Pasta with Pesto, Potatoes and String Beans

Recipe Images

 

Ingredients

10 oz pasta (choose a type that cooks in about 10 minutes)
4 potatoes
12 oz string beans
3 1/2 oz basil leaves
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp. pine nuts
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
elenagissi
Natural, tasteful, vegetarian, substantial : this unusual pasta will delight you with its summery flavour and creamy consistence

Directions

Peel the potatoes and chop them in small pieces
Wash the string beans, cut off the top and bottom stalks and chop them in 1 inch long pieces
Fill a large pot with water, add potatoes and string beans and bring to the boil
In the meantime, mince finely the basil leaves, the garlic cloves and the pine nuts all together
Put the minced spices in a bowl, add the oil, salt and pepper and mix well
When the water in the pot starts to boil, add 1 ½ teaspoons salt and pour the pasta into the boiling water
Stir well and cook for the time required by the pasta type you used
Drain the pasta, potatoes and string beans and put them in a large bowl (or in the pot you used, now empty)
Add the pesto, the parmesan cheese and mix well

Additional Notes

Basil, garlic, pine nuts and extra-virgin oil are the traditional ingredients for making a real pesto. Should pine nuts not be available, you can avoid them: this would make any Italian cuisine fanatic shiver, but it’s better than to replace them with something that has a complete different taste, like peanuts. As an alternative, you can use pre-made pesto.