Kale and Walnut Pesto with Spaghetti is a healthy and flavourful pasta dish. It's quick and easy to put together and simply perfect for any day of the week.
Course Pasta
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Kale Walnut Pesto with Spaghetti
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 10 minutesminutes
Servings 5
Calories 699kcal
Author Marisa
Ingredients
2cupskale (roughly chopped)rinsed, dried and firmly packed
1cupItalian parsley (roughly chopped)Rinsed, dried and firmly packed
1garlic clove
1/3cupwalnutslightly toasted
lemon zestfrom one medium sized lemon
lemon juicefrom one medium sized lemon
1/2cupextra virgin olive oil
1/4cupParmigiano Reggiano cheesefreshly grated
red chili pepper flakes2 generous pinches
salt and pepperto your taste
450gramsspaghetti
1cupfreshly toasted bread crumbsoptional (see notes below)
Instructions
Kale Walnut Pesto
Fill a large sauce pot with water and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, start making the kale pesto.
Place the kale, parsley, garlic, walnuts, both the zest and juice of a lemon and the olive oil in a large food processor.
Pulse until smooth.
Transfer the pesto to a small bowl and stir in the cheese, chili flakes and salt & pepper to your taste.
Set the pesto aside while you cook the pasta.
Pasta
Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Once the water boils, salt the water and cook the spaghetti according to package instructions.
When the pasta is cooked, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water then drain the spaghetti.
Return the pasta to the sauce pot and toss with approximately 1/2 cup of pesto and the reserved pasta water.
Taste the pasta and add additional pesto if needed or simply to your liking.
Plate and serve with a dab of pesto, some extra cheese, a sprinkle of chilli pepper and toasted breadcrumbs if using.
You can store any remaining pesto for up to a week in the fridge.
Or freeze up to 1 month.
Notes
Toasted Breadcrumbs:Use your favourite bread, crust removed and chopped into small pieces (approximately 1 cup).Heat a skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the breadcrumbs.Toast the crumbs while tossing frequently for about 5 minutes or until the crumbs turn golden brown.