penne with green beans & caramelized lemon gremolata
rooting for a summer produce underdog
Summer produce has its A-team—tomatoes, corn, zucchini…tomatoes—so today I’m here with a recipe that champions one of the underdogs: green beans. Green beans and pasta rarely grace the same plate, though it’s certainly not unheard of, with the most notable exception being Liguria’s trofie (short, hand-twisted spirals) and trenette (long, linguine-like strands) al pesto.* When I visited Cinque Terre several years ago, I remember being slightly confused when my pesto pasta arrived mixed with boiled potatoes and green beans, but, to no one’s surprise, the whole thing really worked. I’m certainly not one to complain when my pasta includes 1) extra vegetables and 2) extra carbs. Another green-bean-pasta pairing I’ve come across recently is more generically called “pasta con fagiolini” and swaps the pesto for tomato sauce. It’s unclear to me if this recipe is traditional, though its flavors echo one of Italy’s most ubiquitous side dishes, fagiolini in umido, in which green beans and tomatoes are stewed “country-style” until they are very, very soft.
I initially intended to create a spin on this lesser-known, tomato-forward pasta con fagiolini, but I quickly realized my roster of tomato-based recipes is currently far outpacing everything else. So, instead of taking all of my inspiration from Italy, I decided to draw on two dishes that immediately come to mind when someone says “green bean”: green bean casserole and green beans almondine. The fried-onion-topped green bean casserole is a hallmark of 1950s American cooking, originally invented by Campbell’s to get people to buy its cream of mushroom soup, and a ploy so successful that 70 years later it’s still a Thanksgiving staple. The more refined green beans almondine is a prime example of French cooking, in which few ingredients (green beans, shallots, garlic, lemon juice, almonds, butter—of course), prepared with good technique, can yield exceptionally delicious results. This recipe is inspired by both—a little creamy, a little bright, a lot of crunch—with a touch of Ligurian soul in the form of a pesto-adjacent gremolata.
Gremolata is a zesty and versatile Italian condiment comprised of chopped fresh parsley, garlic, and lemon zest. It’s used to brighten all manner of dishes, and particularly rich stews and heavy meats like osso buco. My gremolata is not technically a gremolata: I’ve swapped the lemon zest for beautiful caramelized lemon slices and added a touch of olive oil, which makes it more of a sauce than a dry garnish. Still, all of the necessary gremolata components are there, so I’m sticking with it. I’ve had this not-gremolata gremolata in my back pocket for a while, having tried it in various applications, and I’m very happy to say that this dish, with its sweet, earthy green beans and salty, toasty topping, is the perfect fit.
*I imagine trofie and green beans are paired in part because the shape of the pasta and the cut beans are similarly sized, and thereby easy to eat together. I’ve used penne for the same reason, but feel free to grab whatever you like—casarecce and gemelli would also be good choices here.
Penne with Green Beans & Gremolata
Serves 2, with leftovers (probably)