Gnocchi with Pesto & Carmelized Onion Cream

Note: I used my homemade Delicious Pumpkin Seed Pesto (check my TastyKitchen recipe box) for the pesto part, but you can use any type of pesto you desire. I have a nut allergy in the house, which is why I made the pumpkin seed version, and trust me, it’s so good you won’t miss the pine nuts! If you make the pesto, it needs to be done the day before for best flavor.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine the thinly-sliced onion, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in a large skillet over medium heat. Over the course of the next 45 minutes, cook the onions down until they are gooey, caramel colored, and smell like heaven. Stir only occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pan to incorporate the browned bits.

While the onion is melting into perfection, take the sliced mushrooms, and toss them together with olive oil and minced garlic in a baking dish, then put it in the preheated oven for the remainder of the onion’s cooking time, stirring every ten minutes or so. Turn off oven at end of time, but leave them in there to stay hot.

Once the onion is almost ready, add the beef stock to a pot with a generous helping of salt, and bring to a boil. (Well, in my experience beef stock doesn’t boil so much as simmer, so bring to a simmer).

After onion has cooked down into its gooey brown perfection, reduce heat to medium low and add the milk and mascarpone to them, mixing to let the cheese melt and the sauce thicken and take on the deep brown color of the onions.

At this point you can add the gnocchi to the stock. They should only take about three minutes to cook. But don’t do what I did and wait for them to float, because mine didn’t seem to float in the stock, even though I kept them in for almost 6 minutes. So the best thing to do is to follow the instructions on the package, and test them after the set amount of time, even if they aren’t floating.

Once the gnocchi is cooked, drain it (reserving 1/4 cup of stock) and turn the gnocchi into a large serving bowl. Add the onion cream sauce, the mushrooms, and pesto. Stir to combine, adding a little bit of the stock if it needs to be thinned. Taste, and add some salt and pepper if needed. I like my stuff a little salty, but not everyone I cook for does, so I always omit extra salt and pepper, and let them add it as they want.

Serve hot with fresh grated Parmesan on top. IF there are any leftovers, store in air tight container in the fridge, and enjoy for lunch or dinner the next day. Trust me, its just as good the second day.