• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MsMarmiteLover

  • Food
    • Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
  • Travel
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Wine
  • Gardens
  • Supperclubs/Events
  • About
    • Published Articles
    • Books
  • Shop
    • Cart

Recipe: pesto alla genovese with new potatoes and green beans

May 22, 2012 7 Comments Filed Under: Food, Recipes, Uncategorized

In my house we joke about ‘red dinner’ and ‘green dinner’, the words my daughter used when growing up, to describe our most regular meals. ‘Green dinner’ is, of course, pasta with basil sauce. Pesto sauce in jars grew in popularity during the late 1980s and became a convenient 15 minute ‘just got in from work’ supper. It is probably one of the few ways kids can be persuaded to eat anything green. But there exists a lesser known Genovese (from the Northern Italian town of Genoa, the pesto capital) version of the dish which transforms it into a more complete meal with the addition of new potatoes and green beans.
Serves 2 greedy people or 4 light eaters.

Pesto:
50g of fresh basil leaves
100ml of extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
45g of parmesan or pecorino, grated. I prefer pecorino and actually, it’s more authentic for pesto from Liguria.
1/2 to 1 tablespoon of sea salt
1 tablespoon of pine nuts. Don’t toast them, it ruins the flavour. You want them soft and buttery.
New potatoes 50-60g per person, boiled in salt water until tender and sliced. I used Jersey Royals.
20g green beans, topped, tailed, blanched (boiled briefly) in salted water
100-150g uncooked pasta per person: good quality spaghetti*, although trofie or trenette shapes are more traditional

Method: in a food mixer or pestle, grind the basil leaves, olive oil, garlic, parmesan and sea salt together until it forms a paste. Then add the pine nuts.
In the meantime, cook the potatoes by putting them in boiling salted water.
Five minutes later start to cook the pasta by pushing it into some salted boiling water. To save energy, you could steam the green beans in a colander on top of the pasta or potatoes.
Drain the potatoes, the pasta and the beans. All of these will, with careful planning, be ready at the same instant!
Mix the potatoes and beans with some of the pesto sauce, mix the rest of the pesto with the pasta.
Serve the potatoes and beans on top of the hot cooked pasta.
Add black pepper and more parmesan to taste.

Note: if you are pushed for time, use bottled pesto, some brands are pretty good. It’s also a great way of using up left-over boiled new potatoes.

*Please spend money on good pasta, not ‘quick cook’. Seriously, it doesn’t cost much more but tastes and cooks so much better. The cheap stuff goes fudgy and won’t cook ‘al dente’, retaining its bite. I buy De Cecco, Barilla or organic pasta which takes at least 11 minutes to cook.

Recent posts

Soup recipes for a broken arm

February 26, 2025

The future of farming

January 20, 2025

Poppy seed kifli pic: KERSTIN RODGERS

Hungarian poppy seed pastry ‘Kifli’ recipe

November 5, 2024

Previous Post: « Supper Club: Jersey Royals
Next Post: Recipe: hot smoked mackerel salad with cornflower petals »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Travel Truth 101

    May 22, 2012 at 2:02 pm

    That's one of my fave pasta dinners. I often throw in half a pot of creme fraiche as well, just to smooth it up a bit. Had it the first time in Genoa when a friend of mine was dating a multimillionaire Italian and we'd just spend the day at his multimillionaire uncle's horse stud. He then invited us to his family's summer home in Sardinia (which comes with staff!). Then she dumped him. Selfish! Sigh. Giggle.

    Reply
  2. valentina-cucinaecantina

    May 23, 2012 at 7:59 am

    Congrats!!! you really follow our original recipe ( my grandfather is from Genova so for us pasta with pesto is a family dish)!! Normally here people use only pesto, but the original version is also with potatoes and green beens!! I love summer because I bought my little basil plant and when I want a very good pesto in 3 minute I have a fresh homemade pesto very tasty with high quality ingredients!! xo Valentina

    Reply
  3. london bakes

    May 23, 2012 at 10:19 am

    I often make a pizza with this combination of ingredients and it is just wonderful.

    Reply
  4. Slow Cook

    May 24, 2012 at 10:40 am

    Lovely recipe and noted about not toasting the pine nuts. I've never done it and wondered if I should so thank you for providing a reason not to. I love your glass plate … perfect for the dish. Enjoying your blog posts and traveling with you by proxy!

