Kale And Walnut Pesto
I know more Kale, but I told you I just can’t get enough of Kale. And why should I? It’s the most versatile superfood. This pesto is seriously unreal. It is a bit decadent as I don’t use much dairy in the house. So if you want to make this dairy free or at least lighten the cheese load, you can use 1/2 cup nutritional yeast instead of full cup grated cheese. My family said this one one of their favorites. That’s a lot to beat, but I’ll take that especially since this dish is so nutrient dense.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cups + 2 tbsp Walnuts
- 1 bunch Kale destemmed, leaves torn
- 1 cups Nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp Garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper
- 1/2 cups Olive oil
- 3/4 lb Whole wheat fusilli, penne, or rotini
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350° F. Spread the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing occasionally, until fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes; let cool. Chop 2 tablespoons of the walnuts and set aside. (Do NOT skip this step…makes all the difference!)
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the kale and cook until bright green, 30 seconds. Transfer the kale to a colander (reserve the cooking water); squeeze dry when cool enough to handle.
- Process kale, nutritional yeast, garlic, the remaining ⅓ cup of unchopped walnuts and ¼ teaspoon pepper until finely chopped. With the machine running, add the oil.
- Bring the reserved cooking water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the pesto and ¼ cup of the reserved cooking water and toss to coat (add more cooking water if the pasta seems dry).
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