Growing up in my Italian household, there was pasta on the table at least 6 days a week! You would think that one would get sick and tired of pasta, but there are so many different ways Italians prepare pasta dishes that we rarely had the same thing twice in a week. This pasta vaianera, or spaghetti with Italian flat green beans, zucchini, and potatoes, was a household favourite back then and still is today. With small kids of my own now, I can appreciate the convenience of this one pot recipe. Plus, all kids love spaghetti so this is an easy sell at the dinner table! It is a simple and healthy dish to make and can be an entire meal on it’s own.
‘Vaianera’ is actually an old Calabrese dialect term for green beans and luckily for us, right now, they are growing in abundance. No Italian vegetable garden is complete without a good crop of these flat green (romano) beans. They are simple to grow and can be picked tender green to eat fresh, or briefly blanched to be stored in the freezer for use during the winter months. Left on the vine, these green beans will offer you a popular shelling bean that you can dry or freeze for pastas, soups, and vegetable dishes.
Zucchini is no stranger to the Italian garden either. The common varieties that are so popular worldwide today were developed in Italy after Christopher Columbus brought squash seeds back from his travels. It was Italian immigrants that brought zucchini to the Americas not that long ago and they are now a favourite in home gardens everywhere. Once they start growing, you may feel inundated with this little squash but before giving a bunch away, try this recipe! It is best to use small zucchini as they have more flavour and keep their texture when cooked. Those that are 6-8 inches in length are ideal.
The little bit of fresh sauce with garlic that is added to this spaghetti dish brings all the flavours together to make this both a fresh tasting summer recipe, or a comforting hearty plate on a chilly evening. This time of year is a great moment to make it, as you can just venture out to your garden or local farmer’s market and grab fresh produce to use.
In this recipe we used frozen roma tomatoes, which is one of many ways you can preserve these vegetables. These are awesome for quick simple sauces or to add to soups and stews all winter long. Just 30 seconds in hot tap water and the skins come off in one piece! You can, of course, use fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes if you don’t have frozen ones. We suggest 2 tablespoons of garlic, but this dish can handle more without overpowering the other flavours, so if you’re a lover of garlic, feel free to add more! Nonna Pina typically mashes some of the potatoes just after turning off the stove to thicken the juice a little. You don’t need to do this, but it’s an option if you prefer a thicker soup.
Pasta Vaianera
Ingredients
• 225 grams of spaghetti
• 4-5 medium-large potatoes.
• 1 heaping pint (roughly two cups) Italian flat green beans, stems removed, and washed
• 2 medium size zucchini (roughly 8 inches in length)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 8 fresh/frozen roma tomatoes peeled and chopped, or 1 can chopped tomatoes
Instructions
1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over high heat and add the chopped garlic. When the garlic starts to brown add the tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir and continue to simmer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. The sauce should cook until the water from the tomatoes dissipates, roughly 15-20 minutes.
2. Prepare a large pot with 3 litres of cold water. Peel the potatoes and chop each one into 6 large chunks. Place them in the pot and bring to a boil. After the potatoes boil for 8 minutes, add the green beans and cook for another 6 minutes. Chop the zucchini into chunks and add to the pot. Bring it back to a boil and immediately add the spaghetti, broken in half. Add the remaining salt and cook for half the suggested cooking time on the package of spaghetti. Remove 1 litre of liquid (unless you like it really soupy) and add the tomato sauce. Continue to boil until the pasta is cooked. Serve immediately.
Notes
If you would like to thicken the soup a little bit, mash up some of the potatoes with a fork before serving.
This recipe makes a large quantity. Half of this recipe would feed a family of four.
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