Pasta with a French bean sauce is a very common dish in Puglia: it's tasty and light, perfect for lovers of pasta and vegetables. Ideally, prepare it with the thin green French beans, known in Italy as 'snake' beans, 'asparagus' beans or 'mangetout' beans. Alternatively, you could try other varieties of green bean, but always fresh if at all possible.

Prepare and wash the beans. Boil them for two or three minutes in salted water. Then, without draining them, add the linguine. Meanwhile, in a frying pan, sauté a clove of garlic in extra virgin olive oil. Add the tomato passata and season with salt. Continue cooking until the pasta is done. When the linguine and green beans are ready, drain them, add them to the sauce and mix well. Serve warm: if you like, add a little grated Parmesan, or other hard cheese, to taste.