Pasta shells with pesto

Name: Pasta shells with pesto
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 28 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Conchiglie pasta 11.3 oz; Potatoes 8.8 oz; Green beans 2 cups; Basil 5 cups; Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 3 oz; Pecorino cheese 1.4 oz; Pine nuts ½ cup; Extra virgin olive oil 10 ½ tbsp; Fine salt 1 tsp; Garlic 0.7 tsp; Pine nuts to taste; Basil to taste

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 13 min
Serving: 4
Cost: Low

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PRESENTATION

Recipe by
Cesare Battisti

Pasta shells with pesto, potatoes, and green beans — this is the dish a science communicator named as his comfort dish after a conversation about interstellar travel and astronaut nutrition. Adrian Fartade spends his days thinking about what humans might eat thousands of years from now, and when chef Cesare Battisti of Milan's Ratanà asked him to name the dish closest to home, he landed on pesto pasta with potatoes and green beans.

Battisti built the recipe around that answer, which gives it a specific and personal warmth. The conchiglie shape does real work: the shells collect the sauce inside as you eat, making every bite as creamy and aromatic as the source intended. Potatoes and green beans add body and a gentle sweetness that keeps the basil from dominating, pulling the whole bowl toward something genuinely satisfying rather than merely fragrant.

INGREDIENTS

Conchiglie pasta 11.3 oz (320 g)

Potatoes 8.8 oz (250 g)

Green beans 2 cups (250 g)

For the pesto: Basil 5 cups (120 g); Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 3 oz (80 g); Pecorino cheese 1.4 oz (40 g); Pine nuts ½ cup (60 g); Extra virgin olive oil 10 ½ tbsp (140 g); Fine salt 1 tsp (6 g); Garlic 0.7 tsp (2 g)

For garnish: Pine nuts to taste; Basil to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Pasta shells with pesto

To prepare the pasta shells with pesto, gently wash and dry the basil leaves, then transfer them to the blender jar 1. Add the peeled garlic 2 and the pine nuts 3.

Add the grated Parmesan and Pecorino 4, add the salt 5 and pour the extra-virgin olive oil in a thin stream 6.

Blend until you obtain a smooth pesto 7, then transfer it to a large bowl 8. Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes about 3/8-inch (1 cm) 9.

Wash the green beans, trim the ends and cut them into pieces about 3/8-inch (1 cm) 10. Bring a pot of plenty of salted water to a boil, add the potatoes 11 and the green beans 12 and cook for about 3 minutes.

Add the pasta 13 and continue cooking for the time indicated on the package. Drain the pasta al dente together with the vegetables 14, reserving some of the cooking water. Transfer the pasta, potatoes and green beans to the bowl with the pesto and add a little of the cooking water if necessary 15.

Mix well to combine all the ingredients and obtain a creamy consistency 16. Divide among plates, finish with the pine nuts 17 and basil leaves, then serve immediately 18.

Storage

It is recommended to eat the pasta shells with pesto immediately.

Basil pesto can be used right away or stored in the refrigerator in a jar well covered with oil for 4 days. Alternatively, you can freeze the pesto in small jars.

Tip

Pulse the pesto in short bursts to avoid overheating it and dress the pasta off the heat, adding the cooking water little by little until you reach the desired creaminess.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.

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