Pasta with Pesto, Green Beans and Crispy Potatoes A Dinner Against the Clock Recipe By Foodie’s Markets Chef Laura Brennan

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April 20, 2018

 

Pasta with pesto, green beans and potatoes is a classic dish from the Liguria region of Italy. This region comprises a narrow crescent of land that curves around the sea at the ‘top of the boot’ and stretches from the French border into Tuscany.

 

This dish was one of my favorites at cooking school; I made the pesto by hand using a mortar and pestle.  And of course, I made fresh pasta as well.  A labor of love.

 

Fast forward a few decades and I now buy pre-made pesto, and use excellent quality dried Italian pasta, either linguine or trenette, a fettuccine-shaped flat noodle, traditionally served in Liguria.  I look for pesto that is made with at least 50% extra virgin olive oil and is sugar-free.  Read labels.   And I have substituted crispy potatoes for the boiled potatoes.  The crunch of the crispy potato is a great contrast to the overall softness of the dish.  This truly is a quick dish to prepare…you could have dinner on the table in 35 minutes or less.

 

 

  • Prep: 15 mins
  • Cook: 20 mins
  • Yields: 4 generous servings

Ingredients

4 red potatoes, about 1 ½ -pounds total weight

1-2 teaspoons kosher salt plus 2 tablespoons more for salting pasta-cooking water

Fresh ground black pepper

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

12 ounces dried linguine or trenette pasta

½ pound haricot verts (slender, young green beans)

½ pint (8 ounces) prepared basil pesto, stirred to incorporate the oil (you will have extra)

2-3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for passing at table

¼ cup chopped Italian flat-leafed parsley leaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (375 degrees if using convection heat)

Wash and dice the potatoes evenly into ½ inch pieces. Put into a pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Turn heat down to a simmer. And cook until potatoes are tender when gently pierced with the tip of a knife. Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon to a baking sheet. No water. Coat potatoes with 2 or more tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh black pepper. Spread out the potatoes. Roast for 20 minutes or more or until potatoes are browned and crispy. Err on the side of over-cooking a bit. (Cooking the potatoes in simmering water first ensures a plump, creamy and crunchy potato at the end. They are similar to a French fry in texture when finished. Be warned…they are quite addictive! I would make extra.)

Leave the cooked potatoes on the sheet pan while you cook the pasta and green beans.

Trim or snap the stem-ends off the haricots verts. Cut in half or leave whole. Rinse the beans under running cold water. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Cook the pasta to almost al dente. Add the haricots verts and cook for about 2 minutes longer. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking water.

In a large warmed bowl, toss the drained, hot pasta and haricots beans with ½ cup of the pesto until well coated. Use some of the reserved pasta-cooking water to adjust texture. Add more pesto to your liking. Adjust seasoning with pinch of salt. Add fresh ground black pepper. Divide into warmed serving bowls and top each serving with some crispy potatoes. (Re-warm the potatoes briefly in the oven if necessary.)

Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Serve immediately with extra cheese on the side.

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