Our Cookbook

Italian

Pesto pasta

  • YieldServes 4
  • Prep10m
  • Cook15m
  • Effortweeknight

Pesto

  • 0.5 clove garlic
  • 1 big bunch fresh basil
  • 50g pine nuts (lightly toasted)
  • 50g Parmesan, freshly grated, plus extra to serve
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 0.5 lemon (juice) optional

Pasta

  • 400g pasta (penne, fusilli or linguine all work)
  • 250g green beans, trimmed and halved optional
  • 100g baby spinach optional

Optional chicken

  • 2 200g skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • rapeseed or olive oil

Method

Pesto

  1. Blitz everything together with a stick blender, loosen with olive oil to taste. Season with salt and pepper; add a squeeze of lemon if you like.

Pasta

  1. Cook the pasta in well-salted boiling water per packet instructions. If using green beans, drop them in for the last 4 minutes.
  2. Reserve a mugful of pasta water, then drain.
  3. Return pasta (and beans) to the pan, stir through the pesto and the spinach if using. Loosen with a splash of pasta water until glossy.

Optional chicken

  1. Bash the chicken breasts to roughly 1.5cm thick. Season with salt, pepper, fennel seeds and rosemary leaves.
  2. Pan-fry in a little oil over medium-high for 3-4 minutes a side until golden and cooked through. Rest, slice, and lay on top of the pasta to serve.