I love to roast veggies and get super creative in the kitchen with produce, but I recently entered a phase where I have forgotten about greens! If you need some inspiration with how to use greens or you want to reintroduce greens in your meals, then this post if for you!
Like I said, I have forgotten about leafy greens. Over the summer our meals were heavily based on smoothies and salads and in the fall and early winter, I was focused on root vegetables and squash because we had so many after visiting local pumpkin patches. Now, yes salads do contain greens but I usually stick to lettuce that's easier to digest like romaine. So naturally, when I went to the Farmer's Market and saw a big beautiful bunch of Lacinato Kale, I had to buy it!
I'm not going to lie, these poor kale bunches sat in the fridge for a few days before I used them for a dish. I opted to roast some root veggies first and then homemade pizza and baked eggplant before I even considered the kale. I didn't want to simply fold the kale into a soup or have it get lost in another dish, so I waited until I could think of something that would make it the star of the show.
I decided to keep it simple and make a meal that could be completed in less than one hour. Thus, I made a creamy kale pasta with the added benefits of pumpkin seeds. Who could complain about pasta after eating so many root vegetables and soups, right?
How to Make Creamy Vegan Kale Pasta with Pumpkin Seeds
Prep Time: 30 MINS plus OVERNIGHT
Cook Time: 30 MINS
Cool Time: None
Assembly: 10 MINS
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Total Time: 1 HOUR and 10 MINUTES
Tools: Pasta Pot, Colander or Spider, Blender, and Large Bowl with a Lid or Mason Jar, Bowl of Ice Water
For this recipe, I recommend soaking the seeds overnight, but in a pinch you can do a fast soak with boiling water and salt when you first get home for a couple of hours.
Why You Need to Soak Nuts and Seeds:
Nuts and seeds contain phytic acid, which during the body's digestion process stops nutrients from being absorbed. Soaking nuts and seeds in a warm salty-water solution breaks down phytic acid, making an easier digestible nut and seed with all the benefits.
The warm water increases the bioavailability of many nutrients, especially B vitamins. The salt helps activate enzymes which reduce phytic acid.
If you eat nuts raw, you can experience an irritable digestive system and a nutrient deficiency.
Kale Pasta Ingredients: Most important tip: Measure with your heart. These ingredient measurements are all basic guidelines and to be honest, I change and constantly alter depending on how I feel. Vampire Mode? More garlic please. Feeling sick? I can't taste anyways, so save on the flavorings for another time.
1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds
3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
2 bunches of kale (pick your own variety or what looks best)
2 cups almond milk
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup nutritional yeast + more as needed
Lemon juice to taste (at least 1 TBS in my lemon-loving opinion)
salt and pepper to taste (at least 1/2 teaspoon of each in the sauce)
1 packages of pasta
Extra: parmesan cheese and pasta water
Directions:
Soak the pumpkin seeds, preferably overnight for best absorption. Add the pumpkin seeds, salt, and water to a jar or deep bowl and soak overnight on the counter. If unable, boil water and leave to sit for at least 1 hour.
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Blanch the kale. Bring a pot to a boil and place the kale into the boiling water for a minute or so, until the kale changes color to a brighter green. Immediately place in a bowl of ice water to stop cooking.
Bring the pot of water back to a boil for the pasta.
Option to slightly sauté the garlic in some butter or olive oil before making the sauce.
To make the sauce: Once all of the kale is blanched, add to a blender. Add the soaked pumpkin seeds, almond milk, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt and pepper to the blender as well. Blend until smooth.
Add the sauce to a sauce pan and turn on medium while the pasta cooks and until the sauce is warm.
Save at least a cup of pasta water. Strain the pasta and place back into the pot.
Pour the sauce over the pasta and mix. If the sauce is too thick, you can loosen with some pasta water.
Top with parmesan or anything else that feels like a nice touch.
Serve and enjoy!
Fridge and reheat for up to 3-4 days. You can also freeze this recipe, but please note that if you cooked the pasta past al dente, they will reheat a little less cooked each time and could be soggy, so slightly undercook the pasta if you plan to freeze.
Healthy Benefits of Kale Pasta Ingredients:
Pumpkin Seeds: Full of minerals and high in zinc, helps reduce inflammation in the body and alkalizing (which detoxifies, improves bone and heart health and aids in digestion)
Lacinato Kale: high in minerals like zinc and magnesium, has the highest antioxidants compared to some other cultivars of kale, and great source of Vitamin C and K
Nutritional Yeast: contains fiber which can improve gut health, boosts immune health due to Vitamin B6, and can lower cholesterol if used in place of saturated fats
Garlic: When used sparingly, it can help prevent or reduce illness like the flu. It helps reduce heavy metals in the body, contains antioxidants that can prevent cognitive decline, and is a good source of nutrients like manganese, selenium, Vitamin C and B6, and fiber.
I hope you enjoy this kale pasta with pumpkin seeds! Please leave me a note and tell me what you think! Oh, and be on a look out for even more vegan recipes headed your way.
All my light. All my love,
Jordan
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