Start to finish: 30 minutes / Servings: 4 to 6
We blend earthy, pleasantly bitter lacinato kale (also called Tuscan or dinosaur kale) with roasted almonds (or cashews) and Parmesan for richness and umami in this Italian-inspired dish. Just whirl everything in a food processor, then toss with cooked pasta and chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes.
1 pound penne OR ziti OR farfalle pasta
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 cup whole roasted almonds OR cashews, plus more, chopped, to serve
2 ounces (without rind) Parmesan OR pecorino Romano cheese, cut into rough 1-inch pieces, plus more, finely grated, to serve
1 medium garlic clove, smashed and peeled
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 small bunch lacinato kale, stemmed and roughly chopped OR 5-ounce container baby kale
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup oil-packed drained sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, plus 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato oil
In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Add the pasta and 1 tablespoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain and return to the pot.
While the pasta cooks, in a food processor, combine the almonds, Parmesan, garlic, pepper flakes and ½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Process until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the kale and olive oil; process, scraping the bowl as needed, until almost completely smooth, about another 20 seconds.
Add the pesto to the pasta in the pot along with the sun-dried tomatoes, their oil and ½ cup of the reserved cooking water, then toss; add more cooking water as needed so the pesto coats the noodles. Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Serve sprinkled with chopped almonds and grated Parmesan.
Optional garnish: Lemon wedges