Vegan Pesto, Green Beans Pasta

Classic, simple and elegant, this pasta dish hails from the Italian region of Liguria, pesto being the traditional Genoese sauce. Recipe from Julienne Bruno.

Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 2

Method

1: Make the pesto by firstly blanching the basil. Trim the ends of the stalks by 1 inch then plunge into a pan of boiling water for no more than 10 seconds, then immediately into a large bowl of iced water.

2. Drain and pat dry to remove as much water as possible. Add all ingredients to the cup of a high-powered blender then blitz for 30 seconds until you have a beautifully green sauce. Transfer to a lidded jar and pour more olive oil on top to prevent oxidization, store in the fridge until ready to use if not using immediately. 

3. Fill a large pan with water, set over a high heat to bring to a boil. Whilst the water comes up to heat, rinse the green beans and trim the ends. Rinse and slice the potatoes on the bias into 3-4 slices (depending on their size). 

4. Generously salt the water, add the pasta and the potatoes then lid the pan to bring the water back to a boil. Once the water is back to heat, remove the lid. When the pasta and potatoes have been cooking for 5 minutes, toss in the beans and cook for a further 4-5 minutes until the beans are bright green, crisp and tender. 

5. Set aside a cup of the cooking water then transfer pasta, potatoes and beans to a large bowl (either drain or use a spider spoon). Toss 2 Tbsp of olive oil through then tip out onto a large baking tray to allow to cool for approximately 10 minutes. 

6. Return the pasta, potatoes and beans to the bowl before adding the pesto and a little of the reserved cooking water to loosen. Stir thoroughly to combine and ensure the pesto evenly coats everything.

7. Transfer to a serving plate before topping with one JULIENNE BRUNO BURRELLA®  per person then finishing with a final sprinkling of sea salt flakes.