Have you ever hated a particular food but then come to like it over time? That sums up my relationship with kale.
When I first tried kale I thought it was bitter and quite frankly gross. My husband was somewhat ambivalent about it. He didn’t dislike it, but he wouldn’t seek it out either. Now we’re totally on the kale bandwagon. I don’t know how that happened but I’m not about to question it. We like a healthy green veggie and we’re going with it.
I’m a huge fan of Ree Drummond, otherwise known as The Pioneer Woman. I love watching her TV show on Saturday mornings on the Food Network while sipping a cup of coffee. Heck, I even enjoy watching the re-runs during the week. When I found this kale pasta recipe on her blog, I knew I simply had to try it. I’m glad I did because it’s delish.
Some days I’m in the mood for some carbs. No heavy sauce is required. In fact, I’m a happy girl if you give me a bowl of pasta with just a little butter and grated Parmesan cheese. You can see how this kale and pasta is totally up my alley because it’s sort of along those same lines. My husband is always saying that we need to eat more veggies so if I add a little kale to my carb craving then I’m totally winning!
My husband regularly has to eat things cold because of all the photos I take for the blog. Fortunately this is one meal that can be enjoyed warm or cold! Yup, I’m already thinking about how this will make an awesome addition at a BBQ. Mmm, BBQ foods.
Here’s my public service announcement for the day… Give kale a chance, a 2nd chance, and even a 3rd before you write it off. 🙂
Kale and Pasta Recipe
(About 4 to 6 servings, if served as a dinner entree. About 12 servings, if served as a side dish.)
Ingredients:
- 1 pound pasta (I used Collezione pasta.)
- 1/4 cup oil (I used olive oil because I think it tastes best in this dish but it’s not required.)
- 1 bunch kale, chopped
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces of Parmesan cheese, shredded
Directions:
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Drain it and set it aside in a bowl.
- In a large skillet, over Medium heat, heat the oil.
- Add the chopped kale and cook it until it’s partly wilted. (About 5 minutes.)
- Add in the minced garlic, salt, and pepper, and stir all the ingredients together. Cook the mixture for about another minute.
- Add the cooked kale to the bowl of pasta and stir everything together.
- Sprinkle the shredded Parmesan cheese on top.
- Enjoy this dish right away or chill it in the fridge for 2 hours and enjoy it cold.
Adapted from: The Pioneer Woman
Here are some other recipes from The Pioneer Woman that you might enjoy.
How nice! I love the shape of your Collezione pasta, where do you get it?
The pasta is a new collection at my local grocery store (Stop & Shop). I keep thinking that I should buy all the boxes on the shelf because it may be a limited edition?!
I only recently discovered kale, and I loved it! It took me a long time to try it though – just based on what I read. So I’m very glad you found a recipe you liked to use it! This pasta looks great!
Thanks, Kristi! 🙂