Crispy gnocchi with peas, asparagus and lemon

Crispy gnocchi with peas, asparagus and lemon is seasonal comfort food at it’s best. Gnocchi is browned with tender asparagus, fresh peas, basil, lemon zest and Parmesan cheese.

I don’t know what to tell you first about this dish. That it is a one-pan meal, or its  ready in under 15 minutes! To make it even easier, the gnocchi is seared in butter and browned to give them a crispy exterior and still retain its soft inside. No,  you don’t have to boil it first!

This crispy gnocchi with peas, asparagus and lemon recipe is all about light, spring produce and cooking with my two favorite vegetables are asparagus and fresh peas.  I also love making my own gnocchi. Store bought has too many ingredients I can’t pronounce and they are too dense. I recently made a video tutorial on how to make gnocchi and you’ll see, it’s not as difficult as you think. Homemade is so much lighter. Click on this text for recipe and video link. If you think I’m crazy and there is no way you’re attempting to make your own gnocchi, use any store bought that you like.

I also kept the other flavors to a minimum by only using no garlic and no onion. Instead, I opted for fresh lemon and basil, all fresh, bright flavors to complement the fresh asparagus and sweet peas. All the flavors working together rather than a dominance of just one.

I’ve created a video tutorial so you can see the recipe being made. Just press play! 

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Crispy gnocchi with asparagus, peas and lemon

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 16 ounces gnocchi
• 1 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 6 ounces (1 cup) fresh peas
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 ounce fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
• 4 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated plus more for garnish

Instructions

1. Add the butter to a large sauté pan over medium heat. 

2. When the butter bubbles add the gnocchi and cook for 2 minutes per side until browned, remove from the pan.

3. To the pan add the asparagus and peas, toss and cook for 3-5 minutes until the asparagus is tender.

4. Add the salt, pepper, basil, lemon zest and add the gnocchi back into the pan, mix well.

5. Turn off the heat, mix in the Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

6. Serve with more cheese.

More spring recipes:

Pea & mint pesto

Spring vegetable pizza

Lemon risotto with English peas

Edamame snap pea salad with sesame ginger dressing