Polpettone genovese is a traybake with mashed potatoes and green summer veggies: lots of basil and lots of French beans. It’s a delicious vegetarian meal. Easy to make ahead if you have guests at dinner, delicious the day after warmed up at the office.
You might have never heard of this dish before, but I am sure one day it will conquer the world: Pizza – Pasta – and Polpettone Genovese! The 3 magic Italian Ps! You see, I’ve already figure out the marketing strategy!
If we were to literally translate this dish to English, we’d say ‘Genoese meatloaf’. However, this would be misleading as this dish is fully vegetarian. The city of Genoa decided to go for green beans instead of meat mix them up with basil and potatoes and bum this delicacy was invented.
The dish is seasoned with oil and plenty of parmesan cheese. If you are following a vegan diet though, don’t worry, you can easily swap the cheese for natural yeast.
Polpettone genovese is not a common dish in Italy, indeed you can only find it in Liguria – the tiny stretch of coast connecting Italy to France. Despite the relatively small size of the region, Liguria has gifted Italy and the world many delicacies: focaccia and pesto sauce were invented in this place.
Many more dishes I can’t wait to tell you about were created here, from farinata (chickpeas’ frittata) to salvia fritta (fried sage), to baci d’alassio (irresistible chocolate biscuits-truffles) and trofie (a twisted fresh pasta).
If you are a fan of all these dishes, you should have a read to this incredible blog – all just about Ligurian food. I dream to meet one day Enrica, the blogger. She does cooking classes too!
The region Liguria made a special gift to me: Alice – she’s the wife of my brother and she was born near Genoa. I couldn’t think of a better person – not only for my brother, but for me hehe!
Unfortunately, I don’t get to see her very often as I live abroad, but I love spending time with her and endlessly talk about food. I always learn something new from her and deeply admire her.
Liguria is truly a place of great beauty, food, and people!
I hope you get to share my French beans-pesto-potato gratin, aka Polpettone Genovese, with someone dear as Alice.
Enjoy!
Green Beans Potato Gratin
Course: MainsDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes35
minutesPolpettone genovese is a traybake with mashed potatoes and green summer veggies: lots of basil and lots of French beans. It’s a delicious vegetarian meal. Easy to make ahead if you have guests at dinner, delicious the day after warmed up at the office.
Ingredients
400 g green beans
500 g potatoes
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
50 g parmesan cheese or natural yeast
20 g basil leaves
50 g breadcrumbs
1 tsp garlic powder
80 g spreadable cheese
pepper and salt to taste
Half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- To finish off
A few pinenuts
10 g breadcrumbs
Extra-virgin olive oil to taste
Method
- Boil the green beans in salty water for 10 minutes. Let them cool down and chop them very finely in a food processor.
- Prep the veggies: Peal the potatoes and boil them in salty water for 20 minutes or till tender. Mash the potatoes when still hot.
- Mix the mashed potatoes, the green beans, and the remaining ingredients in a big bowl with a spatula.
- Grease an oven dish with oil, cover it with breadcrumbs, and transfer the delicious mix in. Level out the mix and decorate the surface with a fork. Sprinkle breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and pine nuts on top. Drizzle with some more olive oil.
- Bake for 35 minutes at 180 C.
