Kale and Spinach Pasta

Eat Your Greens: Kale and Spinach Pasta

Popeye and Chef P are eating spinach. You should be too too.

Rule number one: never let olive oil go over 400°F. Burnt oil ruins the whole vibe. Rule number two: don’t ditch the stems. Grill them, chop them, sneak them back into the dish. Zero waste with maximum flavor and nutrients.

The sauce is silkier than a pesto. Add garlic confit, some sheep’s milk cheese if you’ve got it, or whatever you like. Blend. Toss the noodles in until it sounds like wet macaroni. That sound is your green light.

Final touch: fold in those charred stems with a little more cheese. Creamy, smoky, salty. Done.

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch kale (stems saved)
1 bunch spinach (stems saved)
3 tbsp olive oil (don’t go over 400°F)
3 cloves garlic confit (slow-cooked in oil until soft)
50g sheep’s milk cheese (or Parmigiano, pecorino, or whatever’s already in the fridge)
Salt + black pepper

CHOP IT UP

Char the stems. Don’t toss ‘em. Put those kale and spinach stems on the grill or in a hot pan. Get a little smoke, a little char. Chop ‘em fine and keep ‘em for later.

Blend the greens. In a blender, throw in the kale leaves, spinach leaves, garlic confit, cheese, and olive oil. Hit go. You want it smooth, a little more loose and silky then pesto.

Cook the pasta. Add a cup of pasta water always.

Toss the hot pasta in your green sauce. Add splashes of pasta water until it clings. Listen for that wet mac-and-cheese sound. That’s the sign.

Top with chopped charred stems and another handful of cheese. Smoky, creamy, salty. Greens turned into sauce.