Recipe: Trenette Al Pesto Pasta From 'Luca'
Updated: Sep 7
Mangia, mangia!
If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a dozen times: there are so many foods and beverages from Disney movies and shows that we want to try. Disney World and Disneyland do a pretty good job of bringing some of them to life in the parks — like Pizza Planet pizza and Jack Jack’s gooey cookie — but if we want to try the more niche items — like Kim Possible’s naco or sploosh from Holes — we have to turn down more creative avenues.
Luckily, there are quite a few Disney-themed cookbooks out there that share fun, inspired recipes to recreate at home. Most recently, authors Tara Theoharis and S. T. Bende penned Pixar: The Official Cookbook, which features more than 75 recipes inspired by Pixar films through the decades, like Toy Story, Ratatouille, and Turning Red.
The Pixar-inspired cookbook is available for purchase now, wherever books are sold, including Amazon. To celebrate the launch, we’re offering a sneak peek at just one of the many delicious recipes you’ll find in Pixar: The Official Cookbook with the easy Trenette Al Pesto pasta dish from Luca.
This pesto, green bean, and potato pasta comes together in a flash — and can be made even easier by using a store-bought pesto instead of making your own. Give it a try and you’ll understand why Luca and Alberto licked their bowls clean.
Trenette Al Pesto from Luca
Yields 4 servings
Ingredients:
45 fresh basil leaves (about 1 packed cup)
2 cloves garlic
Pinch of coarse salt
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 handful (about ¼ cup) pine nuts
2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano cheese
2 tablespoons grated pecorino cheese
16 ounces trenette pasta (or any pasta you love: linguini, spaghetti, etc.)
1 cup green beans, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 large yellow potato, cut in 1-inch cubes
SPECIAL TOOLS NEEDED: Mortar and pestle or food processor
Instructions:
Let’s start with the pesto: Put the basil and the garlic in a marble mortar with a pinch of coarse salt and start mashing with the pestle. Slowly add a bit of oil as you go. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, a food processor will work too. In fact, that’s what most people use in Liguria nowadays!
Next, add the pine nuts, the grated parmigiano, and the grated pecorino. As you continue to add the olive oil, the consistency should be that of a very dense cream, and the quantity of oil needed will vary depending on the mixture’s degree of absorption. The key for a great-tasting pesto is to not cook your basil. If you use a food processor, don’t let it run too long or it will heat the ingredients.
At this point, you can boil the water for the pasta. Once it boils, add some coarse salt to the pot. Throw in the pasta as well as the green beans and the potato. Drain the pasta once it’s cooked but still ”al dente”—not too soft! (Use the recommended time on your pasta’s packaging.) Save a little bit of the pasta water for the sauce.
Place the pesto on the bottom of the serving bowl, add a couple of spoonfuls of the pasta water, then add the pasta to the bowl with the pesto. Mix it well, then serve it!
This recipe was provided courtesy of PIXAR: The Official Cookbook.
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