This is a recipe for a vivid, vegetarian pasta sauce, made from blanched kale leaves and loaded with good olive oil, grated parmesan, toasted walnuts and roasted garlic. It’s simple and quick from start to finish and the result is a luxurious, silky sauce. I served mine over an organic pasta, maybe because I’m 9 months pregnant and have been living off CARBS but it was delicious none-the-less. You could also toss some roasted veggies in it or serve it with chicken or even fish.
First, de-stem the kale. The stems are bitter so it’s best to discard.
Then, toast the nuts of your choice - I chose walnuts here! You also want to sauté the garlic in a generous amount of olive oil.
Blanch those kale leaves in boiling water for 4-5 minutes or just until tender. Don’t over do it!
Throw it all in the blender.. the blanched kale, roasted garlic, fresh basil leaves, shredded parmesan and the toasted nuts. I added about 1/2 a cup of the water I blanched the kale in to get the blender going. Then drizzle in the olive oil to create the right consistency. Squeeze 1/4 of a lemon into the mix for some acidity to balance.
I personally love a good pesto with plenty of salty cheese but you could also easily make this sauce vegan by substituting nutritional yeast for the cheese to give it that nutty flavor.
Be sure to let the blender run on a powerful setting, you want the kale to completely break down into a smooth, bright, airy green puree.
I made the noodles, strained them but reserved 1 cup of the pasta water for the sauce. I quickly put the hot pasta back into the cast iron skillet and tossed with olive oil and incorporated an egg yolk in and stirred. I wanted it to be borderline carbonara style… my favorite… then I added the kale pesto with a splash of the pasta water and incorporated it together until smooth. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan, pepper and chili flakes! Serve warm!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 bunch of kale
- 4 cloves of garlic (smashed)
- 1-2 cups fresh basil
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup olive oil plus more for serving
- 3/4 cups grated parmesan
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- pasta of your choice!
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