Kale and Walnut Pasta

Kale and Walnut Pasta

This is one of those pasta dishes we keep coming back to, and honestly it's hard to explain why it's so good until you actually make it. The toasted walnuts add this incredible nutty crunch, the kale goes beautifully silky in the pan, and the lemon zest just lifts the whole thing at the end. It's got that proper Italian aglio e olio energy but with a bit more going on. Make this tonight, you won't regret it.

Cook: 25 min
Serves 2

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 180°C
  • Baking tray
  • Large saucepan
  • Steamer basket or colander
  • Medium saucepan
  • Kitchen paper
  • Microplane or fine grater

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 30g walnuts
  • 50g tenderstem broccoli
  • 100g kale or cavolo nero
  • 100g wholewheat tagliatelle or linguine
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • ½ Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 small garlic clove
  • 1 can chickpeas
  • 5g flat leaf parsley - chopped

Method

1

Prepare the walnuts

  • Put the walnuts on a baking tray and place on a baking tray for 8-10 minutes
  • Remove from the oven, roughly chop and set aside
2

Prepare the vegetables

  • Trim the ends of half the broccoli and cut in halves longways
  • Remove the stalks from half the kale and roughly chop in to bite sized pieces
  • Zest half the lemon
  • Peel and grate 1 clove of garlic
  • Pick 2 sprigs thyme and roughly chop
  • Pick half the parsley and roughly chop
  • Drain and rinse the chickpeas and place half in a airtight container
3

Cook the pasta

  • Fill the kettle and bring it to a boil
  • Pour the water into a large saucepan, season well and bring back to a rolling boil
  • Add half the pasta and cook for approximately 8 minutes (check the packet instructions)
  • Whilst the pasta is cooking, place a steamer basket or colander over the pan of boiling pasta
  • Add the prepared kale and broccoli and steam for 2 minutes until tender (don't overcook here)
  • Remove the steamed greens from the steamer and pat dry with kitchen paper
4

Flavour the chickpeas and greens

  • Place 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat, add half the chilli, lemon zest, prepared garlic, prepared thyme, half the chickpeas and stir to release the aromas of the aromatics
  • Add the steamed greens to to the pan and carefully fold to combine
  • Take the pan off the heat
5

Finish and serve

  • Drain the pasta but reserve half a cup of the cooking water
  • Return the pasta to the pan, quickly pour over half the walnuts, the prepared kale and broccoli mixture and twist everything together to mix
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper and add 1-2 tsp of the reserved cooking water if needed to loosen the pasta
  • Plate up the pasta, sprinkle over the parsley and serve immediately
  • Repeat this process with the leftover ingredients later in the week for another delicious, healthy dinner

Tips & Variations

  • Toast the walnuts properly: Don't skip the toasting step or rush it. Keep an eye on them in the oven because they can go from perfect to burnt pretty quickly, and perfectly toasted walnuts are what make this dish sing.
  • Massage the kale: If your kale feels a bit tough, give it a quick scrunch with your hands before it goes in the pan. It breaks down the fibres and means it wilts faster and more evenly.
  • Save your pasta water: This one's worth repeating. A splash of starchy pasta water is what brings the whole sauce together and stops it feeling dry. We always scoop some out just before draining, just in case.

Why This Works

The trick here is toasting the walnuts first. It sounds like a faff but it genuinely transforms them, bringing out this deep, almost buttery flavour that you just don't get from raw. The garlic and thyme go in at just the right moment so they sizzle without burning, and that's what gives the whole dish its backbone.