Kale Pesto Pasta Recipe and Wine Pairing

Last Updated on October 30, 2019

Kale Pesto Pasta is a recipe with make very frequently here! Pasta tossed with zesty kale pesto can be a meal on its own, or a nice side dish for chicken or fish. Today we break down some tips for making kale pesto and provide some serving ideas and wine pairings. Disclosure: One of the wines suggested was provided as a complimentary sample. This post may contain affiliate links.

What does kale pesto taste like?

There are a lot of ways to enjoy kale, but my kale pesto seemed like perhaps the best way to sway folks to the merits of the healthy green. The bitterness of kale is offset here by the saltiness of the cheese and the bite of the garlic, coming together for a flavorful raw pasta sauce.

We often top our kale pesto pasta with fresh tomatoes, if we have some available. Roasted broccoli also adds a depth of flavor to the dish that can be quite satisfying.

This basic kale recipe can be used for other tasty dishes like the Orzo Salad with Kale Pesto. For more ideas, check our collection of 15+ Ways to Use Kale Pesto.

Basically, if you like traditional basil pesto, I highly suspect you will like our kale pesto pasta too! I have made this countless times and shared with many people who just can’t get enough of this kale pesto.

Tips for Making Kale Pesto

• Use a food processor: Basil pesto is traditionally made with a mortar and pestle. For kale pesto, with the tougher leaves, you will definitely want to use a food processor blender.
• Start with garlic: To make sure you get the garlic minced up, whir those garlic cloves in the food processor first before adding kale and other ingredients.
• Hands on: You don’t want to use the thick stem. I like to use my hands to tear the leaves from the stem, then add the leaves to colander for rinsing.
• Pulse kale after adding the first two cups to add more room.
• Drizzle in the olive oil followed by the cheese. Good quality Parmigiano or Pecorino Romano is important to the flavor of the kale pesto!
• Nut free pesto or with nuts: We are nut free in our home due to food allergies. So I give a nut free version, featuring pumpkin seeds. But you can swap in walnuts or pine nuts if you like.
• Add more evoo: After using the quantities given, add extra olive oil as necessary to get to the desired consistency. I like it to have enough liquid–a puree consistency, to mix well w pasta. During the batch I made for this recipe update, it seemed to dry at first. I think that happens when packing the kale in very densely into the cup. You may be able to see that from the photo.
• Upsize the recipe: A big bunch of kale often generates more than 4 cups of kale. I often wind up doing 1.5 times the recipe given here, or even doubling it. But if you just want to make the amount given here and do have some extra kale on hand, try adding thin strips of the extra kale to a salad for some extra nutrition.

Using Kale Pesto

Immediately after draining the pasta, add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, followed by 2 or 3 scoops of the kale pesto. I like to get the pasta coated when initially tossing it with the pesto, but not heavily covered. You can pass extra kale pesto at the table, so those looking for more strong flavor can add the amount they like.

The kale pesto mixes with pasta best when it is at room temperature. You can leave it out for an hour or so if you make the pesto ahead of cooking the pasta.

Kale pesto can be used for much more than pasta — see 15+ Ways to Use Kale Pesto for ideas.

Storing kale pesto

You are likely to have a bit more kale pesto than you need for 12 ounces or so of pasta. Store any leftover kale pesto in an air tight container in the refrigerator. The kale pesto keeps at least a week in the refrigerator, and can be good for up to ten days or so.

Take the kale pesto out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so before using so that it will mix better with the pasta.

Wine Pairings for Kale Pesto Pasta

Wines that go with classic pesto, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Picpoul-de-Pinet can work with kale pesto too. But this Linguine with Kale Pesto recipe does pack a kick that you might try offsetting with a Riesling with a touch of sweetness or a Gewürztraminer.

As you might expect, many Italian white wines can pair well with kale pesto pasta, too. Go for a wine with some crispness to it. We recently had the kale pesto pasta with a white wine called Gavi, made from Cortese grapes from the Piedmont area. The San Pietro Gavi (12% ABV) has citrus fruit and good acidity, and is a solid choice for pairing with the kale pesto.

Earlier in 2019, we had a chance to try a the 2017 Braganini Reserve Grüner Veltliner ($19.99) from St. Julian, which has been producing quality wine in Michigan for over 95 years. The crisp lemon fruit and good acidity made this a good match! The wine was sent as a complimentary sample as part of a Wine Studio event. Visit our Exploring Michigan Wine article for more information on this under the radar US wine region.

Kale Pesto Pasta

★★★★★

5 from 5 reviews

Kale pesto pasta recipe — healthy kale combine with cheese, garlic and oil for healthy, robust flavor.

• Author: Cooking Chat
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Entree
• Method: stove top
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 garlic cloves
• 4 cups kale, rinsed and thick stems removed
• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup (or a tad more) grated pecorino romano or Parmigiano cheese
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted (see notes)
• generous pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 12 ozs pasta — we like linguine or ziti with kale pesto
• chopped fresh tomatoes for topping (optional)

Instructions

1. Boil water: Begin boiling some water for pasta before you start making the pesto.
2. Mince the garlic: Add the garlic to a food processor and mince.
3. Add the kale to the food process, coarsely chopping to create enough room for the other ingredients.
4. Add the remaining ingredients from the seeds through the olive oil, and puree until it comes to a nice smooth consistency.
5. Drain the pasta when it is cooked to your liking. Toss the pasta with enough pesto to coat it.
6. Plate the pasta, pass extra cheese and pesto at the table.

Notes

• You can use walnuts or pine nuts instead of pumpkin seeds, if you aren’t concerned about making a nut free dish.
• See how to make kale pesto above for more tips.

Keywords: kale pesto, pasta with pesto, kale recipes

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