When in doubt, pasta + Parmesan + vegetable = a really good meal. For this version of that quick dinner classic, I added some mushrooms for extra umami, garlic because you gotta have garlic, and a heap of freshly cracked pepper (because I saw some parmesan & black pepper popcorn at the store it made my mouth water). I’ve already eaten half the pot of this Parmesan & Pepper Kale Pasta, if that says anything about how well it turned out.
Good. It turned out really good. But, I have yet to fail when using that “pasta + Parmesan + vegetable” formula. Works every time!
I can’t help it. I’ll probably put a soft boiled egg on top of a bowl of this tomorrow morning for breakfast. #eggaddict
Parmesan & Pepper Kale Pasta
Servings 4 (1.5 cups each)Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.20)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 8 oz button mushrooms ($1.99)
- 1 bunch kale (curly or lacinato) ($1.89)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth ($0.06)
- 1/2 lb pasta (any shape) ($0.75)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan ($0.71)
- Freshly cracked pepper ($0.15)
Instructions
- Mince the garlic and slice the mushrooms. Place the butter, garlic, and mushrooms in a large pot and sauté the mushrooms over medium heat until they are soft and dark (about 5 minutes).
- While the mushrooms are sautéing, tear or cut the kale leaves from the stems, then chop them into small pieces. Rinse the kale well.
- Add the kale to the pot along with 1/2 cup chicken broth. Stir the kale as it cooks until it is fully wilted. Let the wilted kale simmer in the broth without a lid over medium heat until most of the broth has evaporated (about 10 minutes).
- While the kale is simmering, bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook until al dente (7-10 minutes). Drain the pasta and let it cool slightly, or until it looks a little dry and tacky in texture.
- Remove the pot with the kale and mushrooms from the heat. Add the pasta and stir to combine. The pot should be warm, but not steaming hot. If it’s still steaming, let it cool for about 5 minutes.* Once slightly cooled, add 1/2 tsp salt, about 20 cranks of a pepper mill (or more if desired), and the grated Parmesan. Stir until all the pasta and vegetables are coated in Parmesan and pepper. Taste the pasta and add more salt or pepper if needed.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Parmesan & Pepper Kale Pasta – Step by Step Photos
Start by slicing an 8 oz. package of mushrooms and mincing two cloves of garlic. Add the mushrooms and garlic to a large pot along with 2 Tbsp of butter.
Sauté the mushrooms and garlic over medium heat until they are soft and dark (about 5 minutes).
While the mushrooms are cooking, remove the stems from one bunch of kale. You can either just pull the leafy parts from the woody stems, or take a knife and run it along the side of each stem. Once the stem is removed, chop or tear the kale into smaller pieces.
Rinse the kale really well because a lot of dirt and debris (and maybe bugs??) can hide in those curly leaves. You don’t have to worry about waiting for it to dry.
Add the cleaned kale leaves to the pot along with a half cup of chicken broth. This is why I love Better Than Bouillon. You can mix up EXACTLY the amount you need, whenever you need it. It comes in low sodium and organic, too, if you were wondering (not a paid product mention!).
Cook and stir the kale until it wilts down, then let it simmer in the broth until most of the broth has evaporated away (about 10 minutes). Remove it from the heat and let it cool a little. While the kale is simmering away, cook a 1/2 lb. of pasta according to the package directions (boil for 7-10 minutes). Drain the pasta well and let it cool slightly. Wait until it gets a little tacky and dry in the surface.
Letting the pasta and the pot cool just slightly is really important. If it’s still steaming hot when you add the Parmesan, the Parmesan will melt and stick to the bottom of the pot rather than coating the pasta in flavorful little granules. It’s okay for the pasta to still be warm, just make sure it’s not still steaming. Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, and a good healthy dose of freshly cracked pepper (20 cranks of a mill or more). Stir the pot until everything is coated in Parmesan and pepper. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.
Never fails!
My sister and I made this the other night. Delish!
We added white wine to the kale/mushroom mixture. It would also be good with a smokey-type meat. Smoked bacon (chopped), or smoked salmon.
I’ve decided to make this next week when I’ll be getting some kale and mushrooms in my Farm Fresh to You box (organic produce). But I’ll use box broth, because I already have it in my pantry. Thanks for the yummy recipes, Beth! I check your website every morning for new ones.
I usually don’t modify your recipes even a little bit because they are perfect, but I’m trying to get a little more protein as I don’t eat meat — do you think I could add a can of chickpeas to this? Would I need to modify anything to stretch the flavor, or does it makes enough “sauce” to add beans?
It doesn’t really make a sauce, but if you add chickpeas you might want to add more parmesan to make sure everything is covered. The liquid in the recipe just helps the kale soften, but most of it gets evaporated away. :)
chiming in to say we have a near identical meal in heavy rotation at our house, but we add a couple cups of cooked cannellini beans for protein.
This looks SO good! Thanks for sharing your recipe and that wonderful equation for a really good meal.
I use Better Than Bouillon, too. It really is the best. Love the combo of pepper, Parmesan, and Kale. :)
My 82-year-old mother has always loved kale. She once asked her granmother why they waited until after the first frost to harvest it. Gammy replied, “I don’t know. Maybe it kills the bugs?” (Your bug comment reminded me of the story. I think the real reason has to do with sugars in the plant.) Anyway, this looks really, really yummy.
*OFF-TOPIC: Beth, I was watching iZombie last night and thought of YOU when she started pouring the Sriracha all over her ramen and BRAINS! :D
Hahahahah maybe I need to watch that show. :P
What other vegetables might you recommend to substitute the mushrooms for? The recipe looks good but I’m not a fan of mushrooms!
I’d either just leave them out or maybe sauté an onion. That’s a tough one!
Great recipe! I like to add some fresh lemon juice too!
This is random but radiatori are one of my favorite pasta shapes… and I’m super excited because when I went to the grocery store today, DaVinci (the only brand that has radiatori and bucatini at my store) was on sale so I’m fully stocked now!! Anyway, this meal looks amazing/right up my alley (pasta + veg + cheese was absolutely my meal template when I was single… unfortunately bf is a bit more of a meat eater). I also wanted to let you know I’m a Better Than Bouillon convert because of you… started using it a year or two ago and never looked back. So easy to store and so much less waste (and let’s be real, I was never going to get around to making my own stock)!!
Mine was DaVinci, too! I love all their pasta shapes. :)
I am in Canada and can never find neat shapes! Perhaps I should make a trip to the Italian grocery store? lol This pasta looks delish. I will look for DaVinci!
Or check online retailers! :)
My goodness Beth, this looks DELISH and super easy!
My hubs and I been talking about kale (we just joined a CSA farm so we’ll have a greater variety of produce in short order)…this looks like a easy one to try :) We could do it as the side for pork chops, or kielbasa or we could grill chicken and toss it in (or eat it on the side) feels like there’d be a lot of good options with this :)
Looks like a great combination – and the perfect opportunity for me to try cooking with Kale. Thanks for the inspiration!
I always am amazed at people who have given up pasta for good! I couldn’t do it!! With Parm, mushrooms, garlic and veggies, that’s my love language right there. You make it look so easy though in the photo’s, easy and cheap. Thanks for the inspiration!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your recipes! tried a lot of them! Is there any way you can also post your grocery shopping lists of the week so that we can track what meals we can make out of them? Basically a meal plan!
I kind of did that for my SNAP challenge series, but I don’t plan that much on a regular basis. :)
I’m going to try this next week, but replace the parm with goat cheese. A bit better for the lactose intolerant.
Pasta+Parmesan+Vegetable sounds like a plan to me. Gotta try this! It looks yummy.