A culinary expert has unveiled a “wonderful” pasta creation that might just help you “reach the age of 100.” This dish brims with beans, legumes, and vegetables, drawing inspiration from the diets of some of the planet’s most long-lived populations.

Francesco Mattana, who boasts an impressive following of over 660,000 on his cooking TikTok channel, demonstrated the art of preparing tagliatelle primavera in the authentic Sardinian style.

He dubbed it the “live to 100 pasta,” highlighting its simplicity and abundance of beans and legumes, which are staples in the Sardinian diet.

The harmony of flavors from green beans, broad beans, and peas, combined with the fresh notes of tomatoes, lemon, basil, and mint, and the savory richness of pecorino cheese, make this dish a delightful experience.

He also mentioned that the sauce is versatile—it can be enjoyed on toasted bread or serve as a foundation for baked fish.

Sardinia, an island off the coast of Italy, was the first region globally to be acknowledged as a Blue Zone—an area famed for its residents’ remarkable longevity.

According to statistics, roughly 33.6 people per 100,000 residents in Sardinia reach 100 years or beyond, placing it amongst the regions with the highest concentration of centenarians across the globe.

The recipe

The ingredients needed for this pasta dish are:

• 300g tagliatelle
• A quarter of a leek
• Two garlic cloves
• Three tablespoons of peas
• A handful of broad beans (fava beans)
• A handful of green beans
• A handful of baby plum tomatoes
• Pecorino cheese
• Basil
• Mint
• Lemon zest
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

To begin, Francesco prepared all his vegetables. He started by finely chopping two cloves of garlic.

Following this, he removed the lower portion of the leek – calling this the “sweetest” bit – and cut it into thin slices. He trimmed the ends from the green beans and cut them in half.

Francesco then opened the broad bean pods and removed the contents. He placed a frying pan over medium-high heat and added a “good drizzle” of olive oil.

The leeks, green beans, and broad beans were placed into the pan and stirred together before cooking for several minutes.

The next step involved adding the peas, tomatoes, and garlic before mixing and seasoning with black pepper and salt. He then added some water, covered with a lid and left it to steam for five minutes.

Whilst that was steaming, he cooked the tagliatelle in another pan. Once the pasta was cooked, he moved it to the vegetable pan along with some pasta water.

For the finishing touches, he added fresh basil, a hint of fresh mint, some lemon zest, and grated pecorino cheese. He then amalgamated everything, adding an extra drizzle of olive oil and pasta water before serving.

The chef exclaimed: “Oh, this is so good. I hope you’re going to make this one because it’s too good to miss.”

Blue Zones

The initial five Blue Zones are Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy; Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica, Ikaria in Greece, and Loma Linda in California. According to BlueZones.com, the traditional Sardinian diet consists of “whole-grain bread, beans, garden vegetables, fruits, and, in some parts of the island, mastic oil”.

“Sardinians also traditionally eat pecorino cheese made from grass-fed sheep, whose cheese is high in omega-3 fatty acids,” it states. “Meat is largely reserved for Sundays and special occasions.”