Penne with Kale and White Beans
Penne pasta tossed with kale and beans, with herbs, spices, and a little Parmesan - simple, but surprisingly delicious. This light-but-flavorful recipe is perfect any time you need an easy and budget-friendly meal, or when you have some hungry non-meat eaters to please. See recipe notes for easy ways to make this gluten- and/or dairy-free.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 bunch kale
- 16 oz penne pasta
- 1 Tbs olive or avocado oil
- 1 Tbs butter or ghee
- 4 cloves garlic ,minced
- 1 15 oz. can Great Northern Beans ,drained and rinsed
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp basil
- 1/2 tsp savory
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes ,optional
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- Parmesan and red pepper flakes ,to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Wash kale, and remove stems and tough central rib. Cut or tear leaves into strips, roughly 1/2 to 1 inch wide.
- Blanch kale in a large pot of boiling water just until the color changes to bright green, about 1-2 minutes (don't overcook!). Use a slotted spoon to remove kale to a plate or bowl and set aside. (Don't drain the greens too thoroughly. You want to allow a little liquid to accumulate in the dish while they rest).
- Leave the cooking water in the pot and continue to boil. Add pasta and cook to al dente. Drain and set aside when done.
- While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil. Once heated, add the butter or ghee and melt to combine with the oil (if using butter, cook until it stops foaming). Add garlic and saute until fragrant, 1-2 mins.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add kale and any accumulated liquid to the pan. Toss to combine. Add beans, salt, pepper, herbs, and pepper flakes (if using). Toss well, then allow to simmer until beans are heated through and liquid has reduced somewhat, about 5 mins.
- Using a fork, mash about a third of the beans in the skillet to form a paste. Add the lemon juice and combine thoroughly. Remove from heat and toss with pasta.
- Serve topped with grated Parmesan and red pepper flakes, if desired.
Notes
Make this gluten-free: Simply swap in your favorite gluten-free penne. We used a quinoa and brown rice penne in the batch we made for our photos.
Make this vegan and dairy free: Omit the butter/ghee and double the amount of oil. Use a good-quality extra virgin olive oil to maximize on flavor. Skip the cheese topping, or replace it with nutritional yeast mixed with a little celery salt (about 1/8 tsp celery salt per Tbs of yeast).
- If you don't have savory in your pantry (which you really ought to rectify), oregano is a decent substitute here. You might want to use a little less, since oregano is a bit more potent.