Green Bean And Pesto Salad Recipes

GREEN BEAN AND POTATO SALAD WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Make pesto: Bring 2 cups water to a simmer in a small saucepan. Add basil, and submerge with a spoon; immediately drain in a colander. In a blender, combine basil, pecans, garlic, lemon juice, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and 1/4 cup water; blend until smooth. Set aside.
• Make salad: In a large saucepan, cover potatoes with salted water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer until tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon (reserve pan of water). When cool enough to handle, cut potatoes into quarters; place in a large bowl.
• While potatoes are cooling, return reserved water to a boil. Add green beans; cook until crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain well; transfer to bowl with potatoes. Add pesto, and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper; serve immediately.

PESTO POTATO AND GREEN BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a large steamer basket fitted over a pot of boiling water. Cover and steam for 5 minutes. Add the green beans to the potatoes in the steamer and continue to cook, covered, for another 4 minutes. Drain and immediately plunge into an ice bath to cool.
• Transfer the vegetables to a large serving bowl. Add the pesto and stir to coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
• Make a big batch of this pesto in the summer when the basil is fresh and plentiful. You can freeze it in ice cube trays, bag up the cubes, and have it year-round to use as a pasta sauce or to enhance the flavor of one. It is also excellent as a sandwich spread.
• Toast the pine nuts in a small, dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and golden brown, shaking the pan frequently, about 3 minutes.
• In a food processor, process the pine nuts and garlic together until minced. Add the basil, Parmesan, lemon juice, and salt and pepper and process until finely minced. With the machine running, slowly pour the oil in a steady stream through the feed tube and process until well blended.

FUSILLI WITH PESTO AND GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Sprinkle generously with salt. Add the pasta and cook 1 minute less than the package instructions, about 5 minutes. Drain well, reserving 1/3 cup of pasta water.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and shallots with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 1 minute. Add the green beans and another 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the beans are just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Stir in the peas and cook another minute to warm through. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet along with the reserved water. Top the bare pasta with the Parmesan and add the pesto. Toss well to coat. Dollop the ricotta over the top and serve.

PESTO POTATO SALAD WITH GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Add beans; cook 4 minutes longer. Drain well. Transfer vegetables to large bowl and cool 10 minutes. Mix in pesto and green onions, tossing to coat. Cool completely. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover; let stand at room temperature.) Just before serving, mix in vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.

GREEN BEANS AND RADISH SALAD WITH TARRAGON PESTO

Steps:

• In a 6-qt. stockpot, bring 8 cups water to a boil. Add beans in batches; cook, uncovered, 2-3 minutes or just until crisp-tender. Remove beans and immediately drop into ice water. Drain and pat dry. Toss together beans and radishes. , Place pecans, tarragon, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper flakes in a small food processor; pulse until chopped. Add vinegar; process until blended. Continue processing while gradually adding oil in a steady stream. Toss with bean mixture.

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.