italian chicken sausage, look for bulk italian chicken sausage or if you like pork, then use that. This recipe would be delish with chopped chicken breasts and add in italian seasoning. Or don't add any meat and have a veggie dish instead.
Once the sausage is browned up nice, add the gnocchi and toast them up a little. Lower heat to low/medium and add about half of the milk to loosen up the bits on the bottom. Add pesto and stir to combine. Season and taste. Add more milk to control how "saucy it is". The sauce should me smooth and thick, not runny, unless you like it runny... Add roasted tomatoes and break up a bit in mixing. Add parmesan and stir until melted. I like to garnish with a little parm and serve with garlic bread (or cheat and pop some texas toast in instead).
