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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.
Winter Black Kale Pesto Pasta
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!
fin$savvy panda @ finsavvypanda.com says
Hey Sara!
I LOVE pesto sauce in general! I love them in sandwiches, chicken, pastas, etc. It is truly amazing! It’s actually one of my fave sauces!
And this black kale pesto pasta look delicious!!! Great job with this post, girl!
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Thank you!!!
You need to try this! It’s a really good alternative for winter 🙂
Renee says
Looks seriously amazing!
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Thank you 🙂
Laura @ The Mindful Mom Blographer says
I never thought of making pesto with kale, but it’s brilliant! We had a bumper crop of kale this year in our veggie garden, and I still have kale in the freezer! Will definitely be trying this!
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Thank you Laura! I thought the same the first time I tried it. Pesto with kale? But it’s absolutely delicious.
Lindsey Coconides says
Hey Sara,
Can you do a tutorial for how you take your food photos?
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Thanks, Lindsey. So happy you like our photos. I will think about creating a tutorial for that 🙂
becky says
It looks like I’m the first commenter to actually make this pesto. I think if you are a vegan this would be a nice addition and use of kale. This was my first time making a vegan pesto, first time using black kale and first time using almonds in pesto. SO……as a non-vegan I found it a little bland but it tasted better than I expected. I think if I was in the mood for pesto I’d stick with more traditional, but might try it again with walnuts or pine nuts to see if I like it better. Black kale seems like a nice mild kale and I would like to try other recipes that use it.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Thanks, Becky! I love kale as well. I am surprised you found it bland. You can add some nutritional yeast to give it a bit more flavor if you like, but I do prefer to keep it simple to taste the black kale.
Nadia says
Loved it! I didn’t find it bland at all and the taste of the black kale came through nicely.
Will do it again!
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Thanks Nadia, glad you liked it 🙂
Angel says
This was absolutely amazing. I just made this for my dinner. I didn’t have black kale but I did have green kale. I really enjoyed it. Would definitely make it again.
Sara @ Gathering Dreams says
Fantastic! I am so happy you liked it Angel. I make this at least once a week as Dan and I love it so much!