Pesto, Potato and Green Bean Pasta

I’m back to hawk my new favorite cookbook once again. I can’t put into words just how much I love Theo Randall’s “The Italian Deli Cookbook.” This is not an ad nor is it sponsored. I just genuinely can’t get enough of it. I’ve been cooking from it nonstop since grabbing a copy when it was released back in March. If you recall, this Courgette, Ricotta and Shallot Torte was from this same book as well. People went crazy for it over on Instagram and so I figured I’d share another favorite recipe of mine from the cookbook that I know you’ll all love. It’s simple, delicious and comes together in no time at all. It’s comfort in a bowl for me.

Let’s first make the pesto. Using a pestle and mortar (or a food processor), crush the garlic with a good pinch of salt to a fine paste. Add the basil leaves and crush until leaves become a pulp. Add the pine nuts and crush again to a paste, then add the grated Parmesan and 2 tablespoons of water. Mix to combine, then slowly stir in the olive oil. Set aside.

**Tip: Traditional pesto is made in a pestle and mortar but if you don’t have one or if you want to make it quickly, you can just chuck all the ingredients into a food processor, pulse until chopped and then slowly drizzle in the olive oil. It’s a cheat but I won’t tell anyone if you won’t.**

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The pesto can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use. It might solidify from the cold but allow to come to room temperature before using to soften.

Bring a large pot of cold water to a boil. Season liberally with salt. Blanch the potatoes for 1 minute, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

**Note: You want the potatoes super thinly sliced. You can do this with a very sharp knife and a lot of patience, but you can zip through them with a mandoline. Just be super extra careful because they’re a bit dangerous.**

Boil the green beans in the same water for 3 minutes, then remove on to the plate with the potatoes and set aside once more.

Add the pasta to the water and cook for 2 minutes less than stated on the box directions. Take the pasta out with a slotted spoon and place in a non-stick frying pan with 1 ladleful of the cooking water

**Tip: Reserve the remaining pasta cooking water just in case you need more later on. Sometimes the pasta can dry out too much and loosening it with the water gives it flavor but also thins out the sauce.**

Add the potatoes and green beans to the frying pan with the pasta, and 1 tablespoon of the peso. Move the pan around vigorously to coat the pasta in the sauce, then cook on low heat for about 2 minutes, until the pasta seems syrupy (if it seems a little on the dry side, add a splash or two more of the cooking water).

Stir in 2 more generous tablespoons of pesto, then divide between serving bowls. Sprinkle with a good grinding of fresh black pepper and a little extra Parmesan. 

This is a great vegetarian dish all on it’s own but if you’d like to add some protein, you could serve this with sliced grilled chicken, sautéd shrimp, browned crumbled up chicken sausage or even sliced Italian sausage. All of those options would be tasty.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy pasta dish to make during the week (or even on a busy weekend) then look no further because this little pesto number is the way to go. The potatoes and green beans give it a hearty bite without weighing it down too much. Also, make sure to pick up The Italian Deli Cookbook because I’ve been cooking from it nonstop and I know you’ll love it too. Let me know what you think below. As always, thank you so much for reading and following along!