Who doesn’t love pesto pasta?! However, the store bought pesto sauces often have way too much sodium content. Here’s a classic Pesto Pasta with Green Beans and Potatoes that has been reworked with a few clever substitutes to be low sodium. The key is this recipe for a homemade pesto sauce with a few of the ingredients swapped out. So good!

Classic Pesto

Ingredients

Method

• Combine the first 4 ingredients in a blender (smoother than a food processor). Also, you may want to grind up the walnuts in a dry spice mill first if you are not sure of your blender.
• Make sure you get a nice smooth paste (the basil leaves should all be ground up).
• Add all the remaining ingredients and mix on slow till combined. You may need to add a bit more olive oil to blend.
• Transfer to a small container and top with a layer of olive oil (so the pesto does not turn color).

Pesto Pasta

Ingredients

• Pasta of your choice (I used GF spaghetti)
• Fresh green beans, trimmed
• Baby potatoes
• Pesto sauce as made above

Method

• Roast the potatoes in the oven at 400F for about 30 minutes with olive oil and pepper. You can get creative and use other spices if you like (like some chipotle chili powder). Or you can use just tender boiled potatoes too.
• Blanch the green beans in water for about 5 minutes till just cooked. Cool and cut to about 2 inch lengths.
• Cook the pasta in the same boiling water per package instructions. Reserve some of the pasta water to add in later.
• Now that we have all the elements, start with a large serving bowl. Mix together the pasta with a generous amount of pesto. Add the reserved pasta water just till the pasta glides in the dish.
• Add in the potatoes and green beans.
• Garnish with a little parmesan cheese (this is sodium heavy so careful!). Also, no salt added as yet. So salt the plate!

Pesto pasta with green beans and potatoes is an absolute family favorite and so delicious! Have some of this pesto on hand and you’ve got a weeknight meal super fast!