Kale Pesto Pasta
from kristineskitchenblog.comKale plays a starring role in this Kale Pesto Pasta. A flavor-packed, creamy pesto sauce made with kale on whole wheat linguine pasta for a satisfying and healthy vegetarian meal.
Servings: 4 -6
Calories: 698kcal
Ingredients
- 12 oz. whole wheat linguine
- 2 cups chopped kale packed
- 1 cup fresh basil lightly packed
- ¾ cup 2 oz. grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- ¾ cup toasted pine nuts divided
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ tsp. Kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp. black pepper
- ¼ cup plus 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and then drain; return pasta to the pot.
- In a food processor, combine kale, basil, grated Parmesan, ½ cup pine nuts, garlic, salt, and pepper. Process until everything is finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the processor running, pour in the olive oil through the feed tube and process until incorporated.
- Add the kale pesto to the pasta in the pot and toss to combine, adding a little of the reserved pasta cooking water if needed to loosen the sauce. (I forgot to reserve some pasta water - oops - and mine was fine without it.) Serve topped with the reserved toasted pine nuts and grated Parmesan.
Notes
While we prefer this pesto with a combination of kale and basil, if fresh basil is not available it is also delicious made with just kale. Increase the kale to 2 1/2 cups (packed), omit the basil, and follow the rest of the recipe as written.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/4 recipe | Calories: 698kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 439mg | Potassium: 540mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3810IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 305mg | Iron: 3mg
