Recipe Thursday – Convito Cafe’s Conchiglie/Shells with Potatoes, Green Beans & Pesto

Pesto is a versatile, delicious sauce that can be a cozy winter warmer-upper, or it can be a spring/summer refreshing cool-down. Kind of like the weather in our crazy Chicagoland spring, which is hopefully around the corner! Either way, if you like basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese and olive oil, you will love this dish and anything else made with Liguria’s most famous signature sauce.
 
This is an easy recipe to make as a side dish, or even as a main course for a luncheon or vegetarian meal. Enjoy with a crisp white wine like Pinot Blanc, or a Ligurian Vermentino (Convito, convitocafeandmarket.com, in Wilmette, Illinois carries both of these great wines at a reasonable price) and it will be perfetto!
 
Convito Cafe’s Conchiglie with Potatoes, Green Beans & Pesto
 
Serves 6
 ✶1 pound shell pasta*
 ✶1/2 pound Yukon gold potatoes cut into cubes (approximately 1 1/2 cups)
 ✶1/2 pound green beans, trimmed into 1 inch pieces (approximately 2 cups)
 ✶1/3 cup basil pesto (jarred, fresh or frozen… Convito has a great frozen version)
 ✶grated Parmigiano Reggiano
 
In a large pot of boiling salted water, add the pasta and the potatoes. Cook for approximately 4 minutes. Add the green beans and cook another 4 minutes. Drain when al dente, reserving some of the pasta water. Place the mixture back in the pot and toss with the pesto. Add a little pasta water (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup)
 
Place in individual bowls and top with aged Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
 
*We use conchiglie, but any short-cut pasta, like penne or trenne, will also work.

Recipe Courtsey of http://makeitbetter.net/dining/convito-cafes-conchiglie-with-potatoes-green-beans-pesto/ and Convito Cafe in Wilmette IL.