Pasta with Green Beans, Potatoes, and Pesto

Name: Pasta with Green Beans, Potatoes, and Pesto
Yield: makes 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: Salt; 2 cups fresh basil leaves; 2 garlic cloves, peeled; 1/2 cup grated pecorino Romano or other hard sheep’s milk cheese, or Parmigiano-Reggiano; 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, or more; 2 tablespoons pine nuts; 2 medium potatoes (about 1/2 pound), preferably waxy boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes; 1 pound trenette or linguine; 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths

December 20, 2011

Pesto has become a staple, especially in late summer when basil is best. But pasta with pesto does have its limits; it’s simply not substantial enough to serve as a main course. The Genoese, originators of pesto, figured this out centuries ago, when they created this dish, which augments the pesto with chunks of potatoes and chopped green beans, making it a more complex, more filling, and more interesting dish. Recreating this classic dish is straightforward and easy. Note that if you start the potatoes and pasta simultaneously, then add the green beans about halfway through cooking, they will all be finished at the same time and can be drained and tossed with the sauce in a snap. This technique may sound imprecise, but it works.

Recipe notes

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