liguarian pasta with pesto and green beans

one pot, one bowl, no oven required. summer meals don't get much easier than this. this pasta has been a staple in our house for a few years now, since i first made it for mark on his birthday 5 years ago. he likes me to add a little extra garlic to the pesto for a good spicy kick, but i also like it without.

fill a large pot with water. when water is boiling, add 2 cups small red potatoes (whole). boil for 5 minutes. add 8 oz. bowtie pasta, continue cooking potatoes and pasta together, stirring occasionally. when the pasta has 2-3 minutes left, add the green beans. pour everything into colander when beans are finished.

while your big pot is boiling with all the good roughage, it's time to make your pesto.

i like to make my own pesto to get the rough consistency i prefer. a few handfuls of basil, a handful of pinenuts, a quarter cup of parmesean cheese, and a couple glugs of olive oil. throw it all in a food processor and pulse until you have your desired consistency. i like mine with less olive oil and more rough pebbles.

toss the cooked potatoes, beans, and pasta together with pesto. grate some fresh parmesan on top if you can never have too much cheese. oh, you can't either? well we are good friends, then.