Kale and Walnut Pasta
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- 1cup (4 ounces) walnuts, chopped into bite-size pieces
- ⅓cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
- 6large garlic cloves, chopped
- ¼to ½ teaspoon (or to taste) red-pepper flakes
- 2bunches curly kale or 3 bunches Tuscan kale, stems removed, leaves chopped into 1½-inch pieces
- 1pound spaghetti
- 1large lemon, halved
- Grated pecorino or Parmesan, to serve
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
548 calories; 27 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 66 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 457 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Place the walnuts in a large pan (12-inch) with a lid, and turn the heat up to medium. Toast the walnuts, stirring occasionally, until just fragrant, about 3 minutes, taking care not to burn them. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, give a stir for 1 minute and transfer to a small bowl. Wipe out the pan to make sure there aren’t any walnut pieces remaining.
- Step 2
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil for the pasta. Add the remaining olive oil and the garlic to the pan and cook over low, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the red-pepper flakes, stir and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Increase heat to medium, add the kale to the pan in batches, using tongs to turn and wilt the kale in the garlicky oil, and season with salt and pepper.
- Step 3
Once all the kale is in the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Add the spaghetti to the pot of water at this point and cook until al dente, according to package directions. As the spaghetti cooks, add a couple of ladles of the starchy pasta water to the kale to help it wilt down.
- Step 4
Squeeze half of the lemon over the kale and toss. Taste the kale and add more lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste, being mindful that you’ll also be adding the salty pecorino or Parmesan.
- Step 5
Once the pasta is cooked, set the pot next to the pan and use tongs to transfer the spaghetti to the kale. Ladle in more of the starchy water if the pan seems dry, and toss well until the pasta is glossy and silky. Add half of the walnuts and some grated cheese (about 3 tablespoons). Taste and drizzle with a little more olive oil and another squeeze of lemon, if you like. Remove from the heat, shower with more grated cheese, top with the remaining walnuts and serve.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
mmkms
This would be delicious with broccoli rabe. Add cannelini beans for protein and sun dried tomatoes for a flavor boost.
HeidiM
I keep all of my nuts in the freezer. This keeps them from going rancid.
Deborah
Amazing! We’ve been making this for years. I wouldn’t use spinach because it shrinks down so completely that you’d need a LOT for this recipe to work. In addition to kale, we like beet greens, dandelion greens, mustard greens, or whatever combination you have in the fridge. If you want to splurge, you can use pine nuts instead of walnuts.
Lindsay
Any green will be fine. I add baby spinach to many of the pasta, rice, grain dishes I make. Even arugula works!
Liz
Could you please provide (approximate) weights for the kale? When I buy Tuscan kale, it’s usually about 4 or 5 oz, so 3 bunches would be less than a pound. When I buy curly kale, a bunch is usually a pound or so, so 2 bunches would fill the large pasta pot!
tal
Kale is a member of the cabbage family. I make this recipe with whatever type of cabbage I find at the market. Napa cabbage or bok choy work well. If I don’t have walnuts, toasted bread crumbs and/or a poached egg are a good substitute.
Maria
To my mind, a pantry dish is one that can be made with things that we always have around in our pantries – like, say, a can of anchovies. Things I do not have around in my pantry at all times include a bunch of kale and walnuts that are stipulated to be fresh. having said that, maybe I'll try cooking this anyway.
Dan
I’ve made this and would not decrease the amount of garlic—it’s there to flavor the oil and it’s definitely not overpowering in the final dish. Also added the zest from the lemon, which gave it a nice brightness.
Mardale Bee
For those like me who can't eat walnuts, I recommend hazelnuts, left whole or lightly crushed with the flat of a large knife. Also, that's a lot of garlic! I plan on using half the amount.
KT
For the walnut haters, they're meant to substitute for bread crumbs, so you could just toss some bread crumbs with salt/pepper/olive oil, toast it up, and use that instead.
Potter
Julia Child did a wonderful dish on TV that this reminds me of: spaghetti, tossed with olive oil, walnuts and fresh parsley... I find online her "Spaghetti Marco Polo" that adds roasted red peppers, black olives, garlic and fresh basil and lots of parmesan.. and of course salt and pepper. Perhaps that is the one I am remembering.
Juliet
Keep the walnuts in a jar in the fridge, they will last much longer that way and not become rancid.
