Easy Kale Pesto Pasta
Let’s talk pasta!
One thing I love about meal prep, is using pasta! Pasta gets a bad reputation for being just laden with carbs and lacking in nutrients. However, that can’t be further from the truth. It’s actually the perfect medium to get more veggies on your plate and you can even utilize healthier sauces and pasta varieties. If you’re not about white pasta, you can effortlessly mix it up with healthier alternatives. Today, there are endless options!
Bonus, it terms of leftover, it’s still good the next day!
One of my favorite classic dishes, is a pesto pasta! Believe it or not, you can pack on all the greens when making the staple pesto sauce. From kale to spinach, the options are endless and it won’t overpower the flavor. Needless to say, I knew we needed a kale pesto as it’s such a must try. While many may have tried this concept and found the final result underwhelming, that’s probably bc the the fibrous kale wasn’t broken down prior to making the sauce.
To make the kale more pliable it’s best to blanch it prior to throwing it in a blender. This way it blends easier and your sauce will have texture, but not be one thick mess.
What’s also great about this pesto?
It contains less oil and uses pasta water to achieve the desired consistency!
This pesto not only packs spinach, but contains less oil, has notes go garlic, lemon, you can use vegan cheese, and it even has a lil fiery kick! Wanting to use this sauce for different dishes? You absolutely can! It even makes a great cold pasta salad!
What’s great about this dish? Everything! It’s savory, it’s nutty, it’s veggie packed, you can use the sauce for other dishes, you can even add spinach, you can use nutritional yeast for a vegan version, it can easily be made in bulk, you can switch up the pasta and even do zucchini noddles, the sauce can be made completely smooth if you’d like to throw it in the blender for longer and with more pasta water, you can switch up the nuts, and it’s just so good you don’t even need a protein!
If you have an affinity for all things pasta or pesto, you have to try this new Kale Pesto Pasta!
Why this recipe is great:
Quick
Easy
It packs tons of kale
Minimal ingredients
Affordable
Perfect for any season
Can be made fully vegan
[tasty-recipe id=”83929″]