Cheesy Gnocchi With Corn and Pesto Recipe • 5★ • 25 min

Updated April 14, 2026

Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.

Tasty and effortless, store-bought gnocchi offers a much-needed shortcut for busy weeknight dinners. You can bypass boiling a pot of water for the gnocchi, and instead simply give them a quick sear over high heat, which creates perfectly crispy edges. Toss the crispy gnocchi with lots of sweet, fresh corn kernels, prepared pesto and a hefty sprinkle of grated cheese, and broil until the cheese gets bubbly, gooey and slightly charred in spots. The molten cheese brings all the ingredients together, but a high ratio of corn to dumpling and the bright basil in the pesto keep this dish light enough for summer.

SaveLog in or sign up to save this recipe.

GiveSubscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyoneAs a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.SubscribeLog In

Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

Share this recipeCopy linkEmailPinterestFacebookXWhatsAppReddit

Print this recipeInclude recipe photoPrint RecipeLog in or sign up to print this recipe.

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

8 ounces grated whole-milk, low-moisture mozzarella

Step 1In 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.

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 2Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes, until softened. Remove from the heat.

Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes, until softened. Remove from the heat.

Step 3Stir in the pesto. Season with salt as needed, and add a few cracks of black pepper.

Stir in the pesto. Season with salt as needed, and add a few cracks of black pepper.

Step 4Place an oven rack underneath the broiler. Set the broiler to high.

Place an oven rack underneath the broiler. Set the broiler to high.

Step 5Top 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.

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 6Top with more pesto and divide among bowls.

Top with more pesto and divide among bowls.

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.

Totally agree that this is a great, easy recipe that really gives you a lot of bang for your buck! My one tip is that cast iron (or at least a good, heavy bottomed skillet) seems to be key here. The photo shows a cast iron skillet, so maybe I should have known better, but because the recipe just says "12-inch skillet" I first tried frying the gnocchi in my normal high sided stainless steel skillet and the gnocchi stuck to the bottom and disintegrated into a potato-y paste

Two cans of corn felt like too much; next time, I’ll use one can of corn and sub edamame for the other, and in a separate pan, I’d saute a pint of cherry tomatoes and mix them in before the broiler step. For texture, I might add toasted pine nuts/walnuts or toasted panko. I used half basil pesto half lemon pesto from Trader Joe’s when I made this and it was delish.

I don’t like corn (both the flavor and because I view it as just another carb heavy grain). So I replaced the corn with frozen halved brussel sprouts. I also used fresh asparagus instead of broccoli. I cut the asparagus stalks into 1/2 inch pieces and then cooked them briefly to an al dente texture These swaps worked very well. The end result was delicious, the texture was satisfying , and was full of green vegetables.

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/759796803-cheesy-gnocchi-with-corn-and-pesto