Ingredients
Scale
- Half a box of spaghetti noodles
- 2 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
- 3 large kale leaves, washed + removed from stalk
- Parmesan cheese, 1/4 c. grated + some shaved for garnish
- Zest from 1 lemon
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot to boil, and toss some salt in the water to help season the pasta. Cook the spaghetti noodles in the boiling pot according to package directions.
- Add the kale leaves (stripped from the stem) and the whole garlic cloves to the boiling pasta water. Let those boil for 3-4 minutes, and carefully transfer them into a food processor or blender.
- To the food processor/blender, add the lemon zest, 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese and 1-2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil. Blend until your desired pesto consistency. If needed, add a small amount of starchy pasta water to loosen up the sauce.
- Once the pasta is al dente, remove from the boiling pot and drain. Do not rinse with cold water!
- Put the spaghetti noodles in a large serving dish. Top the warm pasta with the pesto, halved cherry tomatoes, lemon juice, shaved parmesan cheese and salt + pepper. This is a deconstructed pesto pasta presentation–you’ll mix everything together just seconds before serving.
- To finish it off, drizzle another bit of extra virgin olive oil over the entire dish.
Notes
- Store any leftovers in glass canning jars with lids in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. I’ve linked my favorite multi-purpose jars in the post above. It’s the perfect lunch because they flavors tend to intensify and marry the longer the pesto pasta sits.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2