    Reply
  5. Slow Cook

    May 24, 2012 at 10:43 am

    Love this dish, often wondered if it would improve pesto by toasting the pine nuts. Good to know why not, makes sense. Lovely plate too perfect for this serving. Enjoying your blog and traveling with you by proxy.

    Reply
  6. theundergroundrestaurant

    May 24, 2012 at 11:49 am

    I LOATHE the fact that people toast pine nuts. It completely ruins the flavour and texture.
    I don't like toasted nuts/seeds either much but with pine nuts it's particularly awful.
    Thanks for your comment Slow Cook!
    London Bakes: on a pizza…brilliant idea. Will try.

    Valetina: well I am quarter Italian 😉
    Travel Truth…yeah creme fraiche n pesto…for light green dinner.
    I so want to visit Sardinia.

    Reply
  7. Stewart Morgan

    February 28, 2017 at 5:41 pm

    Such a nice blog and i appreciate your all efforts about your thoughts. it's really good work. well done.
    Italian pesto recipe

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover

msmarmitelover

@camilleosullivapics and @grahnort @wiltonsmusicha @camilleosullivapics and @grahnort @wiltonsmusichall god this woman is talented. She did a solo show of The Rape of Lucrece. Her voice! #theatre #shakespeare #london
My latest article on Hungarian cuisine, a unique m My latest article on Hungarian cuisine, a unique meeting of east and west, for @ckbk It's a blend of Ottoman, Eastern and middle European, Austro-Hungarian empire and cowboy food. #food&travel #foodanthropology #hungary
Made Fermented Cucumber dill pickles from @nickvad Made Fermented Cucumber dill pickles from @nickvadasz book The Pickle Jar. At @katzsdeli in New York they sell half sours and full sours. I reckon these are 3/4 sour. The white mould is fine btw. These are delicious #pickleperson #fermentation #guthealthy
London in bloom: wisteria, cherry blossom, lilac, London in bloom: wisteria, cherry blossom, lilac, plum blossom, 🌸 you don’t need to go to Japan for the Sakura season- it’s all here- london at its most beautiful. #london
Bluebell walk on Wanstead flats. The scent is incr Bluebell walk on Wanstead flats. The scent is incredible: similar to lily of the valley. These are actual English bluebells - a deeper colour & more delicate than Spanish bluebells which are rather invasive. #london #walks #april #bluebells
Snapshots from portobello rd market. Portuguese fo Snapshots from portobello rd market. Portuguese folar de pascua bread from Lisboa patisserie,  a gorgeous mosaic table from Fez, my favourite antique shop @muirshindurkin, Alice’s shop, an Easter hat, the best wisteria I wrote a substack on portobello road: https://open.substack.com/pub/kerstinrodgers/p/where-to-go-in-portobello-road-the?r=3873k&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true #london
I visited @tokyobagellondon with my granddaughter I visited @tokyobagellondon with my granddaughter yesterday to try one of their viral wobbly bunnies. We also tried the multi layer Oreo pancake cakes, the onigiri shaped croissant. My sister had the black sesame latte and I had yuzu tea. I spent £35 in a short space of time as each dessert was £5 but it was a fun experience. Ophelia said ‘lovely flowers’ which shows a degree of sophistication for a 2 year old. I preferred the strawberry to the coconut flavour . #londondaysout #grandmacore #easter
A quick high protein lunch of ratatouille with smo A quick high protein lunch of ratatouille with smoked tofu.  @pomoragoodfood olive oil then an aubergine cut into thick slices then quartered. Fry till translucent then add the chunks of red pepper. 2 fat garlic cloves sliced thinly, a block of smoked tofu in chunks, 2 bay leaves, a small handful of maldon salt. A courgette cut into thick half lengthways- then sliced into half moons. I might chuck in a handful of pantelleria capers in vinegar to give some acidity. Serve hot or cold. #sololunch #protein #vegetables
Inspired by @nickvadasz book The pickle Jar I used Inspired by @nickvadasz book The pickle Jar I used his dill pickles to make one of my favourite recipes for lunch - a potato, sour cream & pickle soup. Recipe on the blog. #soup #pickles
One of my favourite ways to eat mushrooms. Cook wh One of my favourite ways to eat mushrooms. Cook whole button mushrooms in olive oil, lemon juice, a little white wine vinegar, salt, bay leaves, whole coriander seeds, thyme, and white wine if you have it to hand. I used @pomoragoodfood olive oil. You can eat it straight away or leave it to marinate longer and eat the next day. #vegetarian #vegan #mushroomrecipe
