KALE PESTO PASTA
There’s no way I could get enough cold pasta in the summer! This is all I want to consume! I had a half-batch of kale left over from a different recipe I cooked this week. I opted to create a pesto pasta with kale. For 99 cents per pound, it makes an affordable pesto, compared to fresh basil, and has an incredibly earthy taste (although even if you’re not fond of the flavor of kale in the first place, then you’re probably not an avid fan of this one as well). A generous amount of lemon juice, garlic, and some lemon zest at the end makes this pasta a deliciously fresh and vibrant recipe perfect for the summer months.
KEEP IT SIMPLE OR DRESS IT UP
I’ve included the most basic recipe below in keeping with my personal style. If you can your budget and want to go a step further, Add items such as chicken, half-sliced tomato slices, and some artichoke hearts with a salty flavor. It’s delicious that I ate the entire bowl after snapping the pictures, and adding a few other ingredients could transform it from a refreshing side dish to a complete food item.
INGREDIENTS
1 lb pasta ($1.49)
4 cups kale chopped and loose-packed ($0.50)
1/3 cup of olive oil or as required ($0.82)
One large lemon (1/4 c juice, 1 Tbsp zest) ($0.75)
One clove of garlic ($0.08)
1/2 cup walnuts chopped ($0.57)
1/3 cup Parmesan grated ($0.55)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or as much as you need ($0.03)
Freshly cracked and seasoned peppers to taste ($0.05)
Four oz. mozzarella (optional) ($2.00)
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare a large pot of salted water to the point of boiling to prepare the pasta. When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook until the pasta is cooked. Then drain in a colander and allow it to cool.
While the pasta cooks while the pasta is cooking, make the pesto. Take the kale leaves off the stems with woody ends and chop them up into strips. Place the leaves in a colander and rinse them with cool water. The excess water will go away.
Add the kale that has been chopped and washed into a food processor with olive oil and 1/4 cup juice of the garlic, lemon, and walnuts. Add Parmesan salt and pepper. Blend the ingredients until the mixture is silky smooth and bright green. Add more oil as needed so that the medicine can develop into a rich, velvety sauce. Then, taste the pesto and modify the pepper, salt, or lemon juice according to your preference. Place the pesto in a bowl and set it aside.
After the pasta has been drained and cooled to a level without steaming, move it into an enormous bowl. Incorporate about half of the pesto. Mix until the pasta has been evenly coated.
Slice the mozzarella into smaller cubes. Then, put it in the pasta with one Tbsp of the juice of the lemon. Mix well and mix in the pesto. Continue adding pesto until everything is covered in a thick layer. Add more freshly cracked pepper, then serve or chill until the food is ready for consumption.
