Turning a poster child for health food like kale into a decadent, delicious pasta dish feels ever-so-slightly subversive. Not that this deceptively simple comfort-food dish needs any extra help to be appealing. Blanched kale leaves are blitzed with EVOO and lemon juice and topped with parm to form a silky, vibrant green puree that is the ideal spring sauce for any pasta shape.
PrintCREAMY, LUXURIOUS KALE PASTA SAUCE
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 Servings (as mains) 1x
Ingredients
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- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- juice of 1/4 of a lemon
- 1 bunch kale (black/lacinato is best)
- 250 g dried pasta (penne or fusilli is good, but anything will work)
- 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano (or similar cheese)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Remove the thick ribs from the kale leaves and discard.
- In a small pan, heat the olive oil and garlic on medium until the garlic is soft and remove from heat.
- Once water is boiling, add the kale leaves and cook for about 5 min (until they are tender but not mushy). Remove leaves from the water and put them directly into a blender.
- Add the pasta into the still-boiling water and cook according to package directions.
- Add the garlic and oil from the pan into the blender, along with the lemon juice and a splash of hot water from the pot. Blend until you have a smooth puree, adding more hot water if needed. Season with salt and pepper and blend again.
- Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta. Return the cooked pasta to the pot and add the kale puree, 3/4 of the cheese, and a splash of the reserved pasta water. Toss until the pasta is well coated, adding pasta water as needed to make the sauce loose and creamy in texture.
- Serve into bowl and top with a drizzle of olive oil and remaining cheese.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 15
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