Judy D
can you substitute spinach
Stacy H.
So easy, we made it twice in one week. So good, the second time was for company!
So. Californian Gardener
Used two bunches of kale and since I picked them from the backyard, it would be nice to know the weight. Can you provide this in the future? Enjoyed the dish. Nutritious and tasty.
alyssa
Made this as directed some months back and really enjoyed it. Had a bag of baby kale from our farmshare and recalled this recipe so I made it tonight. I used butter for the initial cook on the garlic/kale, added a little zest from the lemon, and topped the whole dish with some crumbled goat cheese. Hubby said it was restaurant quality and requested to add it to the rotation, so I’d say it was a success!
Mike
This was good, but I'm left puzzled by what "2 bunches of kale" means. The recipe is flexible enough that it should turn out well regardless, but it would still be great if NYT would start including weights as standard practice. Otherwise, the lemon needs more punch. I'll try doubling it next time. And I might up the walnuts by a good 50%, too. I also subbed in campanelle pasta (because I dropped all the spaghetti on the floor!) and it was excellent.
Sander
This was absolutely delicious! Will definitely make it again. I used pecan instead of walnut, because I had some left. For the people wandering about the kale, I used around 10 ounce curly kale (stems removed) and we thought it was a good amount.
Ari
This might be a no brainer for some but definitely prep everything for this recipe (ie all chopping/etc) in advance, hard to do on the fly. Very tasty overall, don't skimp on red pepper or garlic, they set the scene for the whole dish.
S_McG
I don't know, maybe I didn't use enough kale but I didn't find anything interesting about this pasta. I'm going back to my usual kale pasta dish, which has lentils and caramelized onions.
SM
I loosely followed this recipe, and by that I mean I used most of the same ingredients & followed the process, but I didn’t measure anything. I also added some pre-cooked chicken and finely chopped sun dried tomatoes. Then I drizzled some basil oil on top. It was really good. I grow so much kale & am always looking for more ways to use it. I’ve made a similar dish before I saw this recipe, but I used toasted pine nuts & fresh chopped tomatoes.
Frank
This first time, I made the recipe straight as is. Even though I used an enormous amount of kale, it doesn’t look like very much once it cooks down and is next to a pound of spaghetti. The flavoring is simple, and I agree with other comments that this is a good base recipe from which to add things or do variations. We added some 9 oz of small sausages to add some protein, but beans would be just as good. This is a two pot dish with simple prep, and delivers a meal in a bowl.
March Madness & Mushrooms
After procrastinating making this for literally months (fear?) I made this recipe completely wrong. I used farfalle and carrot “noodles” instead of spaghetti, pecans instead of walnuts, added in mushrooms, and topped with Gruyère instead of pecorino (or Parmesan); it was immaculate. A good and simple recipe, and lends itself to subs. Use protein or whole wheat pasta for some extra nourishment, if that is of concern.
Eileen
Surprisingly great. A few anchovies and a handful of golden raisins took this to next level. This would be fab with whole wheat pasta. My only complaint is that it’s low in protein.
KKS
This recipe is almost identical to Alison Roman’s. I wonder who borrowed from whom? I use a mix of cavolo nero, chard, and rapini. Sometimes I’ll throw in some radicchio for added bitterness and color.
Karen
I made this tonight, almost exactly as described but half, for one + leftovers (8 oz whole grain spaghetti, one bunch curly kale from CSA box). It's good, but needs a few tweaks to be great: 1. More kale! the CSA bunch was smallish. 2. All 6 garlic cloves and 1/2 tsp chili flakes for half the pasta. 3. Extra toasted walnuts and parmesan! 4. I love the idea of lemon zest and will try it next time.
C
Love this recipe although I concede that 1 lb of pasta is too much and throws the ratio off. This style of pasta requires aggressive seasoning and persistence while tossing with pasta water- it takes a while for that glossy sauce to form! Keep adding salt, lemon and cheese until you like it.
my notes
Not worth the effort Too many pans Use all lemon Toasted nuts tasted good Cook with more veggies (onions, tomatoes..) if make again
Chris LaTerza
I made this tonight following the recipe exactly. I used a one pound bag of kale and about 3/4 pounds of spaghetti. More than enough for three. Excellent easy meal. It’s a keeper.
Brian Holland
This was amazing. I made a low carb version using edamame pasta! I could have eaten a second bowl it was so good!
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