Pasta with Genovese Pesto

A vibrant green sauce perfectly coating the pasta. The powerful scent of fresh basil blends with the sharp pecorino and the smoothness of olive oil.

• Prep time: 20 min
• Cook time: 12 min
• Difficulty: Easy
• Calories: 774
• Protein: 22 g
• Carbs: 88 g
• Fat: 38 g

Ingredients

• 400 g Linguine ( dry pasta )
• 50 g Basil ( fresh leaves )
• 100 ml Extra virgin olive oil ( high quality )
• 50 g Parmesan cheese ( finely grated )
• 30 g Pecorino cheese (sheep cheese) ( finely grated )
• 30 g Pine nut ( whole )
• 1 piece Garlic ( germ removed )
• 1 piece Potato ( 1cm cubes )
• 100 g Green bean ( cut in half )
• 1 pinch Gray sea salt ( for cooking water )

Instructions

1. Vegetable preparation

   Peel the potato and cut into small one-centimeter cubes. Trim the green beans and cut them in half. These pieces must be small enough to cook at the same time as the pasta.

2. Start cooking

   Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously with sea salt. Drop the linguine, potato cubes, and green beans together into the boiling water.

3. Pesto preparation

   While the pasta is cooking, crush the garlic with the pine nuts until a paste forms. Add the basil leaves and continue crushing. Stir in the grated parmesan and pecorino, then drizzle in the olive oil until the sauce is creamy.

4. Liaison and serving

   Before draining, reserve a ladle of starchy cooking water. Drain the pasta and vegetables. In a bowl, mix everything with the pesto and a little cooking water to loosen the sauce. It should coat every piece of pasta brilliantly.

Chef's tips

• Never heat the pesto, the heat would turn the basil bitter and it would lose its fresh taste.
• Cooking water is the secret: its starch allows the sauce to stick well to the pasta.
• The potatoes should be slightly melting to bind everything together.

Storage

Consume immediately. Pesto oxidizes quickly when exposed to air.