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Trenette al Pesto Recipe with Potatoes and Green Beans
Trenette al Pesto with potatoes and green beans is one of the most traditional pasta dishes from Liguria, the beautiful coastal region in northern Italy where Pesto Genovese was born.This recipe combines trenette, a long flat pasta similar to linguine and bavette, with homemade Pesto Genovese, tender potatoes, and green beans. The result is a creamy, fragrant, and very satisfying dish, where the starch from the potatoes helps the pesto coat the pasta beautifully.
Ingredients
For the Pasta
- 340 g trenette pasta - 12 oz
- 2 medium potatoes - peeled and diced
- 120 g green beans - 4 oz, trimmed and cut into pieces
- coarse salt - for the pasta water
For the Pesto Genovese
- 35 g basil leaves - about 40–45 small leaves, preferably Genovese basil DOPfresh
- 80 ml extra virgin olive oil - ⅓ cup, preferably a mild Ligurian extra virgin olive oil
- 50 g Parmigiano Reggiano - about ½ cup, finely grated
- 20 g Pecorino Fiore Sardo - about ¼ cup, finely grated
- 1 small garlic clove
- 10 g pine nuts - 1 tablespoon
- 3-4 grains coarse salt
Instructions
Make the Pesto Genovese
- Wash the basil leaves gently in cold water, then dry them very well with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels.
- Place the basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino Fiore Sardo, and coarse salt in a food processor. Pulse briefly, just until the ingredients begin to come together.
- Add the extra virgin olive oil a little at a time and continue pulsing for a few seconds, until you get a creamy and fragrant pesto. Do not overblend, as too much heat can darken the basil and change its fresh flavor.
- If you want to make the pesto ahead of time, transfer it to a small glass jar, cover the surface with a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil, close the jar, and keep it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Cook the Potatoes and Green Beans
- Peel the potatoes, rinse them, and cut them into small cubes, about 1.5 cm (½ inch).
- Trim the ends of the green beans and cut them in half if they are too long.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the coarse salt, then add the green beans. Cook them for about 3 minutes.
- Add the diced potato to the same pot and cook for another 3 minutes. During cooking, the potato releases some starch, which helps make the final dish creamier.
Add the Trenette
- Add the trenette and cook until al dente, following the package instructions. In this recipe, the trenette take about 9 minutes to cook, so the green beans cook for about 15 minutes in total and the potatoes for about 12 minutes.If your pasta has a different cooking time, adjust the timing slightly. The potatoes should be tender but not falling apart, and the green beans should be cooked but still intact.
- While the pasta, potatoes, and green beans are cooking, place the pesto in a large bowl. Add about half a ladle of hot pasta cooking water and stir until the pesto becomes soft and slightly fluid.
Toss Everything Together and Serve
- Drain the trenette, potatoes, and green beans, then transfer them to the bowl with the pesto. Toss gently until the pasta and vegetables are evenly coated with the sauce.
- Serve the trenette al pesto with potatoes and green beans immediately, while still hot and creamy.
Nutrition
Serving: 100gCalories: 656kcalCarbohydrates: 86gProtein: 21gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 565mgPotassium: 761mgFiber: 6gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 790IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 261mgIron: 3mg
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