Tony Zentgraf
Pasta alla Pesto Genovese – Fresh made basil pesto, green beans (especially haricot vert beans), and slices of sauteed potatoes tossed with spaghetti brings together an amazing vegetarian dish. The flavor of the pesto goes great with all of the ingredients individually. It’s no wonder that the Liguria region of Italy created this dish.
Potatoes and French Green Beans in Pasta?
Southeastern border of France and the Northwest border of Italy come together along the southern arm of the Alps. Sandwiched together with the small country of Monaco between the French and Italian rivieras along the beautifully scenic Mediterranean.
France and Italy Border
The Alps makeup much of the border between France and Italy.
Garden Fresh Produce
Haricot Vert French green beans, small round types of potatoes grown in both France and Italy may seem like the odd pair out in this pasta dish. But paired with the Genovese style Basil Pesto comes together in this dish with influences from both countries. Traditionally the preferred pasta for this dish would be the Liguria made Trofie.
Trofie Pasta
Colorful example of the shape of cooked Trofie Pasta
Trofie pasta is an easy pasta to form from fresh dough. Take a look at the video link here for a demonstration. Order Trofie pasta imported from Italy here.
Whether you make fresh pasta dough and hand roll Trofie pasta or buy some premade, this pasta shape is perfect for the pesto to hold on to.
Using fettuccine, linguine or spaghetti are acceptable alternatives in this traditional pasta dish. But use what you have, fusilli or penne would work as well, the pesto will nestle in the pockets of the pastas.
Pesto Genovese
The word Pesto literally means, “to pound or crush’ which gives way to a broad usage of the word. There are many different “pestos” out there.
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
Easy to make and great on sandwiches, use as a pizza sauce or in a pasta dish.
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto is a great pesto that is delicious as a sandwich spread, pizza topping or as a seafood pasta.
Origins of “pesto” reach back to Roman times where they used different variations of ingredients to make pesto. The first printed use of the word pesto goes back to the first century A.D.. The ancient poem named “Moretum”, meaning salad, has description of mixing ingredients by grinding and serving the ‘salad’ on bread.
Genoa a city the region of Liguria, Italy origins of Basil Pesto can be traced back to the 16th century. Where basil, pinenuts, garlic, parmesan and olive oil were blended together with a mortar and pestle.
Pesto Genovese
Made in a mortar and pestle.
Easy to make in a food processor too!
Italian Style Mortar & Pestle
The mortar and pestle that would have been used most likely would have been carved from marble. The smooth marble is quite different from the molcajete that Latin America would have used made from porous volcanic rock.
Making pesto now days doesn’t need to be a workout by grinding the ingredients by hand.
This Basil Pesto recipe is easy to make and freezes well.
Freeze in ice cube trays to be able to pull some from the freezer when you want to make a pasta dish, spread on grilled bread or use as a sandwich spread.
Serving Suggestion…
Roasted Pepper & Onion Shrimp Saute
Roasted red and orange bell peppers with caramelized onions and sauteed shrimp.
Serve the Pasta alla Pesto Genovese with this Roasted Pepper & Onion Shrimp Saute. The flavor combination of roasted peppers and caramelized onions with the pepper hot sauce give the shrimp great flavor. Serve these shrimp with the pesto pasta are made to go together.
Give this recipe a try!
Enjoy!
Pasta alla Pesto Genovese
Print RecipeEquipment
- 3 Pots - For Cooking Green Beans, Potatoes & Pasta
Recipe Multiplier
Basil Pesto Recipe
- 1 cup Basil Pesto - Recipe
Ingredients for Pasta Dish
- ¾ lb Spaghetti - Dry Weight
- ½ lb New or Red Potatoes
- ½ lb Haricot Green Beans (French Green Beans) - Other types are fine as well.
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- ¼ cup Parmesan - Grated
Instructions
Basil Pesto
- Assemble the basil pesto as per recipeOr Thaw premade pesto
Pre Cooking the Potatoes
- Slice the potatoes into ½" thick slices with the skin on.
- Place the sliced potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water.
- Over high heat, bring the potatoes to a boil.Reduce to a rolling boil and cook the potatoes for approximately 8-10 minutes until they are knife tender. It is better to cook on the underdone side but edible than overcook them. The potatoes should keep their shape.
- Once cooked, drain water from the potatoes and hold them in the pot with the lid on to keep warm.
Blanching the Green Beans
- Clean the stem end from the green beans. Cut the beans into desired lengths.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
- Place the green beans into the pot of boiling water and cook the green beans for a 1-3 minutes. Just until the green beans are tender enough to be eaten.
- Drain the green beans and hold aside until ready to assemble the dish.
Cook the Pasta
- Cook the pasta according to the package.Reserve about a cup of pasta water aside for later.Drain, coat with some olive oil and hold aside.
Assembling Pasta with Basil Pesto Genovese
- In a medium to large saute pan, add the olive oil and bring to temperature.
- Add the sliced cooked potatoes and saute until the potatoes begin to get some color.
- Add the blanched green beans to the pan.Cook the green beans until they begin to blister and are heated.
- Add the pesto to the pan and bring to up to temperature.Toss together with the potatoes and green beans.
- Add the pasta to the pan, tossing with tongs to coat the pasta with the pesto.Use some of the reserved pasta water to thin the pesto if necessary to allow it to coat the pasta. Using the water can allow the pesto to coat the other ingredients.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of parmesan to the pasta and combine.Use the remaining parmesan to top the pasta when plated.
Plating the Dish Family Style
- Using tongs, grab some of the spaghetti and twirl onto the plate.Try to remove as much pasta from the pan and plate into the center.Top the spaghetti with the potatoes, green beans and remaining pesto in the pan.Enjoy!
