Name: Linguine Alla Genovese
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 400 g new potatoes; 200 g green beans; 50 g pine nuts (toasted); 100 g fresh basil; 100 g Parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese alternative (grated); 1 cloves garlic (crushed ); 60 ml water; 150 ml extra virgin olive oil; 1 pinch salt and pepper; 300 g dried linguine; 4 tbsp olive oil; 125 ml single cream (light cream); 5 g fresh basil; 1 pinch salt and pepper

This from-scratch linguine alla genovese is exceptionally tasty as the pesto is freshly blitzed, the waxy potatoes are deliciously warming, the beans are fresh and firm, and the pasta is perfectly coated in a light, creamy, pesto rich sauce.

There are quite a few steps to this recipe but they're all very straightforward, so if you follow along, you shouldn't have any trouble at all.

You'll start by getting the veg ready, which is as simple as boiling your green beans and then dropping into cold water, and boiling your potatoes so that they're super easy to peel and slice.

Next, you'll make a lovely pesto by toasting some pine nuts in a pan, then chucking them in a food processor with some fresh basil, garlic, olive oil and a splash of water to make the beginnings of your pesto sauce.

To bring it all together, you'll get your pasta on to boil while you fry your sliced potatoes in a little olive oil. You'll then throw in the beans and pesto with some fresh cream and your cooked pasta and this gorgeous dish is ready to serve!

Here's how to make enough linguine alla genovese to feed four.

Ingredients

For the veg

400 g (14 oz) new potatoes
200 g (7 oz) green beans

For the pesto

50 g (⅓ cup) pine nuts toasted
100 g (5 cups) fresh basil
100 g (1 cup) Parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese alternative grated
1 cloves garlic crushed
60 ml (¼ cup) water
150 ml (½ cup) extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch salt and pepper

For the sauce

300 g (11 oz) dried linguine
4 tbsp olive oil
125 ml (½ cup) single cream (light cream)
5 g (¼ cup) fresh basil
1 pinch salt and pepper

Equipment

Instructions

Prep the potatoes

Drop the potatoes into a pan of boiling water and cook for 15 minutes until they give no starchy resistance if a knife is pushed into them.

Place in cold water and once cool, peel and slice into 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) slices.

Blanch the green beans

Here’s a trick to get vibrant green beans in your final dish. Fill a bowl with very cold water and set aside.

Bring a small pan of water to the boil.

Drop the beans into the water and cook for 2 minutes.

Drain the beans and plunge the beans straight into the cold water.

Allow them to sit in the water while you make the pesto - don’t leave them for longer or they may become waterlogged.

Toast the pine nuts

Warm a pan over a medium heat and add the pine nuts.

Toast for a couple of minutes until golden. Keep an eye on them and keep shaking/stirring as they can easily burn.

Tip the pine nuts onto a plate to cool.

Make the pesto

Place the toasted pine nuts, basil, Parmesan, garlic, olive oil, water and a pinch of salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor.

Process in short bursts until you have a thin, coarse paste.

Make the sauce

Bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil and add the pasta. To get it cooked but with a bit of texture, I generally aim for a couple of minutes less that the instructions on the pack.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over low heat.

Add the sliced potatoes.

Fry for 2-3 minutes until they start to turn golden.

Add the green beans, cream, pesto you made earlier, a pinch of salt and pepper and a splash of water from the pasta pan. Gently warm the sauce to a simmer and allow to bubble gently for 2 minutes. Don't let it boil as the cream may separate.

Lift the linguine into the pesto sauce.

Toss everything together gently. If the pasta seems dry, you can add more of the starchy pasta water until you achieve the desired consistency.

Divide the pasta between hot serving bowls and enjoy.

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5 from 2 votes

Linguine Alla Genovese

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Pasta meals

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: 6 bowls

Author: Emily Leary