Butterfly Pasta with Kale

• May 28, 2013  |
• by Kirstin Uhrenholdt

Kale is rich in calcium and other vitamins, and is a very healthy addition to this pasta dish. Most kids haven’t even heard of kale, but you might be surprised by how much they like it.

YOU NEED:

2 large bunches kale
1 pound farfalle pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, slivered
1 1/2 cups sun-dried tomatoes from a jar, drained, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup pin nuts, toasted
Salt and pepper or red pepper flakes
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

TO MAKE SIX SERVINGS:

Fill a large pot with water. Bring it to a boil, then salt it so it tastes like the sea.

Remove the stems from the kale. Stack all the kale leaves on top of one another, roll them into a fat cigar, and slice it into thin slices. Or just chop, chop, chop it all – that works, too.

Throw the kale into the pot for 4 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon or tongs and drain well. Put the pasta into the same pot of water and cook according to the package directions.

While the pasta is boiling, drizzle a large pan with the olive oil, heated over a medium flame until shimmering, add the garlic, and gently sauté it until golden and fragrant.

Toss in the kale and the sun-dried tomatoes, cooking until the kale is tender and the sun dried tomatoes are soft and bright.

When the pasta is done, drain it, reserving a few tablespoons of the cooking water.

In a large bowl, combine the pasta with the kale and the remaining ingredients. If you want to moisten it a bit, you use the reserved cooking water. Serve with a lovely mixed green salad.