Best Spaghetti With Kale Recipes

KILLER KALE PASTA

Steps:

• Place the bell peppers over the flame of a gas burner to char, turning, 3 to 4 minutes per side (or char the peppers under the broiler, turning, 5 minutes). Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow the peppers to steam about 10 minutes. Once cool to the touch, remove the peppers from the bowl and pull off the charred skin and stems and remove the seeds. Slice and set aside until ready to use.
• Set a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, then the shallots and garlic; season with salt and pepper and cook until the garlic is fragrant and the shallots are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and wine and cook until most of the wine has evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Add both cans of tomatoes and the roasted red peppers. Mix well and bring to a steady boil, then reduce the heat so the sauce simmers.
• Meanwhile, prepare the kale by removing and discarding the stems; tear the leaves into bite-size pieces. Fold the kale into the tomato sauce along with the chicken and toss to combine. Cover and cook until the kale has wilted, about 5 minutes. If the sauce seems dry, add the chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time. Continue cooking, covered, until the kale is tender, all the flavors have come together and the sauce is thick, 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions, 8 to 10 minutes. Reserve about 1 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta and add it directly to the Dutch oven with the finished sauce. Drizzle in some olive oil. Cook over low heat, tossing to coat everything, 2 to 3 minutes. (This allows the last cooking of the pasta to be done in the sauce.) Add a little of the reserved pasta water if needed. Serve the pasta in large bowls and top with spoonfuls of parmesan, more red pepper flakes and another drizzle of olive oil.

SPAGHETTI WITH KALE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, strip kale leaves from ribs and stems, then tear leaves crosswise into 2"-3" pieces. Cook kale in boiling water until bright green and slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, transfer kale to a colander and rinse under cold water, tossing; squeeze out excess liquid from leaves. Keep water at a boil (you'll use it for the pasta).
• Whack garlic with the side of a chef's knife to crush; peel off skins. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large heavy pot over medium. Cook garlic, stirring occasionally, until sizzling, about 3 minutes. Season very generously with black pepper and cook, smashing with a wooden spoon, until cloves break into rough pieces, soften, and look golden. Add kale to pot and cook, stirring often, until darkened in color and very tender, about 8 minutes (garlic will break into even smaller pieces). Season with kosher salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until very al dente (2-3 minutes less than package directions).
• Using tongs, add pasta to kale; splash in about 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Cook, tossing and adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce lightly coats pasta, about 2 minutes.
• Serve pasta topped with Parmesan, red pepper flakes, sea salt, and more black pepper.

KALE-SAUCE PASTA

Steps:

• Put a large pot of generously salted water over high heat, and bring to a boil. In a small skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and garlic, and cook until the garlic begins to sizzle. Reduce heat to low, and cook very gently until garlic is soft and begins to turn light gold, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• When water is boiling, add kale leaves, and cook until tender, but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Pull out the hot, dripping kale leaves with tongs, and put directly into a blender. (Don't drain the pot; you'll use that same boiling water to cook the pasta.) Add garlic and its oil to the blender, along with a splash of hot water from the pot if you need some more liquid to get the blender going. Blend into a fine, thick green purée. Taste, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, then blend again.
• Add the pasta to the still-boiling water, and cook according to directions on the package. Ladle out about a cup of the water to save for finishing the dish, then drain the pasta and return it to the dry pot. Add the kale purée, about 3/4 of the grated cheese and a splash of the reserved pasta water. Toss until all the pasta is well coated and bright green, adding another splash of pasta water if needed so that the sauce is loose and almost creamy in texture. Serve in bowls right away, and top with an extra drizzle of olive oil and the rest of the grated cheese.

ONE-POT SPAGHETTI WITH CHERRY TOMATOES AND KALE

Steps:

• Bring just over a quart of water to a boil. Meanwhile, place spaghetti, tomatoes, lemon zest, oil and 2 teaspoons kosher salt in a large, dry, shallow pan. (The pan should be large enough that the dry spaghetti can lie flat.)
• Carefully add the boiling water to the pan with the spaghetti. Cover pan, and bring up to a boil. Remove lid and simmer for about 6 minutes, using tongs to move the spaghetti around now and then so it doesn't stick. Add kale or spinach and continue cooking until remaining liquid has reduced to a sauce and the pasta is cooked through. Taste, season with salt and pepper, and top with Parmesan.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH KALE PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Halve and seed the spaghetti squash; roast, then scrape into strands (see Cook's Note).
• Meanwhile, toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
• Pulse the kale, parsley, garlic, raisins and 2 tablespoons of the toasted nuts in a blender or food processor until combined. Add 1/4 cup olive oil; blend until smooth. Add 1/3 cup water, the parmesan, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Pulse until the pesto comes together, adding up to 3 more tablespoons water to loosen, if necessary; season with more salt and pepper.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spaghetti squash and cook, stirring, until coated. Add 3/4 cup of the kale pesto. Stir to coat, adding up to 1/2 cup water to loosen; season with salt and pepper. Top the squash with the remaining toasted nuts and more parmesan.

DRUNKEN SPAGHETTI WITH BLACK KALE

Steps:

• Pour the whole bottle of wine into a pasta pot and add about the same amount of water. Salt the liquid and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the pasta and cook until just shy of al dente. Heads up: Remove and reserve 1 cup of cooking water just before draining.
• Meanwhile, heat a deep skillet over medium to medium-high heat with the extra-virgin olive oil. Add the pancetta and cook until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes, then add the garlic and swirl it around for 2 minutes more. Add the kale, let it wilt and then season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, to taste. Add the reserved cooking liquid, drained pasta and the grated cheese. Toss vigorously for at least a full minute, then serve in shallow bowls. Pass the Pecorino to shave over the pasta at the table.

PENNE WITH KALE AND ONION

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook onion in 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until onion is golden brown, stirring frequently and adding the garlic during the last 2 minutes of cooking time. , Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook penne according to package directions. In a Dutch oven, bring 1 in. of water to a boil. Add kale; cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender; drain., Drain penne; drizzle with remaining oil. Stir the salt, penne and kale into the onion mixture; heat through.