A modern twist on the classic pesto, this recipe swaps out the traditional basil for the deeper flavour of kale, and because of this more robust flavour it allows you to play around with the nuts and cheese you use in the recipe to create something really new and special. I love making it with cavolo nero (an Italian version of kale) and sometimes with pecan nuts, but normal kale and pine nuts works just as excellently.

Kale Pesto Pasta Recipe

Prep Time: 30mins

Cook Time: 15mins

Difficulty: Easy

Serves: 6

Ingredients

  • Kale or Cavolo Nero - 200g

  • Diced Garlic - 25g (c.4-5 cloves)

  • Cheese (try a Cheddar, Manchego, or Pecorino) - 75g

  • Nuts (try Pine nuts, Pecan nuts, or Cashews) - 100g

  • Olive Oil - 75g

  • Pasta - 500g

Special Equipment

  • Food Processor / blender

Method

Kale Pesto Pasta Step One - A lazy cheese whirl

Here’s our first step into a world of laziness. Rather than grating the cheese, chuck it in the food processor and pulse / blend until it gets to a rough grated consistency.

 

Kale Pesto Pasta Step Two - Toasted Nuts

Pour the nuts into a frying pan with big glug of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Fry on a low heat, stirring regularly until they’ve browned. Remove from the heat and pout into a bowl to stop the nuts cooking.

Keep the frying pan as you’ll need it for the next step.

 

Kale Pesto Pasta STEP Three - Cooked Kale

Dice the garlic (of not already diced) and place to one side a handful of the kale to top the pasta with later.

Add the rest of the kale kale to the frying pan (chopped up if you’re using cavolo nero) and cook on a high heat stirring regularly until it’s taken on some colour and started to wilt (around 5 minutes). Then turn down the heat, add the garlic to the pan, and stir in for a minute to allow the garlic to slightly cook in the heat of the pan.

Add the kale-garlic mix to the blender with the cheese in it.

 

Kale Pesto Pasta STEP Four - It’s all in the blend

Add half of the nuts to the blender with the cheese, kale, and garlic. Blend until combined.

Add the olive oil and blend again.

Transfer the pesto to a bowl and top with the rest of the nuts (if you’re using a larger nut e.g. pecans, you might want to roughly chop them to make it easier to eat later). Again you might want to keep a small handful of the nuts to top the pesto with later.

cover the pesto and leave in the fridge until needed (it will last a few days if required).

 

Kale Pesto Pasta STEP Five - Pasta

When you’re ready, cook your pasta in-line with the instructions on the packet.

If you want to top the pasta with a little kale then, place in a pan with a little oil and fry whilst you’re cooking the pasta.

 

Kale Pesto Pasta STEP SIX - Kale Pesto Pasta

Kale Pesto Pasta

Once the pasta’s cooked, strain it and return the pasta to the pan. Stir in the pesto and heat on low until it’s all piping hot.

Serve topped with a little kale, toasted nuts, and a few shavings of cheese.

And that’s it, hope you enjoy!