Italian Pesto Potato Pasta 5fix Recipes

PESTO PASTA & POTATOES

Steps:

• Place potatoes in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, until tender, 8-10 minutes. Drain; transfer to a large bowl., Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, adding green beans during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup pasta water; add to potatoes. Toss with pesto, cheese and enough pasta water to moisten.

BEST EVER PESTO & POTATO PASTA

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.

PESTO GENOVESE (AUTHENTIC ITALIAN BASIL PESTO)

Steps:

• Crush garlic using a mortar and pestle. Add pine nuts; crush with the garlic. Add basil leaves gradually, making circular movements with the pestle, until a smooth paste forms.
• Mix Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and pecorino Romano cheese using a wooden spoon. Stir in olive oil until pesto is blended.

PASTA, GREEN BEANS AND POTATOES WITH PESTO

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.

CHEESY POTATO & ITALIAN SAUSAGE BALLS #5FIX

Steps:

• Combine potatoes, sausage, cheese, pesto and 1/2 cup of bread crumbs in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly.
• With wet hands, roll potato mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place remaining bread crumbs on a large plate. Roll each potato ball in bread crumbs. Make sure they are evenly coated.
• Place poatao balls on a large plate or pan and put in fridge for at least 30 minutes or until ready to use.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 380 degrees.
• Place potato balls on a large non-stick cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes and golden brown.
• **serve with your favorite marinara sauce**.

PESTO & FETA SIMPLY POTATOES GNOCCHI #5FIX

Steps:

• Using an electric mixer, whip mashed potatoes, eggs and 2 ½ tablespoons of pesto sauce in a large bowl until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
• Add ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese and mix well. Gradually fold in flour.
• Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Reduce heat slightly. Working with about 1 tablespoon at a time, drop a few gnocchi into salted water and cook for a few minutes, until they rise to the surface.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to a strainer to remove excess water. Repeat the process with the rest of the dough.
• Serve warm topped with remaining pesto sauce and crumble feta cheese.

SIMPLY POTATO GNOCCHI WITH PESTO AND PARMESAN #5FIX

Steps:

• In a medium mixing bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add potatoes and 1 2/3 cup flour. Stir until well combined and dough forms. Cover and refrigerate 15 minutes until chilled.
• Bring 2 quarts water to boil in a four quart pot.
• Use remaining flour to dust work surface. Transfer dough to surface, knead briefly adding flour if sticky.
• Divide dough into four portions. Roll each portion into logs 1/2" thick. Cut each log into 1/2" wide pieces and press tops with fork to flatten slightly.
• Cook in two batches, add gnocchi and cook 5 minutes until tender and floating to top of water.
• Remove with slotted spoon to clean bowl. Add pesto and 1/4 cup cheese, toss with spoon until gnocchi is covered lightly.
• Divide into equal portions into serving bowls, top with remaining cheese and serve.

SIMPLY ITALIAN POTATO PIE #5FIX

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Partially thaw chicken breast strips if necessary and slice into ½ inch chunks.
• Place chicken chunks and frozen vegetables in a large bowl; add pesto and toss all until pesto is distributed over chicken and vegetables.
• Spray an 11 X 7 inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.
• Add vegetables and chicken to casserole dish.
• Combine mashed potatoes with the tomatoes and their flavorful oil. Spread potato/tomato mixture over chicken and vegetables, being careful to cover completely all the way to edges of dish.
• Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.
• Remove cover and bake an additional 10 minutes.

ITALIAN PESTO 'POTATO PASTA' #5FIX

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a medium bowl put the potatoes, 6 tablespoons of the pesto and 1 ¼ cups of the mozzarella cheese and toss until well mixed. Set aside.
• In a small dish put 1 tablespoon of the pesto and ¼ cup of the cheese and toss well. Set aside for part of the garnish.
• In a medium skillet cook the sausage until cooked through, browned and crumbled. Pour off grease into a small heat safe dish and set aside. Add the jar of spaghetti sauce and the remaining 6 tablespoons of the pesto and mix well with the meat mixture. Bring to a simmer stirring and remove from heat. Reserve ½ cup of the meat sauce for the garnish.
• In a 9x9 inch square baking dish pour one teaspoon of the reserved sausage grease into the dish. Brush sides and bottom of dish well with the grease. Add more if necessary to cover the dish. Set dish aside.
• Pour the meat sauce and 2 Tablespoons of the remaining leftover sausage grease over the bowl of potatoes and toss mixing well until the potatoes are all covered.
• Pour half the potato mixture into the prepared baking dish. Smooth out. Sprinkle 1 ¼ cups of the cheese over top. Pour remaining potato mixture on top of the cheese and again smooth out. Cover dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the top with the remaining 1 ¼ cups cheese and put back into the oven UNcovered for 10 minutes until cheese is melted.
• Remove pan from oven. Cut into desired amount of pieces. Put about one tablespoon or more of the reserved meat sauce on top and in the center of each piece as a garnish. Then divide evenly the reserved pesto/cheese mixture and put in center of the sauce on each piece to finish as the garnish. Serve hot. Makes 4-6 servings.