2 cups packed tender young basil leaves
¼ cup pine nuts
1 teaspoon salt
2 plump garlic cloves, peeled and crushed with flat blade of a knife
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, or more to taste
Salt to taste
½ pound small potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/4-inch thick
¼ pound tender young green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 pound trenette, or other long, thin pasta
1. Make pesto: in bowl of food processor, add basil, pine nuts, salt and garlic. Pulse until mixture is coarse and grainy. With 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
416 calories; 19 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 7 milligrams cholesterol; 343 milligrams sodium