Gnocchi, Shrimp, Asparagus and Pesto

Last night for dinner, I wanted something quick, since we got home late from the shore (GSP traffic sucks). You know that old joke, why do they call it a parkway if you drive on it and a driveway if you park on it? Well, yesterday, you pretty much parked on the Garden State Parkway, well, at least until many of the PA locals departed onto the AC Expressway (which I bet wasn’t much of an expressway).
Anyway, as always, I digress. So I wanted something quick for dinner last night and since I had been a bit off program (can you say sticky buns and Johnson’s Caramel popcorn?) for almost a week, I also wanted something healthy.

So I hit the 20 minutes or less option in the July issue of Cooking Light. Now I can’t say that it’s really 20 minutes (it takes me longer than 20 minutes to boil water) but it was pretty quick and pretty tasty. I was able to use a bunch of basil from my garden (nothing says summer like the smell and taste of fresh basil), and I threw in some peas I picked up at our CSA last week. We liked it and I’m looking forward to having the leftovers shortly over a bed of mixed greens for lunch. Too bad, no pictures though.

Gnocchi with Shrimp, Asparagus, and Pesto

1 (16-ounce) package vacuum-packed gnocchi
4 cups (1-inch) slices asparagus (about 1 pound)
1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp, coarsely chopped
1 cup basil leaves
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons preshredded Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
4 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add gnocchi to pan; cook 4 minutes or until done (gnocchi will rise to surface). Remove gnocchi with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl. Add asparagus and shrimp to pan; cook 5 minutes or until shrimp are done. Drain. Add shrimp mixture to gnocchi.

Combine remaining 1 tablespoon water, basil, and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor; process until smooth, scraping sides. Drizzle oil through food chute with food processor on; process until well blended. Add salt and basil mixture to shrimp mixture; toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 cups)

CALORIES 355 (24% from fat); FAT 9.3g (sat 1.6g,mono 4.5g,poly 2.5g); PROTEIN 26.5g; CHOLESTEROL 170mg; CALCIUM 108mg; SODIUM 894mg; FIBER 3g; IRON 5.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 42.7g