Kale Pesto Pasta

This pesto is comforting and amazingly creamy considering there is no cheese. Make sure you blend until very smooth for a silky sauce. This makes a decent amount but feel free to half the quantities or freeze half. It’s pretty great on toast with a fried egg for breakfast. Check out more of my pasta recipes.

Vegan

INGREDIENTS

makes 750g:
200g kale
100g spinach
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
6.5 garlic cloves
100g blanched almonds/macadamia nuts
280ml extra virgin olive oil
zest of 2 lemons + 180ml juice (about 1 lemon)
280ml cold water
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
pinch of caster sugar
generous salt + pepper
x2 pinches of dried chilli flakes / 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
130g pasta per person + starchy pasta water

Set a frying pan to a medium to high heat + add two spoons of olive oil followed by the onion. Fry for 3.5mins before adding in 6 sliced garlic cloves + 2 more spoons of oil. Fry for 2mins. Scrape into a bowl + pour over the remaining olive oil to cool the onions. Place bowl into the freezer for 5mins while you prep the rest.
Remove the thick stalks off the kale + blanch in boiling water for 1min. Then add the spinach + cook for another 1min. Drain + pour into a bowl of iced water to stop it going dark + to retain it’s bright green. Squeeze out excess water + place into a blender along with the nuts, lemon zest, juice juice, water, vinegar, sugar, chilli, oil + onion garlic mix. Blend until you get a smooth consistency + season generously with salt + pepper.
For pasta, set a frying pan to a medium to high heat. Add 3 spoons of pesto per person, a good splash of the starchy pasta water + newly cooked pasta. Toss everything together + serve straight away.

See the recipe come to life here on my Instagram.