Pesto Pasta With Potatoes Recipes

Steps:

• Make pesto: In the bowl of food processor, add basil, pine nuts, salt and garlic. Pulse until mixture is coarse and grainy. With the motor running, add oil in slow, steady stream. Add cheese; process just enough to mix well. If sauce is too dry, add a little more oil. Taste; add more cheese or salt, if desired.
• Bring 6 quarts water to rolling boil. Add at least 2 tablespoons salt and the potato slices. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until potatoes have started to soften but are not cooked through. Add green beans, and continue boiling another 5 minutes.
• Add pasta, and stir. Start testing pasta at 5 minutes. When it is done, and when potatoes and beans are tender, drain and turn pasta and vegetables immediately into preheated bowl. Add pesto, and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• KIDS: the writing in bold is for you. GROWN-UPS: the rest is for you. Pick the basil for the pesto. Get your child to pick the basil leaves off the stalks. Ask them to look at and smell the leaves as you tell them the name of the herb until they remember it - try to do this with all herbs when you can.
• Make the pesto. Toast the pine nuts in a pan over a low heat. A child of seven years plus can stir the nuts in the pan. Tip into a mini chopper (or use a pestle and mortar) with the basil, parmesan, garlic and olive oil. Blitz or pound into a green sauce, then set aside.
• Chop up the beans. Using a child-friendly knife, get children from the age of five to chop the green beans into shorter lengths, and quarter the potatoes. Younger children can snap the beans into short lengths while you prepare the potatoes.
• Cook the vegetables and pasta. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the potatoes and boil for 3 mins. Remove from the heat and ask the child to tip in the pasta and give it a stir. Put the pan back on the heat, boil the pasta for 5 mins, add the beans and cook for a final 3 mins.
• Mix everything together. Drain everything well and tip into a bowl. Spoon most of the pesto into the pasta and stir everything together to coat. Bring the large bowl of pasta to the table and serve with extra parmesan, more basil and remaining pesto, if you like.

Steps:

• Place potatoes in a large pot of water; bring to a boil.
• Add salt and cavatappi or other short tubular pasta; return to a boil; cook 2 minutes.
• Add green beans. Return to a boil; cook until vegetables are tender and pasta is al dente, about 6 minutes.
• Drain; toss with pesto; season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Place all pesto ingredients except the oil in a food processor and process well. With the machine still running, add oil and blend until the consistency of soft butter.
• In covered saucepan, cook beans in salted water for 2-3 minutes.
• Add potatoes and cook until tender about 8-10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta according to the instructions on the pasta package. Drain pasta.
• Drain the potatoe/Green bean mixture reserving 2-3 T. of the liquid.
• Add the liquid to the pesto and toss with butter.
• Combine pesto, vegetables and pasta and toss until well coated.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve with grated Parmesan Cheese.

Steps:

• Peel and cut the potatoes into 1-inch cubes; place in a large pot of water and bring to a boil.
• Add 1 tablespoon salt and the cavatappi; return to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the green beans. Return to a boil; cook until the vegetables are tender and the pasta is al dente according to package instructions.
• Drain; toss with the pesto and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.