Kale Pesto Pasta is a quick, healthy vegetarian evening meal. A creamy pesto from kale, pine nuts, and aged cheese is mixed with the spaghetti. Then flavored with sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese, it becomes a delicious vegetarian meal.
Pesto Pasta in a Different Way
Kale is a versatile vegetable that contains a lot of vitamins. A kind of superfood, but one that you used to eat. I like to make a stew or quiche with it. But what is also nice is to create a pesto out of it.
I certainly don't make pesto exclusively with pine nuts, garlic, basil, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. No, I make pesto in all variations. I adapt them to the season. For example, I think a basil pesto is much better suited to the summer. Those scents, so aromatic, suit a balmy summer evening. On the other hand, this kale pesto with old cheese has a more robust taste, which is super tasty in the winter.
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Kale Pesto Pasta
And then the pasta. Due to the strong taste of the kale pesto, the pasta, in this case, the spaghetti needs almost nothing else. Some slices of sun-dried tomato for a slightly sweet accent, crunchy pine nuts, and some grated Parmesan cheese. To top it off. A quick meal!
And do you like this? Look at my pasta recipes page with the most delicious pastas, such as a superfast macaroni, kale with sausage lasagna, and penne with zucchini and walnuts.
What do you need for a Creamy Pesto and Kale Pasta?
To prepare this kale pesto pasta, you need the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
Ingredients Kale Pesto
- Olive oil - Use extra virgin olive oil with a fruity taste.
- Kale - Use sliced kale or cut these winter greens into inch-thick strips. Wash well before use. This is a delicious vitamin source. Do you only have frozen kale? No problem, just add ¼ cup of water instead of half a cup. Instead of kale, use ½ pound of spinach or the same amount of cavolo nero.
- Garlic - Gives a wonderful flavor to the pesto.
- Pine Nuts - Use toasted pine nuts for a touch of nutty flavor.
- Aged cheese - Has a spicy and full taste, especially compared to young cheese. This is because it loses moisture as it ripens. You can also replace it with Pecorino Romano, Parmesan, or Grana Padano.
Ingredients Kale Pesto Pasta
- Pasta - The collective name for durum wheat pasta. Such as macaroni, spaghetti, fusilli, tagliatelle, etc. And in fact, almost any type of pasta goes with this kale pesto pasta.
- Sun-dried tomatoes - For a delicious bite in this spaghetti with kale. Even better than sun-dried tomatoes are semi-sun-dried tomatoes (I can eat a bowl of that).
- Parmesan cheese - A delicious salty cheese from the Italian kitchen which combines wonderfully with all kinds of pasta.
How to prepare Kale Pesto and Spaghetti
You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan and stir-fry the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the kale and stir-fry for two minutes. Add the water and fry the kale for about five minutes. The kale will then shrink.
- Place the kale, aged cheese, pine nuts, and olive oil in a blender.
- Pulse until you get a creamy pesto. Then, you can add some extra olive oil if needed.
- Mix the kale pesto through the spaghetti and add the sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and serve!
This is tasty with a (homemade) baguette and an orange and blue cheese salad!
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
Recipe
📖 Recipe
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Kale Pesto Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
Kale Pesto
6 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
2 cloves garlic thinly sliced or squeeze
½ pound kale sliced thinly
½ cup water
¼ cup pine nuts toasted in a dry pan- 3 oz. aged cheese grated
- 1 pound pasta any sort will do. I used spaghetti
Serving Pasta
- 10 sun-dried tomatoes cut into strips
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts toasted
2 oz. Parmesan cheese grated
Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic
Instructions
Make the pesto
- Heat half the olive oil in the frying pan and add the garlic.6 tablespoons olive oil, 2 cloves garlic
- Stir-fry for 30 seconds then add the kale.½ pound kale
- Bake for two minutes, pour the water into the skillet, and cook the kale for about 5 minutes.½ cup water
- Put the kale in the blender and grind with the aged cheese, pine nuts, and olive oil until you get a creamy pesto. Add some extra olive oil if it seems to be a bit dry.¼ cup pine nuts, 3 oz. aged cheese
Prepare the spaghetti and serve
- Prepare the spaghetti according to the recipe (or the manufacturer's instructions) and drain.1 pound pasta
- Put back into the pan and mix the pesto through.
- Spoon into a serving dish, sprinkle with the pine nuts and sun-dried tomatoes and grate the cheese above. Serve immediately.10 sun-dried tomatoes, 3 tablespoons pine nuts, 2 oz. Parmesan cheese
Notes
- Refrigerator - Leftover Kale pesto pasta can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for two days.
- Freezer - You can freeze this in a freezer box or bag and keep it in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator.
- Reheat - Put a pan on the stove and put the pasta in the pan with an extra splash of olive oil. While stirring, warm the pasta over low heat. You can also warm it up in the oven. Place the pesto paste in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, and heat in a preheated oven at 350 °F (180 °C_ for 20 minutes.
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