Kale Pasta

Made with only a few simple ingredients, this easy Kale Pasta is hearty, healthy, and surprisingly full of flavor. With vibrant greens, creamy chickpeas, and a bright light sauce, this pasta comes together quickly. 

This simple recipe for pasta with kale makes a great meatless entree and is a fabulous way to incorporate more plant-based recipes into your diet. It is delicious served on its own or paired with Homemade Italian Bread and a Kale Apple Salad, for an easy family meal.

You know those nights when you open the fridge or stand in the pantry, searching for something easy to make? Kale Pasta is the recipe that will solve your dilemma of What to make for dinner when there seems like there is nothing to make?

This simple pasta dinner is made with pasta, fresh kale, and chickpeas. It is hearty, healthy, and has incredible flavor.

But the magic to this pasta dish is that the greens absorb the flavor of the wine and seasonings while adding flavor to the dish as a whole. This recipe for Kale Pasta is absolutely incredible tasting--and RIDICULOUSLY simple to make.

Ingredients Needed

This recipe is not only easy to make it is also versatile, as the ingredients can be swapped out to use what you have on hand.

• Pasta: Rigatoni instead of orecchiette? No problem. You can use any type of noodle you have in your pantry for this recipe.  Whole grain, regular, and even gluten-free pasta works!
• Greens: No kale? Use spinach or broccoli. Fresh kale or spinach is best, but you can use defrosted and drained frozen kale or spinach if that is all you have on hand.
• Chickpeas: The chickpeas add protein, texture, and heartiness, but you can certainly use cannellini beans or omit the beans altogether.
• Wine: To add a rich depth of flavor, I love using a bit of dried white wine like Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay. If you don't have wine on hand, use additional stock.
• Lemon Juice: Be sure to use FRESH lemon juice, as the acidity from the lemon juice helps the entire dish to pop. If you only have jarred lemon juice, skip adding the juice entirely, as the flavor is not the same.

How to Make Pasta with Kale

While the ingredients are interchangeable for this recipe, there are a few key steps that turn this pasta dinner into something spectacular that you don't want to skip.

The first trick is to cook the pasta correctly. You want to cook the pasta in rapidly boiling water that has been heavily salted. The pasta gets some of its flavors from the water, so it is essential to salt well. Cook the pasta, until just al dente--about 1 to 2 minutes LESS than the package states. The pasta will finish cooking with the kale and chickpeas, so you do not want it to be overcooked.

While the pasta is cooking, saute the kale. Kale is quite bitter and sturdy, so needs to be cooked down with seasonings to develop flavor. I saute the kale with dry white wine, vegetable broth, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. The kale becomes tender and flavorful and delicious! Once the kale is wilted, add in garlic and beans and warm through before adding the pasta.

Add in pasta with pasta water. The trick to bringing this dish together is adding some of the cooking liquid from the pasta to the kale and bean mixture. The salty, starchy water adds tremendous flavor and adds moisture to this simple pasta dish. After adding the pasta and cooking liquid, cook just long enough to combine and heat through.

Finish with fresh lemon juice. To brighten all the flavors in this kale pasta, fresh lemon juice is key! It complements the dry white wine, and kale quite nicely as well.

Serve the pasta. In my book, this pasta needs nothing else. But if you are looking for a richer dish, finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. And if don't have dietary restrictions, top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Recipe Notes and Tips

• Leftovers: Store leftover pasta in a sealed container for 4-5 days. To reheat, add a splash of stock to keep the pasta from being dried out and heat it in the microwave.
• Spice Level: Omit the crushed red pepper flakes for less heat, or increase if you like it spicier.
• Oil-Free Option: In place of olive oil, use a couple of tablespoons of vegetable broth to saute the garlic and kale. As the garlic and kale saute, you may need to add a bit more broth as the stock evaporates.
• Broth: Feel free to use chicken stock in place of vegetable broth if you are not vegetarian.

More Simple Pasta Recipes

If you are looking for more easy pasta dinners, these are a few great options to try.

• Tuscan Pasta: A simple vegetarian pasta with roasted tomatoes and white beans. This simple recipe is easily made vegan friendly as well.
• Healthy Pasta Primavera: A lightened up creamy pasta dish filled with fresh veggies.
• Easy Baked Rotini: It does not get easier than this recipe for baked rotini.
• Slow Cooker Baked Ziti: Prepare homemade sauce and cook noodles right in the slow cooker.

If you tried this recipe, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below. 

Kale Pasta

Kale Pasta is is a simple, healthy dish made with pasta, fresh kale, chickpeas, and simple seasonings to create a healthy pasta dish in under 30 minutes.

5 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 296kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 bunch kale stems removed and chopped (about 6 cups)
• ▢ 8 ounces Orecchiette pasta or past of choice
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil divided--see notes to make this oil free
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ ¼ cup dry white wine or additional vegetable stock
• ▢ ¼ cup vegetable broth
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ 1 (15 ounce can) chickpeas rinsed and drained
• ▢ ½ cup reserved pasta water
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ▢ Freshly grated Parmesan cheese optional

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Heavily salt with kosher salt and add in pasta. Cook the pasta for 1 minute less than the package directions state. When pasta has finished cooking, drain pasta, reserving ½ cup cooking liquid. DO NOT RINSE the pasta!
• While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add the kale and saute for 3-4 minutes, until it begins to wilt down. If it does not fit in the pot all at once, add by gradual handfuls, stir and allow it to wilt down, then add more. Once all of the kale is added and has wilted down, add the garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt and pepper; cook for 30 seconds.
• Add the wine and chickpeas to the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated off. Add in the vegetable broth, ¼ cup reserved pasta water, and cooked pasta, tossing to combine. Cook until the pasta is finished cooking and the pasta absorbs most of the liquid, adding up to ¼ cup more pasta water if needed as it finishes cooking.
• Turn off the heat and finish with the fresh lemon juice, additional tablespoon of olive oil, and Parmesan if using.

Notes

• Leftovers: Store leftover pasta in a sealed container for 4-5 days. To reheat, add a splash of stock to keep the pasta from being dried out and heat it in the microwave.
• Spice Level: Omit the crushed red pepper flakes for less heat, or increase if you like it spicier.
• Oil-Free Option: In place of olive oil, use a couple of tablespoons of vegetable broth to saute the garlic and kale. As the garlic and kale saute, you may need to add a bit more broth as the stock evaporates.
• Broth: Feel free to use chicken stock in place of vegetable broth if you are not vegetarian. 
• Greens: Feel free to use spinach in place of the kale, just keep in mind the spinach will cook much quicker than kale.
• Wine: To make this pasta without wine, use vegetable broth in place of the white wine. If using wine, be sure it is a dry wine, like Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio, not a sweet wine.
• Chickpeas: Feel free to use dried chickpeas that you have cooked, instead of canned chickpeas. Just keep in mind you may need to add additional salt to the recipe. You can also replace the chickpeas with white beans if desired. 

Nutrition

Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 207mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1492IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg

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