Kale Pesto Pasta with fresh peas and freshly grated Parmesan piled high. Homemade kale pesto with plenty of kale, plenty of fresh basil, toasted pumpkin seeds and a bit of parmesan. It’s a simple yet vibrant take on pesto pasta that’s ready in 20 minutes and perfect any night of the week.

We always like to have a batch of fresh made pesto ready to go in the fridge. It’s an easy way to pump up the flavor in tons of your favorite meals. We like to switch up our pesto from basil to kale pesto and also switch up the nuts used from walnuts to pine nuts and pumpkin seeds always changing up the flavors to keep the recipes fresh and new. This kale pesto has tons of kale and fresh basil leaves in this recipe, it’s the ultimate way to eat your greens.

I love pesto because it can be used in almost anything. Stir it into some fresh pasta  a comforting dinner, add a dollop on top of scrambled eggs for breakfast, use it as a condiment with your proteins for more flavor, or spread it on a sandwich! The recipe only takes 5 minutes to come together, so you can keep a batch in your fridge or freezer at all times.

How Do You Make Pesto with Kale?

It’s so easy! Simply pulse the kale, basil, olive oil, toasted pumpkin seeds, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt & pepper together in a food processor until it’s smooth.

How to Make Kale Pesto Pasta

Cook your favorite kind of pasta to al dente (follow the package directions for the best results). we used spaghetti. Reserve some of the cooking water before straining the pasta, always reserve more than you’ll need just in case especially since pasta absorbs the sauce so quickly.

After the pasta is strained, add the pasta to a bowl, do not re heat over the stove and stir in the pesto. When cooking basil over the heat it will turn brown, by mixing your pasta in a bowl this will keep the pesto green. Mix it all up until it’s completely coated in sauce, using the cooking water to thin it out as needed.

Is Kale Pesto Bitter?

Raw kale has a natural bitter flavor which can be avoided by blanching the leaves before blending it with the other pesto ingredients. Blanch the kale by bringing a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add in the kale and blanch for 3 minutes. When it’s done, transfer the kale to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking, then drain.

To finish off the pasta, drizzle olive over the pasta once plate, pile high with freshly grated Parmesan, black pepper and some fresh chopped parsley. Serve with fresh baked garlic bread. 

enjoy! 

Print Recipe

Kale pesto pasta

Kale Pesto Pasta with fresh peas and freshly grated Parmesan piled high. Homemade kale pesto with plenty of kale, plenty of fresh basil, toasted pumpkin seeds and a bit of parmesan. It’s a simple yet vibrant take on pesto pasta that’s ready in 20 minutes and perfect any night of the week.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Dinner

Servings: 4

Author: the communal feast

Ingredients

• Ingredients
• 2 cups torn kale stems removed (about 1 large bunch)
• 1 cup basil leaves tightly packed
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 lemon zested and juiced
• ½ teaspoon salt & pepper plus more to taste
• Spaghetti 16oz or what you need
• 1 cup reserve pasta water
• 1/3 cup peas
• Garnish:
• Freshly grated Parmesan
• Fresh chopped parsley
• Pepper

Instructions

• 1. Cook the pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking liquid before straining.
  2. Meanwhile, pulse the kale, basil, olive oil, toasted pumpkin seeds, Parmesan, garlic, lemon zest & juice and salt & pepper in a food processor until smooth. Drizzle finish pesto with olive oil to keep loose 3. Place the cooked pasta in a bowl and add about 5-6 Tbsp of kale pesto. (Do not toss and re heat over the stove, the pesto will turn brown) Toss to coat, ading in the fresh peas and slowly add some of your reserve pasta water as needed to thin the sauce.4. To serve garnish with tons of freshly grated Parmesan, fresh chopped parsley, pepper and some garlic bread on the side. Enjoy