Whole Wheat Pasta With Pesto And Green Beans Recipes

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.

WHOLE WHEAT PASTA

Steps:

• Stir together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour and salt in a medium bowl, or on a clean board. Make a hollow in the center, and pour in the olive oil. Break eggs into it one at a time, while mixing quickly with a fork until the dough is wet enough to come together. Knead on a lightly floured surface until the dough is stiff and elastic. Cover, and let stand for 30 minutes to relax.
• Roll out dough by hand with a rolling pin, or use a pasta machine to achieve the desired thickness of noodles. Cut into desired width and shapes. Allow the pasta to air dry for at least 15 minutes to avoid having it clump together.

KALE PESTO WITH WHOLE WHEAT PASTA

Steps:

• Cook kale leaves in a large pot of boiling salted water until bright green and wilted, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet with tongs; keep water boiling. Let kale cool slightly; wring out excess water with your hands.
• Cook pasta in pot of boiling water, stirring occasionally, until al dente.
• Blend nuts, oil, garlic, and ⅓ cup water in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Add kale and 1 oz. Parmesan. Purée, adding water 1 Tbsp. at a time as needed, until smooth. Transfer pesto to a large bowl.
• Using tongs, transfer pasta to bowl with pesto; add butter and ⅓ cup pasta cooking liquid. Toss, adding more pasta cooking liquid by the tablespoonful if needed, until sauce coats pasta. Divide among bowls; top with more Parmesan and a few grinds of pepper.

WHOLE-WHEAT SPAGHETTI WITH LIGHTER PESTO

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook whole-wheat spaghetti until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot.
• Toss pasta with lighter pesto, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time to create a thin sauce that coats spaghetti (you may not need all the water). Season with salt and pepper. Serve, garnished with shredded basil, if desired.

PASTA WITH PESTO AND GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting salt and adding beans to the boiling water for the last 3 min.
• Meanwhile, pulse basil, nuts and garlic in food processor until coarsely chopped. Add dressing; process until mixture forms thick paste.
• Drain pasta mixture, reserving 1/3 cup of the cooking water. Place pasta mixture in large bowl. Add basil mixture and reserved cooking water; mix lightly. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled.
• Add remaining ingredients just before serving; mix lightly.

WHOLE WHEAT PASTA WITH GREENS, BEANS AND PANCETTA

Steps:

• Make garlic breadcrumbs: In a food processor, pulse bread until coarsely ground.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon garlic; cook stirring constantly until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Salt to taste and remove to a small bowl.
• Wipe out skillet with paper towels. Heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until crisp, about 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a small bowl.
• Add the onion to the pan and cook until starting to brown, 5 minutes or so. Add remaining garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook another 30 seconds.
• Add half the greens to the pan and toss until starting to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add remaining greens and broth and 3/4 tsp salt. Cover (pan will be full) and increase heat to high and bring to a strong boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered, tossing occasionally until greens are tender, about 15 minutes.
• Stir in the beans and pancetta. and cook until heated through. Cover and remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot for the pasta. Add salt to taste and the pasta. Cook stirring often, until pasta is just shy of al dente. (refer to package directions).
• Drain pasta and return to pot. Add the greens/beans/pancetta mixture to pasta and toss to combine. Cook over medium-high heat until pasta absorbs most of the liquid, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in the fontina cheese and serve immediately with garlic breadcrumbs.