Finger, Fork & Knife

This could very well be my new favourite autumn pasta recipe. Don’t be fooled by the modest list of ingredients – this dish is full of flavour. Green beans, sage, and almonds are roasted together in what becomes a special olive oil dappled sauce. Tossed with hearty little tubes of strozzpreti pasta, it’s a delicious, simple, satisfying pasta dish that’s enjoyed best when served with a bit of dreary winter weather.

400 g strozzapreti pasta

500 g fresh green beans, trimmed

¼ cup good quality olive oil

1/3 cup blanched almonds, roughly halved

¼ cup sage leaves

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 220C and bring a large saucepan of water to the boil.

Pop the beans, almonds, oil, sage, salt and pepper in a roasting dish and toss to combine. Place the dish into the preheated oven and roast for 15 minutes or until the beans are tender.

While the beans are roasting, cook the pasta in a saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente according the the instructions on the packet. Drain the pasta, then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil to prevent it sticking. Return the pasta to the warm saucepan.

Remove the beans from the oven and add to the saucepan holding the pasta – make sure you catch all the olive oil, sage leaves and almonds from the roasting dish. Toss gently to combine. Serve in a big bowl or individual portions with a final drizzling of extra virgin olive oil and crack of black pepper.

Serves 4