The Pasta Shoppe

Delicious pasta recipes and fun pasta ideas

  • About
  • Pasta FAQ’s
  • Recipes
    • Healthy or Gluten Free
    • Holiday Entertaining
    • Lasagna & Casseroles
    • Mac ‘n Cheese Please!
    • Meat & Poultry
    • Misc. Fun!
    • Pasta Salads
    • Pesto & Sauces
    • Seafood Lovers
    • Tips & Gadgets
    • Veggie Delish
  • Fundraising
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
Home / Blog / Kale and Walnut Pesto

Kale and Walnut Pesto

November 21, 2014 by carey 2 Comments

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

 

Kale and Walnut Pesto | WorldofPastabilities.com

Kale, our favorite “headless” wild cabbage, has been hot for a few years now.  Everywhere you look there is kale on a menu or some recipe substituting and selling kale as the “it girl” new leafy green.  The beautiful ruffled dark green leaves may stand in for basil, spinach, or mixed greens in some recipes…and it loves to be added to smoothies!  I’ve snuck it into many fruit smoothies and the kids have no idea! 🙂  Kale and Walnut Pesto highlights its versatility and is one of my favorite versions of pesto as you normally think of it.

So “what the kale”?  What is all the fuss about?

Kale and Walnut Pesto | WorldofPastabilities.com

 

I’ll never forget ordering a kale salad with some friends as a side dish at a local restaurant a few years ago.  It seemed like a novel idea at the time.  “Isn’t this interesting?” we thought.  It was then the love affair began.

Let’s break down why kale is so AWESOME:

  • It’s mild and mellow in taste
  • It can be eaten raw, blanched, or roasted.
  • It is high in Vitamin A, C and K
  • It’s packed with antioxidants
  • It’s a great source of folic acid, calcium, and iron
  • It’s high in fiber and fat free
  • It can be enjoyed alone but loves to socialize with other ingredients and foods!
  • It is a superfood!

Does this make you want to go crazy for kale?  One of my favorite food blogging friends, Julia Mueller, has written a great cookbook featuring this superfood, called Let Them Eat Kale!  When you read her recipes, you will be a believer.  You will immediately head to the store to pick some up!  Julia is a health nut and has been blogging about it for a long time.  You can see what I mean by checking out her blog:  The Roasted Root.  Don’t you just love the name?

Kale and Walnut Pesto will become a staple in your pesto repertoire.  I love it over pasta topped with toasted walnuts and chopped tomatoes.  But the uses are endless…how about as a spread on an egg sandwich?  Or any sandwich for that matter.  Serve with goat cheese and crackers.  I can’t wait to use it next weekend as a base for my homemade pizza….yum…

 

Kale and Walnut Pesto | WorldofPastabilities.com

The flavor of Kale and Walnut Pesto is mild, smooth, and easy on the palette.  It’s the kind of tasty experience that makes you want to finish the bowl and get in line for seconds.  But the real bonus is the nutrients this pesto delivers– and the BANG your health gets the day you decide to give it a try!  And if you like this, you’ll probably like my Butternut Squash and Kale Cannelloni too.

Short pasta shapes are a perfect accompaniment for pesto.  You can coat your pasta lightly and still get a mouthful of flavor.  So this pesto goes a long way.  I featured our Italian inspired Seashell Pasta shape, but you may substitute any other short shape:  penne, rotini, etc. The curls, holes, and waves help capture the nuggets of pesto flavor!

 

Kale and Walnut Pesto | WorldofPastabilities.com

If you are interested in our pasta selection, please visit The Pasta Shoppe.  And if you have any fundraising needs, you can check out Fun Pasta Fundraising.  We’ve love to hear from you!

Print

Kale and Walnut Pesto

Delicious and nutritious pesto that is mild in flavor! Perfect for pasta, sandwiches, pizzas, and more!

  • Author: Carey | World of Pastabilities
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 7 mins
  • Total Time: 27 mins
  • Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 lb. Seashell Pasta (or substitute 14–16 ounces of any short pasta shape)
  • 12 oz bag of kale leaves , stems removed (I bought mine at Trader Joes), or 1 bunch of kale, leaves torn and stems removed
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan Romano cheese blend. plus more for garnish
  • 1/3 cup toasted walnuts, plus more for garnish
  • 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise, for garnish
  • 2 cloves, garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 1/4 t. pepper

Instructions

  1. Toast walnuts on a foil lined baking sheet, at 350 degrees, for about 5-6 minutes, until fragrant, tossing occasionally. Chop and set aside.
  2. Blanch kale in large pot of salted water for about 1 minute. Drain in colander. When cooled off enough, squeeze excess water from kale.
  3. Combine kale, 1/3 cup walnuts, cheese, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor until finely chopped. Slowly add olive oil in a steady stream though the tube while machine is still running and until the pesto comes together.
  4. Cook pasta per the package instructions. Drain but do not rinse. Place pasta in bowl and gently toss pesto to coat shapes. Serve topped with toasted walnuts, extra cheese and halved tomatoes.

