In this Lemon Parmesan and Kale Spaghetti a symphony of flavors collide in one simple pasta dish. Bright lemon zest, buttery and briny olives, earthy kale is all tossed with whole wheat spaghetti. Perfect as a meatless main dish for a few or a side dish for 4 to 6.
Do flavors or certain foods remind you of a particular person ever? Or is it just me? For example blue cheese and lemony desserts, not necessarily together, remind me of my dear friend Heidi. Hot sauce = Pat. Rosemary reminds me of my mom. While wine will always make me think of my three sisters.
It’s weird right? Orrrr maybe not because in away scents or smells do the same thing. Like how all fall spice-scented candles reminds me of sitting at my mother-in-law’s sipping coffee and Elizabeth Arden’s Sunflower perfume unfortunately reminds me of middle school. So it’s basically just like that but with food.
This garlicky lemon parmesan kale spaghetti reminds me of my other dear friend, Nichole. Because a) we both love lemon in everything but especially in savory foods and b) olives. If you been hanging around the last 9 years (bless your soul) you might recall me telling the story of how Nichole and I would sit around with tortilla chips and a jar of olives. Obviously we lived on a budget then. But between the two of us we’d polish off all of the olives and then dip the chips in the leftover brine.
Swollen fingers? Who cares. We love us some salt!
However, something tells me that we would much rather split this pasta that a jar of olive juice.
To Make This Lemon Parmesan and Kale Spaghetti You Will Need:
- lacinato kale
- whole wheat spaghetti
- olive oil
- diced red onion or shallot
- garlic
- butter
- lemon zest and juice
- red pepper flakes (optional)
- Italian olives like Castelvetrano
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Once the pasta has cooked you’ll want to reserve some of the starchy pasta water.
First strip the leaves from the stem of 1 bunch of lacinato kale and roughly chop. Then wash and dry the leaves.
Then bring a pot of water to boil. Season it with a palmful of sea salt (about 2 tablespoons) and add in 3/4 of a pound of whole wheat spaghetti. Cook the pasta following the package directions until al dente.
Meanwhile, sauté 1/4 cup onion or shallot in 1 tablespoons of olive oil.
Then add in 2 cloves minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Next, melt in the tablespoon of butter and add in all of the chopped kale leaves. Toss the leaves in the butter until just starting to become tender.
Stir to coat in the olive oil, add in the butter and cook until the leaves just start to become tender.
Then add in a generous pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and the zest of a lemon.
Next, add in the cooked spaghetti.
Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a lemon, a little pasta water and toss to combine.
Lastly, add the olives and sprinkle with freshly and finely grated Parmesan cheese before serving.
I love the buttery and salty olives with the lemon and kale. A pasta that’s bursting with flavor and is so incredibly easy to make.
This would be delicious with my Tuscan Sheet Pan Dinner that I posted on Monday!
Enjoy! And if you give this Lemon Parmesan and Kale Spaghetti recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Lemon Parmesan and Kale Spaghetti with Olives
Ingredients
- 1 bunch lacinato kale
- 3/4 pound whole wheat spaghetti
- sea salt
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup red onion, or shallot, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 lemon, zest
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes, optional
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 4 ounces Italian green olives, such as Castelvetrano
Equipment
Instructions
- Strip the kale leaves of of the stem and roughly chop, discarding the stems. Wash and dry (spin or towel) and set off to the side.
- Next bring a pot of water to boil. Once boiling, season it with a palmful of sea salt (2 tablespoons) and add 3/4 pound of whole wheat spaghetti. Cook the pasta following the package directions until al dente. Once cooked, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining.
- To a 10-inch skillet add olive oil and shallot and sauté on medium heat until tender.
- Then add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute before melting in the butter and adding the chopped kale. Toss to coat in the olive oil and butter. Cook until just starting to wilt. Then add in the lemon zest and red pepper flakes.
- Add in the drained, hot pasta, juice of 1/2 a lemon and reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Lastly top with olives and sprinkle with 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
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THANK YOU in advance for your support!
I am excited to see this recipe as I love all the ingredients and will be trying it soon. Thank you so much. Ciao!
Enjoy, Lin!
I love pasta and I’m always searching for new recipes to try out! The kale is something my wife would love about this recipe. I’ll definitely give this a try very soon! Thank you
I hope you both enjoy the recipe, Bryan!
Well I cooked it today and loved it so much!! I am such a fan of those olives!! It is such a bright and fresh dish and I will certainly be making it again. Thank you again for sharing this recipe!
I am always looking for recipes that incorporate leafy greens that aren’t salads, and this one delivered. I used kalamata olives, since that’s what I had. Perfect for a weeknight dinner.