Of all our kitchen experiments, Luke's Pesto Alfredo may be our #1 most treasured. It's the brilliant combination of two incredible Italian sauces that really needs its own category. If we could, we'd probably drizzle this stuff on everything. But it's especially delicious on this Pesto Alfredo Gnocchi with Chicken and Kale!
And wanna know the best news?! This Pesto Alfredo is super low in lactose/dairy thanks to the use of almond milk instead of cow's milk or cream, and Parmesan instead of a softer, creamier cheese. And ya know what? Those swaps totally work!
We found this trick to making alfredo after I stopped buying cow's milk when I was testing a dairy sensitivity a few years ago. Once I realized that almond milk can pretty much do everything normal milk can, I stopped buying the other.
Difficulty digesting dairy is super common—and it runs in my family. That being said, I love cheese plates and mac and cheese and pizza and fancy grilled cheeses. Basically all the cheesy things.
Dairy sensitivities are all unique, but for me, I've found that as long as I'm conscious of my dairy intake and try to limit it where possible, I'm generally okay. I've also found that higher quality dairy products bother me less. Sometimes I simply try to use less cheese in a dish and other times I go wild for awhile then I just take a short break from dairy for a few days to reset my system.
I've found this works well for me, but everyone's different. If dairy sensitivity is something you deal with, maybe you want to give this a try!
This recipe really highlights this delicious Pesto Alfredo. It's smothered over gnocchi then combined with garlic-sauteed chicken and kale—totally divine!
Pesto Alfredo Gnocchi with Chicken and Kale
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic separated
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 chicken breast diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 tablespoons pesto
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan plus more for serving
- 1/2 lb gnocchi
- 1 cup kale leaves
- salt + pepper
Instructions
- In a saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add 1 clove of the crushed garlic and the red pepper flakes and let cook 1 minute. Toss in the diced chicken and stir. Saute for 10-15 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.
- In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Once melted, crush 2 cloves of garlic into the pot and let cook for a couple minutes. Add the flour, stir until fully combined and cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly add the almond milk into the butter-flour and let cook for 5 minutes until thickened. Stir in the parmesan and let thicken for another 5 minutes. Add in the pesto and let simmer while you finish the rest of the prep.
- In the meantime, boil a small pot of water and cook the gnocchi. Gnocchi are fully cooked when they float to the top—about 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the pesto alfredo sauce.
- Once the chicken is fully cooked, toss the kale in the saute pan to let it wilt then add it all into the gnocchi. Stir together and serve! Top with more Parmesan, if desired!
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