Whole Grain Pasta with Kale, Lemon, and Parmesan
Prep Time minutes 15
Cook Time 20 minutes
Passive Time
Servings people
| Prep Time minutes 15 | Cook Time 20 minutes | Passive Time | Servings people |
My kids love kale – yes, you just read that. Now, I know not everyone’s family loves kale, but who doesn’t love pasta night? Try this recipe for a family dinner and see if you can make them all Kale converts. The bright lemony flavor of the zest and juice and salty parmesan, together with the chewy kale, all come together to create a full flavored pasta that adults and kids alike will love.
Ingredients
- 1-2 bunches Kale* well washed, tough stems removed, thinly sliced*
- 1 lb Pasta I use whole wheat spaghetti
- 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves Garlic finely chopped
- 2 TBS Lemon zest grated, from about 4 lemons
- 2 TBS Lemon juice fresh
- Kosher salt to taste
- black pepper coarsely ground, to taste
- Red pepper flakes optional
- 3 Ounces Parmesan cheese shaved or freshly grated (or more if you like!)
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Ingredients
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- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook, according to package directions. Make sure to leave a little al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Cover the bottom of the pan with extra virgin olive oil and add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, or just until fragrant. Stir in the kale. You may need to do this slowly to make room as the kale wilts down. Add the lemon zest and season liberally with salt and pepper.
- When the pasta is cooked and drained, combine the pasta and kale mixture in either the empty pasta pot or the skillet and mix together well. Stir in the lemon juice, and add enough of the reserved pasta cooking water to moisten and coat the pasta. If you like a little spice, add a few shakes of red pepper flakes. Stir in half of the parmesan and season as needed with salt and pepper.
- Serve the pasta and top with additional parmesan cheese!
Recipe Notes
*You can use one or two bunches, depending on how what ratio of Kale to pasta you like. We love kale and load up on it in this recipe. It cook down, so even two bunches does not dominate. I prefer to use curly green kale for this recipe.