28 Days of Slow Cooking: Pesto Beans and Pasta

No Comments | Written on February 22, 2013 at 9:00 am, by Ann Hodgman

Back in the 1980s, pesto and fresh pasta were suddenly everywhere. No one could believe how good they were, except for me: I loved, loved, loved pesto but thought dried pasta was, for the most part, much better than fresh. And I was right, because although pesto has entered the American repertoire, I don’t know anyone who still has a pasta machine.

Pesto, though. What a sublime thing it is. We have Italy to thank for it, of course — specifically, Genoa, in northern Italy. Pesto means not “paste,” as I was once told, but “pounded,” as with a mortar and pest-le.

Pretty much any fresh-ingredient combo can become a pesto as long as the mixture is pounded, ground, or food-processed, but this slow-cooker sensation uses the traditional Genoese version — basil, Parmesan, oil, and pine nuts. Which is just right for a soup featuring white beans, another gift from Italy to the world.

Make this Pesto Beans and Pasta!

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February is slow cooking month at Recipe.com! Check back every day as we bring you a different, delicious reason to get cooking with your slow cooker. Find all our “28 Days of Slow Cooking” to date on Pinterest, or here!