Green beans and pasta -- an easy summer meal

Green beans have always been my favorite green vegetable, especially fresh ones. (Canned or frozen will do in a pinch.)

I gave up trying to grow them a few years back because spider mites love them even more than I do. But farmers markets have wonderful fresh green beans in summer, and sometimes you can even find different colors of beans, including those tender yellow wax beans.

Whatever your favorite is will work in this quick pasta dish that seems especially suited to summer nights.

The beans cook in the same pot as the pasta; the only hard part is determining how long to cook the particular pasta before adding the beans.

Dried shaped pasta such as the farfalle I used will take longer than dried spaghetti, for example, or fresh linguine. The beans should be on the young side, slim and not too bumpy. They are added during the last 5 minutes of cooking the pasta -- or go in with the pasta if it's a fresh variety. Test and taste so that the pasta is al dente and the beans are crisp-tender but not mushy.

This pasta, which is a riff from a long-ago San Francisco Chronicle recipe, adapts to whatever is fresh and on hand. I had too much thyme, so went with that for the herb, but basil is a natural. Add garlic to your taste, but do include some. The tomatoes are optional, but really, why leave them out? My family doesn't eat olives, but if you do, have at it.

Pasta with green beans, goat cheese and garlic

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 to 3/4 pound fresh green beans

3/4 to 1 pound dried pasta, or 1 pound fresh pasta

Salt

3 to 6 garlic cloves, smashed and minced

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh thyme or oregano leaves, or 1/3 cup sliced and chopped fresh basil leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

4 to 6 ounces fresh goat cheese, cut into small pieces

1 cup cherry tomatoes, mixed colors or all red, halved or quartered (depending on size), optional

Other optional vegetables could include sliced black olives, chopped chives, sliced green tops of scallions, or fresh corn kernels

Instructions:

Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta.

Wash and trim the green beans, and cut into bite-size pieces.

When the water boils, add some salt, then the pasta. Add the beans now if the pasta is fresh. If the pasta is a dried variety, wait until the last 5 minutes of cooking to add the beans. Remove 1/2 to 1 cup of pasta water for potential mixing with the sauce.

Note: Check the tenderness of the pasta and beans before draining the water. Don't overcook.

Meanwhile, stir together in a large bowl the sauce ingredients: the garlic, olive oil, thyme or other herb,  several grinds of black pepper and the pieces of goat cheese. Finally, gently stir in the tomato pieces or other desired vegetable. 

When the pasta and beans are done and drained, add them to the bowl of garlic mixture, and toss together so that the cheese melts and covers the pasta. If it seems a bit dry, add some of the reserved pasta water. Taste and adjust seasoning

Serve with a sprinkle of fresh herb on top of the pasta.