Whole Wheat Pasta

By Tracy

6 Person

30 Minutes

0 Calories

This Whole Wheat Pasta with Kale Pesto is a quick and easy meatless dinner! Make your pesto with cashews for extra creaminess. Blanching the kale also helps keep the pesto green.Kale has long been a popular vegetable in New England since it can be grown all year round in both the field and cold frames. Luckily, its popularity has really gained traction everywhere lately, giving us plenty of new ways to enjoy it – like this pesto pasta!

Ingredients

Pasta

8 oz. Fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tbsp. Lemon juice
1 pound Linguine

Pesto

Water
1/4 tsp. Ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/3 cup Olive oil
1/2 cup Finely grated parmesan
2 cloves Garlic, peeled
1/2 cup Unsalted cashews
1 bunch Lacinato kale,stems removed and leaves torn into large pieces

Method

01

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water.
02

Add the kale to the boiling water and stir for 15 seconds, or until wilted and deep green. With a slotted spoon, transfer it to the bowl of ice water. Reserve the cooking water in the pot.
03

Squeeze the kale with your hands to remove excess water.
04

In a food processor, pulse the cashews and garlic a few times until finely chopped. Add the kale and Parmesan, and pulse until they are also finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary.
05

With the motor running, pour in the olive oil. Add the salt and pepper. If needed, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to bring the pesto to the desired thickness. Taste the pesto and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
06

Return the pot of water used to blanch the kale to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until al dente.Scoop out and set aside 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta in a colander.
07

Return the pasta to the empty cooking pot and toss with the lemon juice. Add 1 cup or more pesto, to taste, and toss again. If the pesto seems dry, add a little of the pasta cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sauce coats the pasta. Stir in the mozzarella pieces and serve.

Related Tags

Whole Wheat Pasta

4.3

( By Tracy )

01 Information

Grade easy
Serving 6 servings
Prep Time 15 Mins
Cook Time 15 Mins
Total Time 30 Mins

02 Ingredients

Pasta

8 oz. Fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tbsp. Lemon juice

1 pound Linguine

Pesto

Water

1/4 tsp. Ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/3 cup Olive oil

1/2 cup Finely grated parmesan

2 cloves Garlic, peeled

1/2 cup Unsalted cashews

1 bunch Lacinato kale,stems removed and leaves torn into large pieces

03 Method

Step 1

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water.

Step 2

Add the kale to the boiling water and stir for 15 seconds, or until wilted and deep green. With a slotted spoon, transfer it to the bowl of ice water. Reserve the cooking water in the pot.

Step 3

Squeeze the kale with your hands to remove excess water.

Step 4

In a food processor, pulse the cashews and garlic a few times until finely chopped. Add the kale and Parmesan, and pulse until they are also finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as necessary.

Step 5

With the motor running, pour in the olive oil. Add the salt and pepper. If needed, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to bring the pesto to the desired thickness. Taste the pesto and add additional salt and pepper if needed.

Step 6

Return the pot of water used to blanch the kale to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until al dente.Scoop out and set aside 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta in a colander.

Step 7

Return the pasta to the empty cooking pot and toss with the lemon juice. Add 1 cup or more pesto, to taste, and toss again. If the pesto seems dry, add a little of the pasta cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sauce coats the pasta. Stir in the mozzarella pieces and serve.

04 Author

Tracy

88 Recipes

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