Creamy, Dreamy, Greeny Pasta

This green pasta sauce is made with good for you ingredients such as kale and spinach but tastes absolutely delicious.  You'll want to eat this pasta every week!

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!


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!

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What to Cook this Week January 14th

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Wild Rice Winter Salad