Cheesy Gnocchi With Corn and Pesto
Updated April 14, 2026
Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
- Ready In
- 25 min
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound shelf-stable gnocchi
About 3 cups canned or fresh corn kernels (from two 15-ounce cans or about 4 fresh cobs)
½ cup store-bought or homemade pesto, plus more for topping
Salt and pepper
8 ounces grated whole-milk, low-moisture mozzarella
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
67 grams carbs; 69 milligrams cholesterol; 662 calories; 11 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 36 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 839 milligrams sodium; 23 grams protein; 4 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until sizzling hot, about 2 minutes. Add the gnocchi and sear, undisturbed, for 4 minutes, until crispy underneath.
- Step 2
Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes, until softened. Remove from the heat.
- Step 3
Stir in the pesto. Season with salt as needed, and add a few cracks of black pepper.
- Step 4
Place an oven rack underneath the broiler. Set the broiler to high.
- Step 5
Top the gnocchi and corn with the cheese. Place the skillet underneath the broiler and broil for about 4 minutes, until the cheese is completely melted and slightly charred on top.
- Step 6
Top with more pesto and divide among bowls.
Private Notes
Comments
In Step 1, heat the oil in a skillet or sauté pan with a lid. Toss in the gnocchi, add 1/4 cup water, cover, and steam for 3 or 4 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to sear until crisp as directed, and proceed to Step 2.
Nice. Easily in the NYT Cooking top-5 when it comes to the flavor/effort cost ratio. This sucker costs about $15 for 4 servings, and it had my kids asking me to put in the rotation. That's a win.
This recipe was really easy. It took less than 25 minutes so I spent the remaining planned time for "working on dinner" to do the Monday NYT crossword.
Easy summer dish. If you have some cooked shrimp, add it to the dish.
nooooo…maybe with fresh corn, fresh pesto, as in the video, maybe it could be 4ish stars, but having trusted comments leaning on frozen/jarred, respectively, NO, not worth making.
Oh my gosh this was so, so delicious. I was looking for an easy and quick vegetarian meal that's a little bit different, and we were all blown away by how delicious this was. Even my extremely picky teenage daughter gave it two thumbs up after initially looking at it sideways. Very highly recommended.