Black Kale Pesto Pasta

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THIS VEGAN WINTER PESTO RECIPE IS SO GOOD, IT IS SERIOUSLY IMPRESSIVE. 

I always thought of pesto as a summer dish, with aromatic basil as the star.

Now:

I am all for seasonal winter pesto and this black kale pesto is truly sensational.

The first time I tried this pesto I was in beautiful Florence. I was celebrating New Year’s Eve with my family in one of the most beautiful city on Earth…but here is the thing:

There is nothing in Florence quite impressive as the food you can taste in every corner.

We had so many amazing meals in the 3 days we spent there, but the thing I loved the most was this very simple “Pasta al Pesto di Cavolo Nero”.

Black kale (cavolo nero) is a staple in Tuscan cuisine. I have to admit, it wasn’t an ingredient I used very often before this trip, but I am now a big admirer.

This is why I love traveling so much:

You discover beautiful places, meet incredible people and explore new flavors you didn’t know before. And these flavors become part of your everyday meals.

As soon as I got back home, I experimented with different recipe variations, and I came up with my own version, and I am proud to say it tastes as good, if not better, as the kale pesto I had in Florence.

It turns out it’s a vegan recipe too! You can, of course, add a bit of parmesan to the ingredients if you like. But I do love the simplicity of this recipe as it is.

There are only 6 ingredients, and this is all you need to make this special kale pesto: black kale, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, almonds, water and a pinch of salt.

Print Recipe

Winter Black Kale Pesto Pasta

This vegan winter kale pesto recipe is so good, you will want to eat it every day. A truly sensational seasonal pesto recipe that you won't easily forget!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time25 mins

Course: Main Course

Servings: 4 people

Author: Sara @ Gathering Dreams

Ingredients

For the black kale pesto

• 2 cups (250g) chopped black kale no stems
• ½ cup (120ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• ¼ teaspoon salt more to taste
• ⅓ cup (45g) raw almonds
• ¼ cup (60ml) water

For the black kale pesto pasta

• 12 oz (350g) bucatini pasta

Instructions

• Bring a pan full of water to the boil, and add the chopped black kale leaves without stems. Let it simmer for 3 minutes and drain.
• Place the kale, garlic, almonds, salt and olive oil in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the water a bit at the time until you reach a creamy consistency.
• Simply cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 8-10 minutes until cooked through, then drain. Stir the pesto through the pasta and enjoy!
• You can serve this pesto not only with pasta, but also with crackers, in sandwiches, salads etc.
• You can freeze the kale pesto! Just remove it from the freezer a couple of hours before use and it will still be super delicious!

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