Pesto beans for when you’re pasta-ed out (it’s possible)

"Delicious! Easy to prepare, feels very sophisticated."

View in browser|nytimes.com August 16, 2024 Christian Reynoso's pesto beans. David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Pesto beans, a bowl of summer tenderness By Tejal Rao Good morning! This is Tejal, filling in for Sam. I was with friends at a very fancy Italian restaurant in Los Angeles the other day, and we ordered a twirl of glossy, pesto-slicked pasta. It was bright green and gorgeous, but the pasta itself was dry and almost crumbly at its core. No one enjoyed it. Why do some kitchens insist on serving aggressively, belligerently al dente pasta? Don't get me wrong — I don't want squishy, overcooked noodles. I just want a bit of tenderness. Enough complaining! Here's a solution: Christian Reynoso's new recipe for pesto beans. This fast, straightforward recipe has all the summery flavors of pine nuts, Parmesan and basil in a bowl of soft, warm, comforting beans. Use canned beans or fresh — it's great with chickpeas, too! — and swap out the pine nuts for almonds, if you like. If you've recently been let down by a restaurant, you can always cook a dish the way you really want it and set things right at home. Featured Recipe Pesto Beans View Recipe → When it's too hot to grill, I turn to the broiler. Vallery Lomas has a fun recipe for a shrimp broil with baby corn that's ready in 25 minutes. And Yasmin Fahr's sheet-pan garlicky chicken would be delicious with a pint of Sungolds. Coating fish with a mix of mustard and olive oil to make Melissa Clark's broiled salmon is really easy and rewards you with a delicious brown crust. It's my brother's birthday next week and I've been combing through new cake recipes I might try, but he will probably be happiest with a candle stuck in a vast, cocoa-dusted tiramisu, a punch bowl of île flottante drizzled with dark caramel or fruit syrup, or a torched dome of baked alaska. I have made so many variations of these three desserts for my family over the years, and I will never, ever get tired of them! There's always something new to try within the boundaries of the form. Something to change, revise, improve — or customize for the people you love. IN THIS NEWSLETTER Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Creole Broiled Shrimp and Baby Corn By Vallery Lomas 25 minutes Makes 2 to 4 servings  Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich. Sheet-Pan Garlicky Chicken With Blistered Tomatoes By Yasmin Fahr 35 minutes Makes 4 to 6 servings Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. Broiled Salmon With Mustard and Lemon By Melissa Clark 15 minutes Makes 2 servings Craig Lee for The New York Times Classic Tiramisù By Alison Roman 25 minutes, plus 4 to 24 hours' chilling Makes 6 to 8 servings Karsten Moran for The New York Times Île Flottante With Fresh Cherries By David Tanis 1 hour 30 minutes Makes 6 servings Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Baked Alaska By Lidey Heuck About 7 hours 20 minutes Makes 10 to 12 servings Sign up for the Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter Fresh dinner ideas for busy people who want something great to eat, with NYT Cooking recipes sent to you weekly. Get it in your inbox Sign up for The Veggie newsletter Tanya Sichynsky shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties. Get it in your inbox Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Cooking from The New York Times. To stop receiving Cooking, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to NYT CookingGet the NYT Cooking app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018