Pesto Pasta & Green Beans From Rosie Kellett
Pesto pasta remains one of my favorite, most nostalgic meals of all time. Fresh homemade pesto is pretty unbeatable, and I can hand on heart say it’s my favorite pasta sauce. There, I’ve said it. This one uses almond flour, which originally was born out of frugality. Pine nuts have recently become completely unaffordable for me—almonds are a bit cheaper, but almond flour is cheaper still. Now I always choose to use almond flour, as it is not only cheaper but far less hassle than blending whole nuts, and it lends a delicious sweetness to the pesto, which I have grown to adore.
Photo by Benedikte Klüver
INGREDIENTS
Makes 6 servings
Small bunch of basil
Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley
1 cup olive oil, plus extra as needed
3½ ounces grated Parmesan, plus extra for topping
1 garlic clove
Sea salt and black pepper
¾ cup + 2 tablespoons almond flour
1 pound casarecce, or another long tubular pasta (use gluten-free pasta to keep this recipe GF)
7 ounces French green beans
METHOD
Blend the basil, parsley, olive oil, Parmesan, garlic, and 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a blender until smooth.
Transfer to a bowl and stir in the almond flour. If the mixture looks dry, add a little more olive oil—it should be more of a sauce than a paste.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, adding the green beans 3 minutes before the end of the cooking time, unless they are super thick, in which case add them a minute or two sooner.
Drain the pasta and beans, then toss with the pesto.
Serve topped with more Parmesan, salt, and pepper.
From In For Dinner by Rosie Kellett. Reprinted by permission of Clarkson Potter, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.
