It’s delicious in pasta or as a sauce for fish or chicken.
In a relatively short time, kale has gone from obscurity to a healthy staple found in many people’s weekly shopping routines. But a lament you often hear is that half the bag of kale wilts in the fridge before people use it.
This popular kale sauce is a great way to use up those wilting greens and create a deliciously simple condiment or sauce for pasta. In my opinion, the best way to use kale sauce is in a sort of pesto. You can think of kale sauce as a vegan pesto by skipping the parmesan cheese.
How to Make Kale Sauce Pasta
Jason Wilson for Taste of Home
Other greens you can use if you don’t have wilting kale are leftover swiss chard, arugula or spinach. I like to make this sauce with raw garlic like you would with pesto. But you can also sizzle up the garlic in a little oil and let it cool before adding it to the mix here. If you cook the garlic, then use three cloves. Use two cloves if you do it raw. If you want to make this vegan, skip the parmesan or substitute it for pine nuts or walnuts.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces chopped kale greens (or other greens)
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 pound short pasta, such as rigatoni or farfalle
- Parmesan cheese (optional)
Directions
Step 1: Blanch the kale
In a pot of salted, boiling water, blanch the kale for 2 minutes. Remove kale from the water (reserving the boiling for the pasta), run under cold water and drain.
Step 2: Blend the kale, garlic and oil
Put the blanched kale in a blender or food processor and pulse. Add the garlic and pulse. Then add the oil and blend it all together.
Step 3: Cook the pasta, then toss
Bring the reserved water to a boil and cook the pasta per the directions on the box. When done, drain the water, then toss pasta with the kale sauce, along with parmesan cheese if you are using it.
Sauces to Spruce Up Your Dinner Routine
Photo: Shutterstock / MaraZe
I don’t know about you, but I often get bored with my weeknight cooking routine. I try to keep things simple and easy—grilled steaks, cast-iron pork chops, roasted chicken, or a huge batch of sheet pan vegetables—but after making them a few times, I need to switch things up a bit. These meals need something simple to spice things up and make life exciting again. Luckily, we have a few sauce recipes that do just the trick! They’re a sure-fire way to spruce up dinner without adding much extra time to your night.
Taste of Home
Chimichurri
We love this super fresh recipe for the famous South American condiment. Fresh cilantro and parsley give this sauce a herbaceous backbone, while red pepper flakes and raw garlic give it some spice and pungency. Finish it off with acidic lime juice and vinegar and you have yourself a winner! Chimichurri is the perfect way to complete grilled steak or chicken.
Taste of Home
Pesto
You really can’t go wrong with a classic pesto sauce. It’s amazing on everything from pasta to sandwiches. You can even use it as a pizza base instead of marinara! Traditional pesto is made with basil and pine nuts, but feel free to have some fun with the ingredients. Check out our easy step-by-step guide to pesto.
Barbecue Sauce
When it comes to barbecue sauce, we honestly can’t pick our favorite! So we collected our top 15 homemade barbecue sauce recipes instead. From tangy, mustard-forward Carolina style sauce to Texas-true Dr. Pepper sauce, you’ll find the perfect recipe to sauce up slow cooker pulled pork or slow-cooked ribs.
Taste of Home
Hollandaise Sauce
This sauce is best known for smothering eggs Benedict at breakfast, but we love using this hollandaise recipe to fancy up dinner entrees. Made from creamy egg yolks and rich butter, hollandaise is a perfect way to add flavor to an inexpensive steak, a lean chicken breast, or blanched vegetables.
Taste of Home
Tzatziki Sauce
You may know tzatziki sauce from your favorite Greek dishes, but you don’t have to save it for gyros or falafel. This tzatziki recipe is my favorite way to spice up grilled or roasted vegetables. It’s also the perfect way to cool down a spicy fried chicken.
Taste of Home
Spicy Plum Sauce
Who needs applesauce? This flavorful fruit sauce can do everything applesauce can do, plus a couple things it can’t. It’s super savory, thanks to the onion and garlic, but it still has a sweet and tangy flavor. Whip up this spicy plum sauce and serve it alongside your favorite pork dishes (like these ribs) or on top of a roasted chicken.
Avocado Sauce
We paired this tasty avocado sauce with cornmeal-crusted catfish, but it’s so versatile you could really serve it with anything! Serve it as a dipping sauce for grilled skewers or drizzle it on top of roasted veggies. You could even roll it up inside your favorite burrito instead of guacamole!
Garlic Caper Sauce
How could you resist a sauce that combines salty capers, pungent garlic and savory sun-dried tomatoes? Swirl in a little white wine and finish it off with some cream and you’ll have a sauce that will add a burst of flavor to your dinner.
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Tama Grumbles