Tasty and simple parmesan garlic pasta with finely chopped kale for a nutritional upgrade on a comfort food classic. An excellent way for kale skeptics to try this nutritious green! Keep it simple, or add some cherry tomatoes and a protein source for a well rounded meal.
The Easiest Way to Turn a Batch of Kale into Dinner
This is the kind of simple pasta dinner which comes together in the time it takes the pasta to boil. A winner! We have lemony, garlicky sauteed kale tossed with a little butter and cheese and some long pasta noodles and a tasty comforting bowl of pasta is born.
The only potentially time intensive part of this recipe is prepping and chopping your kale. But I used bagged kale, which was already very finely chopped, and just gave it a few more chops with the knife. You can also do a very quick pulse in the food processor. Or just… let the kale be bigger? There’s really no problem with that either.
For me, this is super satisfying all on its own but some fried halloumi, roasted mushrooms or fresh cherry tomatoes (if they are in season) would be great additions if I wanted something more substantial.
Q. What kind of kale should I use?
Easy answer – any kale! Curly kale, baby kale or lacinato kale (cavolo nero) will all work great in this recipe.
Q. What are the pasta shapes to use?
Long, thin pasta shapes like tagliatelle (which is pictured) and fettuccine work nicely there. I’ve also enjoyed making this dish with more unusual shapes mafalde and fusilli lunghi. It’s super flexible. You’d have no problems transferring the recipe to a short pasta too. Something like orecchiette, farfalle or normal fusilli would be fine.
Q. What flavor boosters can I add?
If this is too simple for your tastes, take a look in your fridge for some Mediterranean flavor boosters. Chili, olives, capers, sundried tomatoes? Chop them up and throw them in when you’re sauteeing the kale.
More Kale Heavy Pasta Recipes
Easy Parmesan Kale Pasta
Ingredients
- 9 oz (255 g) dried tagliatelle (or other shape)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3.5 oz (100 g) kale
- 6 large cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 small lemon, juiced
- 1 Tbsp (15 g) butter, or more to taste
- 1 cup (115 g) grated parmesan, pecorino or another Italian hard cheese*
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Boil your pasta noodles according to package instructions.9 oz dried tagliatelle (or other shape)
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet or deep sided frying pan. Sautee your kale and garlic together until the kale is wilted and reduced. Add salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice to the pan.3.5 oz kale, 6 large cloves of garlic, 1 small lemon, salt and pepper, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- When the pasta is ready, drain and add to the pan with the kale. Add the butter and parmesan cheese and mix through until it’s all combined.1 Tbsp butter, 1 cup grated parmesan, pecorino or another Italian hard cheese*
- Serve!