Table side Caesar salad @maisonfrancois for @sienn Table side Caesar salad @maisonfrancois for @siennamarla birthday 🎂 #london #restaurants #caesarsalad
I went to sheffield to visit the @reclaimedbrickco I went to sheffield to visit the @reclaimedbrickcompany to look at their hand cut, wire cut and tumbled bricks for a herringbone patio. I love the historical aspect of bricks, the different quarries from different parts of the country. #patio #englishhistory story
Made brussel sprouts with pistachio pesto. The pis Made brussel sprouts with pistachio pesto. The pistachios came from Brontë in Sicily- they are the best pistachios in the world. You can make pesto with any nut: it’s usually with pine nuts but I’ve used hazelnuts, almonds (trapani), walnuts. #vegetarian #pesto #bronte
Bathroom palette: @firedearthuk scallop tiles @top Bathroom palette: @firedearthuk scallop tiles @toppstiles honed white marble skirting and dado @paintandpaperlibrary paint @sanderson1860 wallpaper this is my first rodeo when it comes to bathroom design. Follow my progress
Yesterday I cooked ( needed help with heavy pans a Yesterday I cooked ( needed help with heavy pans and pouring) pesto alle genovese. Made pesto in the vitamix: fresh basil leaves, 4 cloves garlic, 100g pecorino, 100g pine nuts, 150ml olive oil, salt, and juice of half a lemon. Whizz up.  Then cook the pasta - traditional shape is trofie but I only had fusilli. Top with small boiled potatoes and steamed green beans. Douse again with olive oil and more pine nuts. I served this with green salad with cucumber, avocado, pumpkin seeds and a mustard lemon olive oil dressing. #familylunch #sundaylunch #pestopasta #pestgenovese
Unstyled food photos no.4: butternut squash soup. Unstyled food photos no.4: butternut squash soup. Peel and cut up the butternut squash. Discard the seeds. Roast with olive oil, salt, smoked paprika in the oven for 30 minutes. Soften 2 brown onions in a deep pan with olive oil, add 3 cloves garlic minced, 3 bay leaves. Then add the veg stock powder and 1.5 litres hot water to the pan. Stir. Pour in the roast butternut squash. Cook for 10 minutes. Then remove the bay leaves and blend. Add 3 large scoops of natural yoghurt or skyr. Season to taste. Transfer back to the deep pan and serve with grated cheese, pumpkin seeds, chilli. 🌶️ #vitamix #soup #winterfood #agacooking
Unstyled food photos #3: roast cauliflower & garli Unstyled food photos #3: roast cauliflower & garlic cheese soup. Roast the cauliflower florets, unpeeled garlic cloves, one chopped brown onion in olive oil. Once golden, tip into a saucepan with a potato chopped small, 3 tbsps veg stock and 1.5 litres hot water. Boil till soft the. Add 100g cheddar. Stir then blend in a blender. Serve with grated cheese on top. #soup #vitamix #winterfood #cookingwithonehand #simplerecipes
Unstyled food photos: whole roast cauliflower with Unstyled food photos: whole roast cauliflower with ground almond crust, yoghurt, cumin, lemon juice and tahini sauce using @pomoragoodfood olive oil. First I parboiled the cauliflower then roasted it for 30 to 30 minutes with salt and olive oil in the oven. Add the ground almonds and bake for another 10 minutes. Then serve hot with the sauce. #highprotein #lowcarb #vegan #vegetarian #glutenfree
Unstyled food photos: carrot and preserved lemon s Unstyled food photos: carrot and preserved lemon soup. I’m eating a lot of soup as it’s easy to make with one hand and a vitamix. I roasted the carrots ( 1 kilo) in olive oil. Then boiled them with 2 tbsp veg stock, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin and 2 litres hot water. For a thicker soup, add 1 tbsp of cornflour mixed with the stock juice and add. Once tender, I blended this with 2 whole preserved lemons, adding a little of the juice from the jar. Blend on medium then high. Serve with yoghurt. It’s a way of effortlessly eating a lot of vegetables in one meal. #winterfood #soup #vegetables
So hard to cook with one hand- screwing off lids, So hard to cook with one hand- screwing off lids, pouring, scraping, lifting pans. 3 more weeks with a cast. I’ve made a vegan mushroom Paprikash with cashew cream and acacia smoked paprika from a Hungarian paprika farm that I visited in October. #comfortfood #vegan #mushroom #paprikash
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Archives

Copyright © 2025 msmarmitelover