Pasta w/ Potatoes, Pesto & Green Beans

I could eat this every night in the summer.

Everything is from my garden.
The green beans, potatoes and herbs.

This is a typical Ligurian dinner, however, it is a typical New Jersey meal here this summer, and I add mint to the basil pesto, it's delicious.

It's very simple and guaranteed to please.
I love it best at room temperature, drizzled with lots of good olive oil.

Pasta w/ Potatoes, Pesto & Green Beans:

1/2 lb. of fusilli or trofie pasta
1/2 lb. of yukon gold or baby yellow Dutch potatoes, cleaned and scrubbed (I leave the skins on)
1/2 lb. of fresh green beans, trimmed
1/2 cup of reserved pasta water

Pesto:
big handful of fresh basil
big handful of fresh mint leaves
zest and juice of a lemon
1/3 cup or more of olive oil
1/4 cup of Parimigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
handful of walnuts
tbsp of kosher salt
ground black pepper

Pulse all the pesto ingredients in a food processor, just a few times, I like it chunky.
Season to taste w/ salt & pepper.

Boil the potatoes in salted water about 20 minutes. Drain and cut into cubes or slices.
Set in a bowl.

Cook the green beans in the same water if you like, for 5 minutes. Add to the bowl with the potatoes.

Cook the pasta (reserving half cup of pasta water) and add to the potatoes and cooked green beans.
Add in the pesto and mix together, adding in the pasta water last.

You should have a nice creamy pesto sauce with the creamy potatoes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

I love this easy summer meal.

Enjoy and Happy Monday.