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Kale Pasta

Author:

Vincenzo Prosperi

Updated:

15th Apr, 2025

2 Comments

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How to Make Kale Pasta

Kale pasta by Vincenzo’s Plate? Don’t worry, you’re in the right place! By combining juicy kale with tasty olives and a hint of chilli there is no regeretting adding this luscious green vegetable to your next pasta dish. With all the hype surrounding kale, I wanted to create my own pasta dish incorporating this ingredient and infusing it with decadent extra virgin olive oil. This kale
pasta takes no time to make, requires little prep and has more flavour than you might imagine.

Watch the Kale Pasta video recipe:

How To Make KALE PASTA Like an Italian

Vincenzo’s Top Tips To Make Kale Pasta


Break the Kale into Small Pieces

Once you’ve cleaned your fresh kale, it’s time to cut and break it into small pieces! I recommend using your hands to crush and break the pieces, but a knife works too. The smaller the pieces you make, the better they will mix with the pasta. Don’t forget to avoid using any part of the stem.


Add As Many Olives As You Wish!

For this recipe, I recommend using 30 black olives in the kale pasta. But the amount of olives you add to your dish is really up to you! You can increase the number if you love them, or lower it for a more subtle taste. Just make sure to crush the olives before adding them to your pasta.


Save Some Pasta Water

Don’t forget the golden rule: When cooking the pasta, be sure to save a mug of pasta water. Later, you’ll add it to the base for some added flavor.


How to Serve Kale Pasta

To serve this delicious kale pasta, pour a serving out of the saucepan and onto the center of your plate. Now it’s ready to eat!

How To Make Kale Pasta

Kale Pasta Recipe

This fresh kale pasta is an amazing option if you’re looking for a quick, healthy meal with an array of excellent flavors. All you need to do is cook the kale and pasta, add a delicious base, and finish off with some pepper and dried chili. Viola — dinner is served! 
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Cook Time: 10 minutes mins
Total Time: 15 minutes mins
Servings: 4

Equipment

  • knife
  • Cutting board
  • Large stainless steel pot
  • Plate
  • Standard size spoon
  • large pot for boiling pasta
  • wooden spoon
  • Large saucepan
  • wooden spoon
  • Garlic crusher optional
  • Mug

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch Fresh kale
  • 300 grams Fusilli pasta, 11oz
  • 30 Black olives, pitted
  • 2 Garlic cloves, one per person
  • Dry chili
  • 1 tbsp Rock salt
  • Extra virgin olive oil, as much as required
  • Pepper, as much as required

Instructions

Prepare the Kale

  • Clean and break the kale into small pieces with your hands. Be sure to remove it from the stem. The smaller you can cut/break the kale pieces, the better!

Cook the Pasta

  • Add 1 tablespoon of rock salt to a pot of boiling water and dissolve before adding the pasta and kale to the water.
  • Stir the ingredients with a long wooden spoon to ensure no pasta gets stuck to the bottom of the pot while cooking.
  • Cook for about 10 minutes.

Make the Base of the Pasta

  • While the pasta and kale are cooking, it’s time to create the base of the pasta. Start by adding 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to a large saucepan on low heat.
  • Crush and add 2 cloves of garlic.
  • Quickly add 1 tablespoon of pasta water to keep the garlic from burning.
  • Crush and add black olives, along with half of the dried chili (save the other half to sprinkle onto the kale).

Put it All Together

  • Next, add the cooked kale and pasta to the saucepan as well as half a mug of pasta water.
  • Gently mix, then sprinkle the rest of the dried chili and add pepper.
  • Time to toss! Mix everything through really well so all the flavours can infuse. Use a large spoon to serve the pasta on a large plate. You’re all done!

Video

E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate….Enjoy!

 

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Recipe Rating




2 responses

  1. Tim
    March 18, 2023

    Love this dish, so simple but so tasty! Couple of comments if I may?

    1.Black pitted olives in jars or tins are usually kept in brine, so rinse thoroughly in fresh water before using otherwise the dish will be way too salty!

    2. If you remove the stalks from the Kale, it will cook in 5 minutes easily so put the dried pasta in first and add the Kale just before the end of the cook time.

    3. I prefer the dish a little creamier, so I add butter at the end and Pecorino with a half a ladle of pasta water.

    4. Instead of more chilli flakes, I added the zest of half a lemon before serving, it just finished it off perfectly!

    Reply
    1. Vincenzo’s Plate
      April 5, 2023

      These tips are amazing! I’m trying this out next time. Thank you for this, Tim!

      Reply

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