Italian
Silvia’s Masterclass
From
Silvia’s Masterclass
season
4
episode
1
Spaghetti with Green Beans & Cherry Tomatoes
With
Silvia Colloca
PREP
10
MINS
Cook
15
MINS
SERVES
4
About this recipe
A celebration of vegetables as the centre of the meal. This pasta recipe is as easy as it sounds and ideal for a midweek dinner when you have less time to devote to an elaborate meal, but it’s so delicious it can absolutely be served at your next summer lunch.
Ingredients
- 400 g San Remo spaghetti
- 250 g green beans, trimmed and cut into 3–4 cm pieces
- 600 g mixed cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 long red chilli, sliced (optional)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil (optional)
- Salt
- Pecorino or Parmigiano, grated, to serve (optional)
Method
1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil. Add the green beans and cook for 3–4 minutes, until just tender but still bright and slightly crunchy.
2. Scoop the beans out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Keep the cooking water.
3. Add the spaghetti to the same water and cook until very al dente.
4. Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a large frying pan with the garlic and sliced chilli over low-medium heat. Let the garlic gently flavour the oil without browning for 1–2 minutes.
5. Add the green beans and half the tomatoes and toss for a minute or two.
6. When the pasta is about 2 minutes from done, add it to the pan with a ladleful of pasta water. Toss vigorously so the oil, starch and water emulsify into a light sauce.
7. Turn off the heat. Toss through remaining cherry tomatoes and basil and toss just once or twice. The residual heat will take the raw edge off the tomatoes while keeping them juicy, fresh and intact.
8. Taste for salt and add another splash of pasta water if needed. Finish with the grated Pecorino or Parmigiano and some fresh cracked pepper.
Silvia Colloca
Silvia Colloca is an Italian-born food writer, opera singer, TV producer and host. She has authored seven cookbooks, including Silvia’s Cucina, Made in Italy, La Dolce Vita, Love, Laugh, Bake!, Simple Italian (2024), and The Italian Homecook (2025), all published by Penguin.
Silvia’s most recent television work is Silvia’s Italian Masterclass (Channel 10), with its latest season airing in October 2025. The series is currently funding for Season 4. She has also appeared as a special guest on SBS’s Mastermind in 2025. Her earlier TV credits include the SBS Food series Cook Like an Italian, which has screened internationally across three seasons, as well as Made in Italy with Silvia Colloca (SBS), filmed on location in the Le Marche and Abruzzo regions and earning her a 2015 TV WEEK Logie Award nomination for Best New Talent. She also co-wrote, co-produced and hosted the ABC prime-time series Silvia’s Italian Table in 2016.
Outside of food and television, Silvia has enjoyed a career as a celebrated opera singer and actress. In 2022, she released her debut solo classical album with Universal Music, which topped the Classical Charts for over 20 weeks. That same year, she performed with Andrea Bocelli at his Sydney concert, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Inspiration Starts Here
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