Kale, Lemon, and Pea Pesto Pasta

Delicious happens when a pesto recipe and kale recipe come together! This healthy and satisfying recipe is family friendly, but equally a hit for date night, and it comes together in <20 min.

Serves 2

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• Approx 180g of dried rigatoni (or any other pasta)
• 1 bunch of kale, spines removed
• ½ cup of frozen peas
• 4 tbsp of parmesan cheese
• Small handful of roasted almonds
• Juice and zest of half a lemon
• 2 tbsp salt 
• 3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp Mogambo Garlic Spread

Method:

1. Bring two pots of water to a boil. In one pot, add the pasta and salt, and cook according to package instructions. 
2. While the pasta cooks, make the pesto. In the other pot of boiling water, add the kale and peas. Cook for 20-30 seconds over a high heat until the kale is wilted and the peas are defrosted. Drain, reserving a couple cups of the water, and place in ice water to cool. 
3. Once cooled, add a few tbsp of the water, the olive oil and almonds to a blender, and blend for around 20 seconds. Add the peas, half the parmesan, Mogambo, lemon zest and juice, and blend until almost smooth, around 20-30 more seconds. If it’s too thick, add a little extra of the water that you reserved until it’s a saucy consistency. 
4. When the pasta is cooked, drain, reserving some of the pasta water, and toss with around half of the pesto, adding more if needed. Taste and add a pinch of salt salt if needed, but the parmesan is salty so don’t go too crazy. 
5. To serve, place the sauced pasta into bowls and finish with the remaining parmesan, and a little extra lemon zest if you want to really impress your valentine.