Easy pasta with parsley-walnut pesto and green beans

Pasta sauces are so versatile that you can be as creative as you want when you make them. This recipe of green beans, walnuts and pesto is a great addition to your cooking repertoire. Read on for easy tips on how to make this tasty dish.

Two time-honoured pairings — green beans and walnuts, and pasta and pesto — come together in this simple, but easy and delicious dish. Trading walnuts for the traditional pine nuts in a pesto sauce is an easy way to boost your omega-3, and are a welcome taste alternative. Also, green beans up the vegetable quotient.
Each portion provides one serving of vegetables, 1.7 servings of whole grains and nine grams of good fat.

If, like most people, you’re pressed for time but you don’t want to compromise on good food, you can prep and serve this dish within an hour. Follow these steps:

Preparation time: 20 minutes; cook time 10 to 14 minutes; serves 3.

75 g walnuts, coarsely chopped
50 g lightly packed fresh parsley leaves, washed and dried
1 clove garlic, crushed and peeled
2 ml salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
25 ml extra-virgin olive oil
45 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
375 g whole wheat penne or rigatoni pasta
500 g green beans, stem ends trimmed, halved crosswise

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

• Toast the walnuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, two to three minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
• In a food processor, combine the parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and 50 grams walnuts. Process until the walnuts are ground. With the motor running, gradually add the oil through the feeder tube. Add the cheese and pulse until mixed in.
• Add the penne to the boiling water and cook for three minutes. Add the beans and cook until the penne is al dente or almost tender and the beans are crisp-tender, five to eight minutes. Reserve 125 millilitres of the cooking water, then drain the penne and beans and place in a large bowl. Add the pesto and reserved cooking water and toss to coat well. Sprinkle with the remaining toasted walnuts. One serving is 350 grams.

Per serving you get 339 calories, 10 g protein, 48 g carbohydrates, 7 g fibre, 13 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 4 mg cholesterol and 478 mg sodium.

Pasta is great for lunch or dinner and this simple recipe will please all ages.  Follow these easy steps for a delicious and nutritious plate of parsley-walnut pesto and green beans.

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