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Pasta with Kale Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Pasta with Kale Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

This bright green kale pesto is deeply vegetal, with toasty roasted almonds and savory Parm.

By Rose HattabaughNovember 11, 2022

  • Makes
    4 to 6 servings
  • Cook Time
    30 minutes
  • Rating

“Pesto” originates from the Italian word pestare, which means “to pound,” a reference to the traditional way of preparing the sauce with a mortar and pestle. There are countless ingredients you can use to make pesto. For this recipe, we blend earthy, pleasantly bitter lacinato kale (also called Tuscan or dinosaur kale) with roasted almonds (or cashews) and Parmesan for richness and umami in this Italian-inspired dish. Just whirl everything in a food processor, then toss with cooked pasta and chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes.

Ingredients
  • 1

    pound penne OR ziti OR farfalle pasta

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • 1

    cup whole roasted almonds OR cashews, plus more, chopped, to serve

  • 2

    ounces (without rind) Parmesan OR pecorino Romano cheese, cut into rough 1-inch pieces, plus more, finely grated, to serve

  • 1

    medium garlic clove, smashed and peeled

  • ½

    teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • 1

    small bunch lacinato kale, stemmed and roughly chopped OR 5-ounce container baby kale

  • ½

    cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • ¼

    cup oil-packed drained sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, plus 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato oil

  • Optional garnish: Lemon wedges

Step 1

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Add the pasta and 1 tablespoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain and return to the pot.

Step 2

While the pasta cooks, in a food processor, combine the almonds, Parmesan, garlic, pepper flakes and ½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Process until the mixture resembles coarse sand, 10 to 20 seconds. Add the kale and olive oil; process, scraping the bowl as needed, until almost completely smooth, about another 20 seconds.

Step 3

Add the pesto to the pasta in the pot along with the sun-dried tomatoes, their oil and ½ cup of the reserved cooking water, then toss; add more cooking water as needed so the pesto coats the noodles. Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Serve sprinkled with chopped almonds and grated Parmesan.

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