Pappardelle with Kale Sauce
AKA green monster pasta
This recipe is a complete slam dunk! We totally loved it. It tastes amazing, and it’s so full of nutrients from the kale! What a great way to get a TON of leafy greens in your diet without even knowing you’re eating them.
My 3-year-old likes kale, but if your kiddos don’t, you can call it Green Monster Pasta if that will help them eat it!
Besides the kale, the ingredient list is short— just a bit of garlic, oil, salt & pepper, your choice of pasta, and Parmigiano Reggiano.
Because the recipe is so simple, it’s really important to cook the ingredients correctly or the whole dish will be affected. Make especially sure not to burn the garlic or overcook the pasta. Other than watching your cooking times, it’s really simple to make this recipe and only takes about 20 minutes.
The recipe serves 4 (or maybe 3 if everyone is really hungry), but if you are serving more people or want to make it more filling, try throwing some Italian sausages into the oven while you make the recipe. The sausages will cook in the time it takes to make the pasta.
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Pappardelle with Kale Sauce (Green Monster Pasta, adapted from Kale Sauce Pasta from the New York Times)
Cook time = 20 minutes
Serves: 4
For Dietary Restrictions
Gluten free: use gluten-free egg noodles or gluten-free pasta, such as rigatoni
Dairy free: omit cheese or substitute ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
Kids Can Help
Wash and separate kale from stems, grate cheese, peel garlic, push buttons on the blender, measure salt
Ingredients
8 oz (½ lb) dried pappardelle (Italian egg noodles)
8 oz (½ lb) Lacinato kale (about 2 bunches)
2 garlic cloves
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
1 oz Parmigiano Reggiano or Asiago cheese (for ¾ cup grated)
Tools
Small saute pan or saucepan
Large pasta pot
Collander
Cutting board and knife
Food processor OR blender
Tongs
Cheese grater
Ladle or glass measuring cup with handle (for pasta water)
Directions
Step 1
Wash kale leaves and separate the leaf from the stems. (Don’t worry about the thin portions of stem at the top; it’s only the large stems that you’ll need to discard.)
Step 2
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add 1-2 tsp of kosher salt until it tastes good. (Tip: make sure all the salt has dissolved before you taste it!)
Step 3
Peel and mince the garlic; grate the Asiago or Parmigiano Reggiano (you’ll need about ¾ cup) and set aside.
Step 4
In a small skillet, heat ¼ cup of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until the garlic starts to sizzle, then reduce heat to low and cook gently until garlic is soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Step 5
Once the water is boiling, add the kale leaves and allow to cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Using tongs, move the kale to a blender or food processor, leaving the water in the pot. Add the garlic and oil to the blender with ½ tsp of salt and several cranks of the black pepper grinder. Puree for a minute or two until you have a smooth sauce (if necessary, you can add a bit of water from the pot to get the blender going); taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Step 6
Add the dried noodles to the boiling water and cook according to package directions (about 6 minutes for pappardelle). Reserve 1-2 ladles of pasta water before draining.
Step 7
Drain the pasta and return it to the pot along with the kale puree and about ⅔ of the cheese. Mix quickly with tongs until all the noodles are coated, adding a bit of pasta water to loosen the noodles. Serve immediately topped with the remaining grated cheese and a bit of fresh ground pepper.
