Kale Pesto Pasta with Parmesan crusted Chicken
In our home this probably is the “go to meal” when we have little time, or just don’t want to make a big production of dinner. We make this almost once a week it’s that good and easy! The texture of this Pesto is so creamy, it will coat your pasta with bright green flecks, and sprinkles of cheese. YUM. This is not one of those sauces that runs right off your pasta leaving you with a bowl of sauce you feel sorry for. This pesto sticks to every nook and cranny, anything that is left in the bowl you will want to sop up with a piece of bread, or if your like, you’ll be using your fingers to wipe it clean! I like to pair this with some type of chicken, today happen to be a parmesan breaded chicken breasts. This is also a recipe where the ingredients can be easily changed; like instead of Kale you can use Spinach, or Basil whichever flavor you prefer. We use Kale because it has several benefits; filled with powerful antioxidants; high in vitamin A, C, and K; high in Iron and Calcium; and is a great detox food. You won’t feel guilty after this meal, you’ll only feel baffled wondering where this has been all your life.
Ingredients:
- Kale 1 bunch grated
- 1 cup of Parmesan cheese
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/4-cup olive oil
- 2 oz. of pine nuts
- 1/4-cup water
- Optional:
- 2 table spoons Ground Flax Seed
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
Directions:
- 1. Wash, and trim away stem from Kale leaves
- 2. Cut Garlic cloves in half
- 3. Sauté the garlic and kale in pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, about 5 minutes or until the kale turns bright green. Be careful not to burn garlic, the goal is just to soften it so that it’s easier to blend.
- 4. Place kale, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil in the blender/ food processor.
At this point you can add:
- Chicken bouillon cube, I only add this to enhance the flavor
- Ground Flax Seed – I add this because not only does it add a nutty flavor, but it is also known as a Super Food.
- 5. Blend into a smooth consistency; the texture of the Pesto will not be totally smooth because, Kale is very fibrous.
- 6. Spoon as much as you want of this deliciousness over any pasta you like.
Side note: this is also very delicious when used as a sandwich spread instead of using mayo.
coldfishie 
yummy pasta…..
Hmmmm so easy. I love pesto but never thought to make it myself. Simple recipe.
I think I’ll try it.
Yes, this recipe is easy peasy but you would never think it! Full of good nutty flavor. I have experimented recently and used cilantro then spooned the Pesto over grilled fish and roasted veggies — OMG!!! You can use almost any nut — except sunflower seeds — been there, done that! Usually our hubbies give thumbs up, not so this time, they basically begged me to never do that again! Failure: The salted sunflower seeds and Parmesan made it too salty. And super food gone wrong — I have been listening to Dr. Oz in the past weeks and he is promoting protein! protein! protein! Double up, on protein and lose weight. So, I add Chia seeds, WOMP WOMP! Yeah, we served that with the first attemt at flan you read about in the flan recipe. The guys are still ribbing us about that disaster dinner/dessert, oops..
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