Kale Superfood Pesto Pasta

This recipe is not only delicious, it allows you to sneak in some extra greens!

This is a simple, nutritious dish that can stand alone as a meal or pair well as a side (hot or cold!).

INGREDIENTS
1 Bag NoNo Pasta (gluten-free)
Vegan Butter

For the pesto:
Olive oil
1 cup Baby Kale leaves
1/2 cup Fresh Basil leaves, packed
1 tbsp Garlic, minced
1 Avocado, split
1/4 cup Pine nuts, toasted
1/2 Lemon, juiced
To taste: Salt

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. While that’s coming to temp, prepare ingredients for the pesto. Mince garlic (or buy jarred, already minced, to save time), halve the avocado, toast pine nuts, and juice lemon. Blitz all in a food processor and add olive oil until desired consistency is reached.

I like mine more like a sauce but you could leave this a bit chunkier too. Taste for seasoning once all ingredients are combined.

Salt pasta water generously and cook pasta until el dente, 8 - 10 minutes. Once it’s done, reserve some of the pasta water (a coffee mug comes in handy here) and then strain off the balance of the water. Next, run the pasta under cold water to stop the cooking. Add a drizzle of olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking to each other.

Finally, add a tablespoon of butter to a nonstick or heavy-bottomed pan. Add the pesto and pasta to the pan. Ladle in about a half cup of the reserved pasta water and combine all.

Enjoy with a few additional pine nuts on top and garnish with basil leaves.