Easy Dinner Recipes: Curtis Stone's Pasta Recipe- Spaghetti with Garlic, Lemon, Kale, and Parmesan

Pasta Night is delicious any night! One of my family’s favorite easy dinner recipes is my spaghetti with kale, garlic, lemon and parmesan. This simple dish has a few unexpected flavors, is easy to prepare, and one your whole family is sure to love.

If your household is into meal prepping and looking for more easy dinner recipes, then this one will do the trick. There are plenty of ways to make this recipe even simpler, like purchasing pre-cut kale in advance. The addition of kale to this easy pasta recipe adds so much character. Any kale will do, but I really love black kale for this one (cavolo nero or dinosaur kale), as it is an Italian variety. My recipe makes four servings, but you can always bulk it up by adding protein, chopped fresh tomatoes, and more. You can even get the family involved by having them include their favorite toppings!

When it comes to making pasta, I really enjoy using a Bosch Induction Cooktop. Induction cooking uses the SpeedBoost function for direct, responsive heat, which makes boiling water to cook the pasta a snap.

The Bosch Induction Cooktop is my secret weapon when whipping up this garlic parmesan kale pasta recipe as it allows you to combine two cooking zones to fit pots and large pans perfectly.

Check out my recipe below and show your friends and family how simple it is to enjoy delicious and healthy kale spaghetti. Buon appetite!

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb kale, well washed, tough stems removed, leaves thinly sliced
1 lb spaghetti
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp grated lemon zest (from about 4 lemons)
Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 oz parmesan cheese, shaved or freshly grated

Method

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the kale and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until tender. Using a mesh spoon or sieve, scoop the kale out of the water, draining it well, and transfer to a bowl.

2. Return the water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook, stirring often to ensure it doesn’t stick together, for about 8 minutes, or until tender but still firm to the bite. Scoop out and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the spaghetti.

3. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup of the olive oil and the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, or just until fragrant. Stir in the kale, add the lemon zest, and season with salt and pepper. Add the spaghetti and the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and toss to coat. Stir in the lemon juice, followed by half of the parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in enough of the reserved cooking water to moisten the pasta as necessary.

4. Divide the pasta among 4 pasta bowls, top with the remaining parmesan cheese, and serve.

VARIATION: SPAGHETTI WITH KALE AND SAUSAGE

As I previously mentioned, you can always add proteins to this recipe to bulk it up! In step 3, heat the skillet over medium heat, then add 8 oz Italian sausage, casings removed, and cook, breaking up the sausage with the side of a spoon, for about 8 minutes, or until browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a plate. Discard the fat in the pan. Proceed as directed, scraping up the browned bits in the pan when you cook the kale.