Over the last year, this pesto gnocchi recipe has become one of our go-to summer midweek meals. It’s super quick to make, and the zingy vegan pesto is a winner.

The pesto recipe makes more than you need for the dish (enough to serve 4). We portion up the rest and freeze it for those last-minute-dinner days, but if you prefer you can just halve the amounts. Frying the gnocchi in garlic oil gives a deliciously moreish finish, but you can of course use regular olive oil instead. Just make sure the gnocchi you buy is vegan, as some of them contain milk powder.

Ingredients (serves 2):
– garlic oil, or olive oil
– 500g pack fresh gnocchi
– 200g green beans, topped and halved
– 250g cherry tomatoes, halved

For the pesto (serves 4):
– 50g pine nuts
– 50g shelled pistachios
– 1 large garlic clove, crushed
– 30g fresh basil
– 15g fresh parsley
– 3 tbsp olive oil
– 1 lemon, juiced
– 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1. Start by making the pesto. Toast the pine nuts and pistachios in a large, dry frying pan or wok for 3-4 minutes, until golden. Tip into the bowl of a food processor and blitz to crumbs. Add the garlic and blitz again, then do the same with the herbs. Drizzle in the olive oil and lemon juice, and add the nutritional yeast. Blitz to combine. Season to taste and, with the motor running, add about 50ml water (a little at a time) until you have a smooth sauce.
2. Heat a drizzle of garlic oil in a large frying pan or wok over a medium heat. Add the gnocchi and fry for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden.
3. Meanwhile, boil the beans in a large pan of water for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
4. Add the tomatoes to the pan with the gnocchi, and cook for 2 minutes or until just beginning to lose their shape. Add the beans, cook for 1 minute to heat through, then stir through half the pesto. Finish with extra black pepper to serve.