Fast & Easy Recipe for One: Kale Pesto & Spaghetti

Recipes for singles that are also quick and easy to make are far and few between. I came up with this delicious recipe and wanted to share it with you; it's a variation on Spaghetti al'Oglio (an Italian dish using parsley instead of the kale we'll use here). Kale is a super hero in the vegetable kingdom; the leafy greens contain fiber, calcium, vitamins A, C, and K, and more. This simple recipe also provides essential omega-3 and protein.

This recipe is best and quickest made with a food processor.

It will take only seconds to prepare the pesto this way and minutes to cook it/heat it. You can make enough for 1 serving or 3 or more (freeze the rest). Let's get started.

What you need (for approx. 1-3 servings):

Spaghetti (thin is my favorite because it cooks faster and is easier to eat); get a good Italian one, like De Cecco.

4-6 large Kale leaves with top half of stalks - roughly break them into pieces.

2-5 cloves of garlic (depending on your taste for garlic), roughly chopped.

Red pepper flakes (the pic above is showing cayenne, sorry).

1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.

2-6 fillets of anchovies (I like the ones made in Italy): If you're not a particular fan of anchovies, I can tell you that they will practically disintegrate when grinding them in the food processor along with the kale and garlic; you won't even know they're there. but they have omega-3 as well as protein and provide a wonderful meaty flavor.
Note on above pic: the anchovies look awfully big in this picture and so probably not as appetizing, but they're really small actually. I will get another picture soon and replace it - don't want to scare you all off!

What to do:

Fill a pot about three quarters of the way with water.

Once the water comes to a full boil, add a dash of salt taking care not to add too much, as the anchovies are salt-laden.

Then add the spaghetti (I add about a quarter of the pack which will yield 1-2 servings).

Push the spaghetti down into the water with a wooden spoon until it is fully immersed.

Stir often or the pasta will stick to the bottom of the pot.

The spaghetti will cook about 10-13 min - check the box for the exact cooking time.

In the meantime:

Put the kale, garlic, anchovies, crushed red pepper, and olive oil into the food processor and pulse for a few seconds at a time until the kale and garlic are cut up into tiny pieces. You will hardly see the anchovies after this. The mixture should resemble loosely resemble pesto.

Heat a pan using medium heat and add a dash of extra virgin olive oil. When heated, add the pesto mixture and spread in the pan with a wooden or silicone spoon (to avoid scratching the pan).

Oops - the above pic is actually the Spaghetti al'Oglio (w/parsley) I made a while back. I will update with the right pics, but wanted to give you an idea of what it looks like.

Optional: add a touch of dry vermouth or white wine and mix in. Careful to remove the pan from the fire before adding alcohol. Return pan to the fire soon after. Salt-free or low sodium chicken broth will also add a nice flavor to the dish. You could also add some of the pasta water (once the pasta is done cooking).

Optional: Add a dash more of red pepper flakes (depending on your tolerance for heat).

Back to the pasta:

Taste the pasta to make sure it is al dente (firm, not too soft).

If ready, remove from heat and drain in a collander. Optional: before draining, save a little water to add to the kale pesto.

Add the pasta to the pan and mix in with the kale pesto.

After a few minutes of tossing the spaghetti together with the kale pesto, it is now ready to serve.

How to serve:

Spoon spaghetti/kale pesto into a bowl and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Optional: Serve with a glass of white wine.

Tip: For additional protein, prepare a side of tofu or chicken.

Variation: Make it with penne pasta instead of spaghetti!

More Tips:

To make the dish more moist, you could also add tomato sauce.

Instead of adding plain garlic, you could pre-chop the garlic and cook it in butter for a few moments. Remove from heat and let the butter caramelize while you cook the kale/anchovies. Return the garlic/butter mixture to the pan and mix well. The flavor is amazing!

Buon appetito!

Check out more recipes using a food processor.

You might also like:

Baked Ziti with Black Beans and Food Pairings

Remember this tip - cooking is about creativitiy, going through your pantry and trying different combinations of foods, and some common sense. Go ahead - cook!

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