This roasted red pepper gnocchi with crispy air fried lentils and homemade pesto is a delicious 15-minute lunch or dinner recipe. The red pepper sauce is made with tofu, cashews, jarred roasted red peppers, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast, and makes the perfect creamy sauce. The crispy lentils add an extra crunch to this dish, and because they’re done in the air fryer, everything comes together in less than 20 minutes!
Prep time: 2 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cooked and rinsed lentils
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- Salt & pepper
- 600g gnocchi
Red Pepper Sauce
- 1/4 cup roasted unsalted cashews
- 3 roasted red peppers (from a jar)
- 100-125g medium-firm tofu
- 2 tbsp lemon juice (juice from 1 lemon)
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- 1-2 tbsp water, if needed
Homemade Pesto
- Lots of fresh basil
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
Equipment
- Bowl
- Blender
- Small pot
- Air fryer
- Frying pan
Instructions
- To a bowl, add the cooked and rinsed lentils, olive oil and spices (garlic powder, Italian seasoning, nutritional yeast, and salt and pepper). Mix until well combined, then add to the lined air fryer basket and air fry for 10-12 minutes at 450F, tossing and checking halfway.
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil to cook the gnocchi.
- Blend together the red pepper sauce ingredients by adding cashews, roasted red peppers, tofu, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and blending until smooth and creamy.
- Prepare the pesto by finely chopping fresh basil, then mixing it in a bowl with a bit of olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
- Heat up red pepper sauce in a pan on medium heat. Once the sauce is warm and the gnocchi is cooked, add it in and stir well until all the gnocchi is covered. If needed, save and add a bit of the gnocchi water to loosen the sauce.
- Top with the crispy lentils and homemade pesto, and enjoy!
Notes
*If you don’t have an air fryer, spread the lentils evenly on a baking tray and roast in the oven at 425F for 18-22 minutes until crispy, tossing halfway and checking throughout.
