Kale and Walnut Pasta
Enjoy a quick and easy meal of Vegan Kale and Walnut Pasta in 30 minutes. It's healthy and flavorful meal but so easy to make! Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or a casual get-together. Wonderful flavors of pasta, kale, tomatoes and walnuts. Whip this flavorful meal up any night of the week.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. of favorite pasta ( choose a gluten-free option if desired)
- 2 cups kale, washed and chopped
- 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper, to taste
- red pepper flakes (optional, for a bit of heat)
- vegan parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water before draining.
- In a large dry skillet, on medium heat, toast the walnuts until fragrant. Don't burn or over toast them. (about 3 minutes) Then take them out of the pan and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Add minced garlic and chopped kale. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until the kale is wilted and tender. Stirring kale several times while cooking.
- (optional) If adding tomatoes, add to the kale and garlic pan a minute or two before the kale is done to heat the tomatoes through.
- Toss the cooked pasta into the skillet with the kale and garlic. (and tomatoes, if adding). Add toasted walnuts, nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add a bit of the reserved pasta cooking water if needed so that the pasta does not clump and to reach your desired creamy consistency.
- Divide the pasta among plates. Garnish with red pepper flakes and vegan Parmesan cheese if desired.
- Serve your vegan kale walnut pasta immediately and savor the flavors!