Lemon Kale Pasta with Pecans

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Crunchy pecans and earthy kale are lifted by bright lemon in this easy, vegetarian pasta dish, perfect for family weekdays or date nights.

Hosting Thanksgiving at my house for my friends has become one of my favorite things. I love giving a landing spot to friends whose families are out of town. Anyone is welcome at our holiday dinners! It’s also super fun to see what people bring. I always cover the traditional sides, leaving contributions up to guests. A couple of holidays ago, a friend brought a Ukrainian kale salad dressed with lots of lemon, pine nuts, and breadcrumbs. It was so good, like unbelievably good. I couldn’t stop thinking about it after the holiday was over, so of course I had to remedy that.

This lemon kale pasta with pecans dish is built around the idea of that salad. Adding pasta really makes it a full meal, but the earthiness of the kale lifted by the lemon still shines through. Pine nuts are pricey, so I made this with pecans. You could definitely use pine nuts or even walnuts in this dish.

The Best Pasta for Lemon Kale Pasta with Pecans

I suggest a short pasta for this dish, though the shape is up to you. In my dish I used orecchiette, but farfalle, fusilli, or even shells would be great alternatives. If you do use a long noodle, you might find all the pecan and kale yumminess falling to the bottom of your bowl.

Preparing Kale for your Pasta

Kale should be super dark green, smell earthy, and feel crispy on the stem. Remove the leaves from the stem by ripping them off or slicing parallel along the stem. You really want to avoid getting stems in this lemon kale pasta with pecans dish because they don’t have time to cook.

Rinse the kale, massaging it with your hands. Really get in there and scrunch it in your hands. This helps loosen up those kale fibers so it’s not as tough. Chop it pretty small for this dish. It should be easily bite-sized before cooking.

Step by Step Instructions

This dish is an easy, straightforward recipe. The kale and sauce come together while the pasta is cooking. Because you do use a little pasta water, the pasta will need to rest a bit while you finish up. I do recommend having the kale and garlic prepped before you even start the water. Things go quickly, so be prepared!

• Start the pasta. Get a big pot of salty, but not overly salted, water to a boil. Add the pasta when it is boiling. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. Before you drain the pasta, reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water. You will use some of that in the sauce.
• Start the sauce. In another skillet, you build the sauce. It starts with toasting the nuts. You want them to be fragrant, but not scorched or burnt at all.
• Add the kale. Toss in the olive oil, kale, and a little salt. Cook the kale down. It will reduce by at least half.
• Add the garlic. Garlic will burn if it cooks too long or too hot, so add it when the kale is where you want it. Only cook with the garlic in for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the liquid. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. If the pasta is not quite done, just scoop it carefully out of the pot. Add the lemon juice as well. Cook this down, turning down the heat if needed, and also adding more pasta water if you prefer for a looser sauce.
• Toss in the pasta. Add the pasta right to the skillet, tossing it all together.

You can serve warm, topping with parmesan, maybe a little lemon zest, extra pecans, or parsley.

Storing and Reheating Lemon Kale Pasta with Pecans

This dish stores well in the fridge for 2-3 days. To reheat, warm up about a teaspoon of olive oil in a nonstick pan. Add the lemon kale pasta with pecans dish back to the pan and toss in the olive oil. Gently reheat on medium-low heat with the lid on for about 8 minutes or until it’s warm enough for you. Grate a little more fresh parmesan on top when you serve.

This dish takes about 30 minutes top to bottom, but it goes by quickly as you build the sauce while the pasta water boils. This is vegetarian, but bacon or pancetta would be a great meat addition to this dish. Affordable but still kind of fancy, this lemon kale pasta with pecans is quick enough to be a weekday dinner but nice enough for a date night, too.

Love this Recipe? Try These!

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Mushrooms and Spinach

Blue Cheese Pasta with Walnuts

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