Kale Pesto Pasta

By Beth Moncel

Kale makes a great inexpensive and earthy pesto! Dress up this Kale Pesto pasta with add-ins to make it a meal, or keep it simple for the perfect summer side. 

Ingredients

• 1 lb pasta ($1.49)
• 4 cups kale, chopped, loosely packed ($0.50)
• 1/3 cup olive oil, or as needed ($0.82)
• 1 large lemon (1/4 c juice, 1 Tbsp zest) ($0.75)
• 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts ($0.57)
• 1/3 cup Parmesan, grated ($0.55)
• 1/2 tsp salt, or as needed ($0.03)
• Freshly cracked pepper to taste ($0.05)
• 4 oz. mozzarella (optional) ($2.00)

Instructions

1. 1

   Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add the pasta and continue to boil until the pasta is tender. Drain in a colander and let cool.

2. 2

   While the pasta is cooking, prepare the pesto. Pull the kale leaves from the woody stems, and roughly chop into thin strips. Place the kale in a colander and rinse with cool water. Let the excess water drain away.

3. 3

   Add the chopped and washed kale to a food processor along with the olive oil, 1/4 cup juice from the lemon, garlic, walnuts, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Purée the mixture until smooth and bright green. Add more oil if needed to allow the mixture to become a thick, smooth sauce. Taste the pesto and adjust the salt, pepper, or lemon juice to your liking. Set the pesto aside.

4. 4

   Once the pasta is drained and cooled to the point where it is no longer steaming, transfer it to a large bowl. Add about half of the pesto and stir until the pasta is coated. 

5. 5

   Dice the mozzarella into small cubes, then add it to the pasta along with about 1 Tbsp of the zest from the lemon. Stir to combine with the pesto pasta. Add more pesto until everything is coated in a thick layer. Top with more freshly cracked pepper and serve, or refrigerate until ready to eat.