Pesto Pasta with Potatoes & Green Beans (Trenette al Pesto)

This pesto pasta with potatoes & green beans is as perfect as an Italian pasta dish can be. A simple combination of textures with the freshest and most fragrant sauce. It’s a Ligurian treasure and one of my favourites.

This pesto pasta with potatoes and green beans is one of those quietly perfect Italian dishes that proves just how good simple food can be. Known in Liguria as trenette al pesto, it brings together fragrant basil pesto, tender potatoes and green beans in a way that feels both comforting and fresh.

The soft potatoes, crisp green beans and floral basil are perfect partners and make for one of the best vegetarian pasta dishes in all of Italy.

I discovered this dish in Genoa, Liguria where the pesto is other-worldly — like nothing I've ever tasted before. While there, I picked up a few tips, so I can now make the best version of this recipe at home. Good pesto is the key!

Discover more delicious recipes just like this at my curated Italian Recipes hub or as part of my Italian Pasta Recipes collection.

What's Ahead?

What is Trenette al pesto?

Trenette al pesto is a traditional pasta dish from Liguria, the coastal region of northwest Italy where basil pesto originates. It’s most closely associated with Genoa, the birthplace of pesto Genovese. The dish combines trenette — a long, flat pasta similar to linguine or fettuccine — with basil pesto, potatoes and green beans, cooked together and tossed until silky and well coated.

What makes this dish unique is the addition of vegetables directly into the pasta pot. The potatoes become tender, while the green beans retain a gentle bite, creating a perfect balance of textures. When everything is mixed with the pesto and a little pasta cooking water, it forms a light, glossy sauce that clings to every strand. It perfectly reflects the Ligurian approach to cooking — seasonal ingredients, minimal fuss, and maximum flavour.

Why This Pesto Pasta Works So Well

• Balance - this dish has to my mind the perfect combination of textures - the creamy, soft potatoes and firmer green beans together with the silky pasta in its glossy sauce is unbeatable.
• One-pot - cooking everything in one pot of water means less mess and makes for a stress-free cook.
• Vegetarian - when I want a lighter dish, but still want something that will fill me up, this is always my go to. As a potato fan, it's so satisfying.

Ingredients You’ll Need

We're making our pesto from scratch as the flavour is way better. If you can source a top-quality pesto Genovese, then by all means use that. I would say, make it THIS way once and you'll taste the difference.

• Basil - get the freshest you can find - it's the central flavour.
• Pine nuts - add a creamy depth to the pesto.
• Garlic - adds a little backbone to the pesto
• Parmigiano Reggiano - brings all its wonderful salty umami to the pesto. It also helps emulsify the sauce later.
• Potatoes - I use a slightly waxy potato like Yukon Gold (US), Charlotte (UK) or Nadine (Aus) - they keep their shape and have a lovely creamy texture when tender.
• Green beans - A welcome freshness with bite to the pasta.
• Extra virgin olive oil - for the pesto, to loosen slightly.
• Trenette Pasta - You could also use linguine or as I did for this particular recipe, fettuccine.

Step by Step

You can split this recipe into two main stages. Making the pesto (which you can do in advance) and then cooking the pasta. Either way, it's a quick and simple dish to bring together.

1. Make the pesto by carefully blending together the basil leaves, pine nuts, cheese, garlic and olive oil. I use an immersion blender and work quickly and avoid over blending the sauce. The more you blend the more you could lose flavour. If you want to use a pestle & mortar, pound the pine nuts and garlic first, followed by the basil leaves and cubes (not grated) of Parmigiano Reggiano. Mix in the oil and salt & pepper at the end.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the potatoes for 10 minutes, then add the green beans and cook for another 5-8 minutes until the potatoes are tender and the beans cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, remove the beans and potatoes.
3. Add the pasta to the water and cook to the packet instructions. Drain, retaining 2 cups of the cooking liquid.
4. Tumble the potatoes and green beans into the pot (off the heat) along with the pesto and 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta and stir carefully to combine. Add a little more of the cooking liquid if needed to create a creamy texture. Serve hot!

Pro Tips for the perfect pesto

Making great pesto takes a little effort, and the difference between homemade and store-bought is clear. In Liguria, the pesto is exceptional, thanks largely to the basil — grown by the Mediterranean and picked young, it has a uniquely delicate flavour that’s hard to replicate.

You can make this pesto a simple ingredient for my delicious Spaghetti with Pesto Genovese. You could also make a variation using pistachios, try my Pasta with Pistachio Pesto recipe.

That said, you can still make a really good pesto at home. The key is not to overwork the basil, as it can quickly turn bitter and lose its fragrance. Traditionally, everything is pounded in a pestle and mortar, which gives the most control and best flavour.

I usually use an immersion blender for speed, pulsing gently and keeping things moving. The less you blend, the better the result. The finished texture is thicker than you'll see with store-bought pesto. Keep oil to a minimum to avoid the finished pasta becoming greasy. This is all about the basil, not the extra virgin olive oil!

Tips for the Best Pesto Pasta

• Don't over blend the pesto, the leaves can lose their flavour, become bitter and in some cases a little acrid. Pulse blending is better than continuous.
• Don't cook the pesto - ensure the pot is off the heat when you combine the cooked ingredients. There's enough residual heat to keep the dish hot. Cooking the pesto will destroy all the best flavour.
• Reserve the salted pasta water - keep at least 2 cups of liquid. It has all the starch from the pasta and potatoes and will help emulsify the sauce while seasoning it too.
• Timing - if your green beans are cooked, but the potatoes aren't - fish them out with a slotted spoon

Serving & Storage Suggestions

Serving Suggestions

• Serve immediately while warm for the best texture and flavour
• Finish with an extra spoon of pesto or a drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil
• Add freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano just before serving
• Pair with a simple green salad or bitter leaves to balance the richness
• Leftover pesto is great for breakfast with a wedge of fresh focaccia (trust me!).

Storage Suggestions

• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days
• Reheat gently, adding a splash of water to loosen the sauce
• Avoid overheating, as the pesto can lose its freshness
• Not ideal for freezing, as the texture and flavour will suffer

Ready to get cooking?

This dish will truly transport you to the beautiful Ligurian Mediterranean coastline. It's one of my most treasured pasta dishes, and whenever I'm in Genoa (one of my favourite cities in Italy), it's the first dish I order. Luckily, I can make a fantastic version of it at home too - and by that virtue, now you can too! Buon Appetito!

More Italian Pesto recipes

Pesto means paste in Italy - here are my go-to pesto recipes, all simple, all totally delicious. All yours!

• Spaghetti with Pesto Genovese - the classic pesto pasta from Genoa.
• Pasta with Pistachio Pesto - a twist on the classic, with fragrant and flavoursome pistachios.
• Spaghetti with Cavolo Nero & Almonds - Impossibly green from the simple and humble cabbage but a star dish!
• Pasta with Walnut Sauce (Salsa di Noci) - Nutty, creamy and delicious.

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