Notes

Pesto can be made and frozen. If so, cover the pesto at the surface with plastic wrap to prevent discoloration before freezing.
Some people like to fill ice cube trays with pesto for pre-portioned amounts. If so, freeze cubes, and then pop the cubes out and put into another freezer bag for your next pesto craving!

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @worldofpastabilities on Instagram and hashtag it #worldofpastabilities

 

Enter your name and email and get weekly recipes in your inbox... it's FREE!
Let's be Pasta Recipe Pals!
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Print

Related Recipes

  • Veggie Patch Pasta

      Back to School…it’s never an easy transition! We are used to late nights, late…

  • Sun Dried Tomato Pesto | WorldofPastabilities.com
    Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

    July 4th is just around the corner and it’s time to get your bbq-poolside-lakeside-firework-picnic plans…

  • Basil Parsley Pesto
    Everyday Basil Parsley Pesto

    Ahhh….summer.  The schedules are looser and the days are longer.  I’m finding myself washing a…

Filed Under: Blog, Pesto & Sauces, Veggie Delish

« Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce over Gluten Free Tagliolini
Turkey Tetrazzini (for turkey leftovers!) »

Comments

  1. Alice says

    November 21, 2014 at 11:35 pm

    Kale? Kale????? Carey , you make me give it a try!

    Reply
  2. Kathy B. says

    November 22, 2014 at 7:48 pm

    I always feel so healthy when I eat Kale, and I am in need of more Kale recipes! Thank you!!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Sign Up for Free Recipes!

Join our email list for fresh pasta recipes delivered to you every week!

Video

Featured Products

  • Organic Dinosaur Mac and Cheese with dino pasta shapes

    Pastabilities® Organic Dinosaur Mac ‘n Cheese

    $4.99
    Add to cart
  • Tailgate and Celebrate Pasta Bag with pasta pieces

    Tailgate and Celebrate® Pasta

    $5.50
    Add to cart
  • Halloween Pasta Bag with pasta pieces

    Halloween Pasta

    $5.50
    Add to cart
See More Products ›

Featured Recipes

Pasta with Spicy Sausage and Tomato Cream Sauce with Pasta Bag

Pasta with Spicy Sausage and Tomato Cream Sauce

Collage of 5 Heart Recipes to Make and Share

5 Heart Recipes to Make and Share

Greek Pasta Bowl tight shot with diced cucumbers

Greek Pasta Bowl with Tuna & Chickpeas

Winter Pasta Salad | Best of winter ingredients like pecans, cranberries and feta with a yummy vinaigrette | WorldofPastabilities

Delicious Winter Pasta Salad

Pasta Shoppe Advertisment

Browse

  • Pasta Salads
  • Pesto & Sauces
  • Seafood Lovers
  • Veggie Delish
  • Healthy or Gluten Free
  • Lasagna & Casseroles
  • Holiday Entertaining
  • Meat & Poultry
  • Misc. Fun!

Archives

Fun Pasta Fundraising

Let’s Keep In Touch!

Join our email list for a first look at new products, sales, recipes, and exclusive offers!

Stay Connected

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Explore

  • Home
  • Our Story
  • Recipes
  • Our Guarantee
  • Shipping
  • Nutritional & Kosher
  • Wholesale
  • Fundraising
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact Us

Shop

  • Pastabilities® Fun Shapes
  • Pastabilities® Everyday Gourmet
  • Holidays
  • Great Gifts

The Pasta Shoppe

We are a "boutique" pasta manufacturer of fun shapes, healthy grains, and organic pasta. Look around & you'll find lots of innovative and delicious goodies to enjoy...and delicious pasta recipes too! The World is Full of Pastabilities!

© 2021 The Pasta Shoppe LLC. All Rights Reserved.

© 2021 The Pasta Shoppe. All rights reserved. Web design by Shay Bocks

Enter your name and email and get weekly recipes in your inbox... it's FREE!
Let's be Pasta Recipe Pals!
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.