But this kale and walnut pesto that I served with rotini pasta is bright green. It’s almost comically green and my kids thought it was hilarious to eat something SO green. Little did they know that it was actually HEALTHY. Like, ridiculously healthy. This meal comes together really quickly and the only cooking you must do is the pasta! Serve it by itself, with a side salad, or with lemon pepper chicken (my Dad Add). Any way is a good way!
Why Walnut Pesto?
Classic pesto contains pine nuts and basil. These are fine, but they can be expensive, and I like to change it up a bit with different pesto add-ins. The walnuts in this recipe can be bought economically if you buy the walnut pieces rather than whole walnuts. Kale is also much cheaper than the amount of basil you would need to make fresh pesto, although I still use a handful of basil in this pesto recipe. Plus, the flavors work nicely. Walnuts and kale have an earthy flavor to them that works well in pesto.
How To Get Bright Green Pesto
The trick to bright (BRIGHT) green pesto is to blanch the veggies before you blend them. Just bring a large pot of salted water to a simmer and dunk the kale and basil for 10 seconds. Don’t over-cook them! Ten seconds is all it takes. Then remove the greens with tongs to let them cool and dry on a baking sheet. You can boil the pasta in the same water! When you blend the pesto, the color will stick, and you’ll end up with a beautifully green pesto.
Suggestions and Substitutions
Pesto can be a very flexible thing and I highly encourage substitutions. If you can’t find walnuts, try pecans. Kale should be pretty available, but the kind of kale can be up to you. Try purple kale or dinosaur kale for a different twist! Of course, the pasta is flexible as well. I find rotini nice because the pesto really sticks to it, but any similar shaped pasta (penne, for example) works well.
Make-Ahead Walnut Pesto
If you can’t make the pesto fresh, no worries. You can make the pesto in advance and store with plastic wrap pressed directly against the pesto. This will keep it from browning too much. Then just add it to hot pasta and you’re in business. The pesto by itself will keep fine in the fridge (airtight) for three to four days. You can also freeze pesto for up to three months. Transfer the pesto to an ice cube tray, then pop out the cubes of pesto once hard and store in an airtight container.
How To Store and Reheat Pesto Pasta
Assuming you have leftover pesto rotini, it’ll keep fine in the fridge for two to three days. After that, it starts to lose some of its zing and the pesto will start to brown. While you can reheat it in the microwave, I find it best to reheat it over gentle heat in a pot with a splash of water.
The Dad Add: Seared Lemon-Pepper Chicken
This veggie pasta is pretty filling thanks to all the kale and nuts in the pesto, but I like to add some extra protein to my plate. I made a simple pan-seared lemon-pepper chicken that goes really well with the flavors. I say it was the Dad Add, but my kids both snuck pieces of my chicken. A parent is always sacrificing!
The Kid Report Card
Like I said, we had a lot of fun with the color on this pasta. I tried to make a joke out of it and my kids thought it was hilarious (WHO PUT GRASS IN THE PASTA?!!) If you eat a piece of green pasta, will it turn your teeth green? These are the types of questions that must be investigated during dinnertime. This was a very different pasta than what my kids were used to, but they ate pretty decent servings of it so I’ll chalk it up as a WIN.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Cincinnati Chili Hamburger and Macaroni Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce Easy Italian Sausage Spaghetti Creamy Ziti Florentine
1 bunch kale, stems removed 1 cup loosely packed basil 2 cloves garlic 1/2 cup toasted walnuts 1/3 cup water 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt 12 ounces rotini pasta Parmesan cheese, for serving
For the Lemon Pepper Chicken (Dad Add):
2 chicken cutlets 2 teaspoons lemon pepper 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 2 tablespoons olive oil
Once boiling, add the kale and basil to the pot for only 10 seconds. Use the tongs to lift the kale and basil out of the water and let cool on a baking sheet. If it looks like an excessive amount of water remains on the greens, feel free to press them with a paper towel. Use this same pot of water to cook your pasta. Return the pasta to the pot and add all the pesto. Stir to combine. If the pesto seems really dry, add reserved pasta water a little at a time. Stir between each addition until it coats the pasta well. Leftovers keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Reheat gently in a pot with a splash of water over low heat or in the microwave. In a medium skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and cook cutlets for 5 to 6 minutes per side until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F. After they come out of the skillet, let them rest briefly and then slice and serve on top of the rotini.
