Kale Sauce Pasta
Description
A very popular recipe on NYT Cooking for good reason! I gave it a whirl and because the sauce comes together in about one minute in your blender, I took the opportunity to add the bits of spinach, broccoli and green onion that were wilting in my fridge. I also want to make a note that if you don’t have fresh kale at the ready, then frozen bags (at least the ones that I use) come in 500 gram portions so this would be an easy way to whip up a ‘green dinner’ in the winter months – enjoy!
Ingredients
olive oil for cooking (and serving)
2 + cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled
1 lb. kale, washed and thick ribs removed
kosher salt AND freshly ground pepper
1/2 lb. (227 g) your favorite pasta shapes
~1 c. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (but I’m sure other strong cheeses would work!)
Instructions
Put on a large pot of generously salted water to boil and heat up a small skillet over medium heat. Add a splash of olive oil to the skillet and cook the garlic for a quick minute until it starts to sizzle then turn the heat way down and leave it to simmer in the oil until it softens.
When the water begins to boil, add the kale leaves and then straight away use a pair of tongs to remove them directly into your blender – though you may wish to leave thicker kale for an extra minute. Add the pasta into the boiling water and cook until just al dente, and while it’s cooking scrape the olive oil and garlic into the blender as well.
Pulse the blender until you have a smooth green sauce – if it’s too thick add a splash of hot pasta water (and any green bits that need to be used up from your fridge!). When the pasta is barely tender, drain it, reserving at least a cup of the hot pasta water, and then add the pasta, the green sauce and about 3/4’s of your cheese back into the pot and give it all a good stir. Add a splash more pasta water as needed but the key here is to serve it straight away while it’s hot and saucy – and with more cheese!
