My Delicious Blog

Lemony Pasta, Kale & Crunchy Walnuts

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Are you one of those people (like me) who love to toss several types of ingredients (crunchy, chewy, soft, sweet, spicy, salty, etc.) into a dish and see what happens?  This recipe does just that.  It’s adapted from Curtis Stone’s “Linguine with Kale, Lemon and Walnuts” in Food & Wine.

I modified the recipe by using angel hair pasta to lighten it up a bit.  And I didn’t toss the basil or walnuts into the pan until just before serving, to preserve freshness and crunch, AND to avoid the not-so-pleasant shade of green/gray that the pasta had become on a prior attempt!  I also added a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little kick.  While I haven’t done it yet, you could replace basil with cilantro or flat leaf parsley, replace the kale with fresh spinach, add in some sautéed mushrooms, etc.  It’s a good dish to experiment with 🙂

This is definitely satisfying and tasty.  Hubby likes to have a little extra protein with his pasta, so I sauteed a boneless chicken breast, sliced it up and tossed it in just before serving.  Really yummy.  Enjoy!

Pasta, Kale & Crunchy Walnuts
 
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A great mix of angel hair, basil, kale and walnuts.
Author:
Recipe type: Pasta
Cuisine: Pasta
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • ½ c. walnuts
  • 1 lb. curly kale, stems removed, thinly sliced
  • 1 lb. angel hair pasta
  • ½ c. olive oil
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 2 Tb. lemon zest
  • 2 Tb. lemon juice
  • ½ c. basil leaves, lightly torn
  • ½ c. Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325.
  2. Place walnuts in a baking dish and pop in oven for about 10 mins. Allow to cool and chop coarsely.
  3. Fill a large saucepan with water and 1 Tb. kosher salt; bring to boil.
  4. Place kale pieces in boiling water for a few minutes (just until bright green color & tender). Remove kale and place in a colander to drain.
  5. Return the water in the saucepan to boil. Add pasta until cooked. Reserve 1 c. of water before draining the pasta.
  6. Dry the saucepan. Heat to medium/high and add ¼ c. of the olive oil.
  7. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, thenkale and lemon zest; toss until hot (about 2 mins.).
  8. Add angel hair, lemon juice and remaining oil.
  9. Add parmesan and half the reserved cooking water. Simmer over low heat until pasta is coated; add more water if it's too thick.
  10. Season with salt and pepper; add basil and walnuts.
  11. Serve with more parmesan, as desired.