Creamy, Dreamy, Greeny Pasta

The creamiest, dreamiest, greeny-est pasta you’ll ever have

You guys know how much I love making meals that are healthy…ish…. This pasta needs to make it into your dinner rotation this week. It is shockingly delicious! AND… WAIT until you see the ingredients - this pasta is practically a salad! Trust me here. Make this sauce. You will not regret it. Healthy AND delicious!

This might look like pesto, but it’s not. It’s a creamy, dreamy, green sauce made from so many greens, cheese, garlic, and lemon. Even if you aren’t a fan of kale, this pasta sauce is going to blow your mind. Plenty of bright lemon juice, lemon zest, nutty parmesan and roasted garlic round out the flavours making this a vibrant and bright pasta sauce!

But… it’s not even just a pasta sauce! This sauce would be heavenly on pizza, drizzled on a harvest bowl, over eggs or in a sandwich!

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Creamy, Dreamy, Greeny Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 (8-ounce) block of Parmesan

• 20 garlic cloves (yes, 20!…buy these pre-peeled) chopped roughly

• 1/2 cup high-quality extra-virgin olive oil

• Kosher salt

• 1 bunch kale (roughly 1 pound), ends trimmed if they look sad

• 12 oz baby spinach (I used a full clamshell 150g)

• 1 pound pasta (any kind)

• 1 cup reserved pasta cooking water

• 2 lemons

Directions:

1. Cut the rind of the block of Parmesan, and chop it into chunks. Toss this into a blender or food processor and blend until it becomes grated.

2. Add all the garlic to a small pot and cover with about 1/2 cup of olive oil. Cook over low heat until the garlic cloves are light golden-brown and softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

3. Meanwhile, bring a big pot of salted water (I like to add a palm full of kosher salt) to a boil. Add 1 bunch kale to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Add 1 bunch spinach and continue cooking for 2 to 3 more minutes, until the spinach and kale are both wilted. Remove the pot from heat.

4. Use tongs to transfer all of the greens from the pot to the blender. I used a strainer over the pot to help me squeeze out the excess water out from the greens as I transferred them — but it’s OK if a bit of water comes over too. DON’T DRAIN THE POT OF WATER! Put the pot back on the stove over high heat and bring the water back to a boil.

5. Once the water has reached a rolling boil, cook 1 pound pasta per package instructions. Scoop out 1 cup of cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander. Return the pasta to the cooking pot.

6. Now, make the sauce: Add the cooled cooked garlic and all of the oil to the blender along with the zest and juice of 1 lemon and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt. Blend on high until smooth. Add a bit of the reserved pasta cooking water if needed to get a saucy consistency - I added 1/2 cup. The sauce should resemble the consistency of marinara sauce.

7. Taste the sauce and adjust for more salt or lemon juice. I like a little extra of both!

8. Pour 1 cup of the green sauce into the pasta to start. Toss to coat. Add more as desired until the pasta is as saucy as ya like it. I use about 1 1/2 cups of sauce per 1 pound of pasta.

9. Divide the pasta between bowls and garnish with more Parm and red pepper flakes.

Make ahead suggestions

This is a huge batch of sauce about double what you’ll need for this meal, so you’ll have extras for another time. If you freeze the extras, add a little bit of cooking water into the sauce before you freeze it as it might thicken up a bit when frozen.

Let’s get cooking! Tell me - did you enjoy this Green Pasta recipe? Please tag me on instagram @christies.lovestory. I love seeing your kitchen creations!