This Kale Pasta is so simple to make, and is delicious and addictive! There’s been a kale fad going on in New York. It’s the cool thing to blog about and say that you’re eating, because you’ll sound healthy and organic and farm to table and all that. They are the first of the ‘essentials’ to fly off the store shelves whenever there is a blizzard warning. The funny thing is, one of the chef instructors at the culinary school told us that kale is actually poisonous if you eat it raw! Oops! Anyway, I’d never dealt with kale until we went to our cousin Laura’s house in Washington state. They grow beautiful kale in their own garden, and Laura introduced us to this deliciously addictive way of eating it! Now I buy kale regularly and should say that I am a cool New Yorker, too!
Kale Pasta
Ingredients
- 1.75 pounds conchiglie (shell shaped) pasta
- 5 ounces pine nuts
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 10 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or more to taste
- 2 bunches kale stems removed and leaves roughly chopped
- 0.5 pounds Parmigiano-Reggiano shaved
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and to al dente according to package directions, usually about 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the pine nuts and toast slowly over the course of 8-10 minutes, tossing regularly. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and garlic over low heat, and let the garlic slowly infuse the oil. When the garlic starts sizzling, stir to ensure that the garlic doesn’t burn.
- Add the kale and cook until partly wilted, about 5 minutes.
- Add the toasted pine nuts and boiled pasta to the kale and toss all together.
- Add Parmesan shavings and toss.
- Add salt & pepper and toss.