Gnocchi with deconstructed pesto and mushrooms

This sauce is all about the taste of pesto, but there's lots of texture when you don't blend the pesto together. I like the way the texture works with the mushrooms and onions in this recipe. I served this with gnocchi, but it would be equally good with pasta. 

Ingredients: 

1 Tbs butter

12 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup vertically sliced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tbs pine nuts

1 16 oz package of gnocchi

Directions: 

Heat butter over medium heat in a non stick pan. Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic and cook until the mushrooms begin to give up their moisture and the onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to a low simmer. Add the chicken stock, along with half of the basil and parsley and continue to cook. Cook the gnocchi according to package directions. Drain, then add the gnocchi to the mushroom mixture. 

To serve, spoon up the gnocchi, top with some of the parmesan and pine nuts. 

Serves 4 

Stealthy Cooking Tip: This has all the taste of pesto, and could certainly be made with a pesto sauce with the simple addition of mushrooms and onions. To make this a complete meal, just add a green salad.