Green Beans and Potatoes with Pesto and Pasta
It’s the question I get asked the most;
“How do you encourage your kids to eat more vegetables?”
My kids are 18, 15 and 12 years old. They eat masses of vegetables and a good variety, but recipes such as this one are an easy starting point. I’ve yet to meet a child who doesn’t like pesto (not including intolerances and allergies in this fairly sweeping statement), so my suggestion is serve Pesto Pasta but on the proviso that you also add some Potatoes and Green Beans as they commonly do in Liguria and elsewhere. I have made this dish for my kids more times than I can count, sure eat the pasta, but you cannot dodge the green beans or potatoes, this is lore! They don’t need any such encouragement to eat this nowadays, but I thought some might find it reassuring to hear.
This is a classic Ligurian pasta dish. Pesto Genovese is made with Basil, Pinenuts, Parmesan and Olive Oil, just add Green Beans and Potatoes for the win!
Eat warm, but it’s also very good cold, packed for a picnic!
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4
1 very big bunch of basil, leaves picked
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
40g parmesan, finely grated, plus more to serve
60mls olive oil, plus more if needed
30g pinenuts
Salt and plenty of black pepper, to taste
500g pasta, short and shapely would be my preference, up to you
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced 2cm, I used Cyprus Potatoes
Large handful of green beans, trimmed
METHOD
Put a large pan of well salted water onto boil.
Add the potatoes, bring back to the boil, add the pasta (mine had a 9 min cook time). Add the beans with half the pasta cooking time left to go (mine had 4 minutes left).
With the pasta and potatoes on and cooking with the beans still to add, make make your pesto.
In a small food processor, or use a pestle and mortar, combine the basil leaves, pinenuts, garlic, parmesan, olive oil, plenty of black pepper and salt to taste. Process to combine. Check the seasoning, add more salt, pepper and olive oil to taste!
Drain your pasta pot, keep a cup back of the cooking water, add the pesto to the pot and mix well to combine, add a slosh more of the pasta cooking water to loosen, add a slosh more if you think it needs it.
Serve with a drizzle more olive oil and more grated parmesan at the table.