Ligurian Style Pasta with Pesto, Potatoes, and Green Beans

Pasta with Pesto, Potatoes, and Green Beans 

Here is a quick and easy summertime dish that shows off the Homemade Pesto from a previous post. As you can see from the photo above, it is also colorful and unique-looking. This makes a great warm weather meal and fast Weeknight Supper as it can be served at room temperature. It also reminds me of bright, sunny summer days spent on the Mediterranean coast of Italy.

 

Typically, this is made with a type of pasta called trenette. I haven’t been able to find it here in the U.S., so I substitute linguine instead, which is very similar in shape and texture, if a bit thinner. This is one of my favorite dishes to make for entertaining as it is easy to expand it to feed extra mouths.

 

Pasta alla Liguria

 

Prep time: 30 minutes

 

Serves: 4 adults as a first course

 

Ingredients:

Kosher Salt  

8-10 fresh Green Beans per person, cut in half

5-6 small Red New Potatoes per person, cut into quarters 

1/2 16-oz. box Linguine (about 200 grams)

1 Tbsp Homemade Pesto per person

Parmesan Cheese, grated for serving 

 

Assembly:
 

In large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add 1 tsp salt. Throw in green beans. Let cook for 3-5 minutes until a fork goes through them easily. Do not overcook them or make them mushy.  With skimmer, remove green beans from pan and set aside either by dividing them onto the plates on which they will be served or put in a large bowl.

Add potatoes and let cook 5-10 minutes until a fork goes through them easily, but they have not broken apart.  With skimmer, remove potatoes and add to the same plate or bowl as the green beans.

If necessary, add more water to the pan. Let come to boil and add 1/2 tsp more salt. Add linguine and cook until it is al dente.  Strain pasta, reserving some of the cooking liquid. 

 

Put the linguini in same bowl or plates as the green beans and potatoes. Add one large dollop of homemade pesto (about 1 Tbsp) and stir to combine.  To make creamier, add 1-2 spoonfuls of pasta water and stir again.

 

Bring to table.  This pasta dish does not need to be served piping hot, but it should also not be allowed to sit for too long before serving it.  It is possible to cook the green beans and potatoes at the same time as the pasta but do not allow the latter to overcook.

Buon appetito!