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Healthy pesto pasta sauce made with cavolo nero (Tuscan kale) and giant fusilli pasta. It’s a super easy, filling and healthy dinner recipe to start the New Year with.
This cavolo nero pesto is so simple to make and packs a punch of flavour. Use it as a pesto pasta sauce or spooned over roasted veggies or salads. I love it with giant, jumbo-sized fusilli pasta and a sprinkling of flaked almonds for an added bit of texture and crunch.
Pesto is my love.
From the classic and unbeatable basil pesto to the sun-dried varieties it basically makes anything taste good, right?
And now that the festivities are sadly (very sadly) over it’s that time where everyone gets their health kick heads on to start the year off feeling good and healthy about themselves. I personally don’t do detoxes or diets. I just can’t stick to them and being made to eat things I don’t particularly want to just instantly makes me want to run towards the cheese!
Chia overnight oats?
I’d have one spoonful and then I’d be dreaming of grilling, hot, melting, bubbling cheese on a crusty slice of rustic bread.
Trust me, I’ve tried.
So this pesto pasta sauce recipe is my way of starting the year off right using a beautiful cavolo nero pesto. For me it’s healthy (if you don’t go back for seconds I suppose), filling, super simple and easy to whip up.
PLUS you can even have a fresh side salad to go with it if you like.
How To Make Healthy Pesto Pasta Sauce With Cavolo Nero
Wash the cavolo nero to remove any dirt then blanch in a pot of boiling water for around 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water then squeeze as much water out as possible.
Tip: Use a salad spinner to squeeze the water out or place the cavolo nero in a clean tea towel, pinch the four corners together and shake the water out.
Make sure to remove any larger, chunky stalks from the cavolo nero then add it to a food processor with freshly grated parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, nutmeg and salt and pepper.
Blitz to a thick paste adding 2 tablespoons of water while the motor is running to loosen (more water will be added later).
When you’re ready to make the pasta, boil it in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente (follow packet instructions).
Reserve 2 cups of pasta water.
Drain the pasta and add it back to the hot pot. Add a couple spoonful of cavolo nero pesto to the pasta and gradually add the reserved pasta water until it coats the pasta evenly.
Tip: You won’t need all the water. Add more pesto to your liking and adjust the texture with more pasta water.
Serve in bowls and top with flaked almonds, enjoy!
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Healthy Pesto Pasta Sauce With Cavolo Nero and Fusilli
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz (300g) raw cavolo nero (Tuscan Kale)
- 1 tbsp freshly grated parmesan
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tbsp pine nuts
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- salt and pepper
- 11.2 oz (320g) giant fusilli pasta
- flaked almonds, , for topping
Instructions
- Wash the cavolo nero in cold running water to remove any dirt then blanch in a pot of boiling water for around 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water then squeeze as much water out as possible. *See note 1
- Make sure to remove any larger, chunky stalks from the cavolo nero then add it to a food processor with freshly grated parmesan, pine nuts, garlic peeled but still whole, nutmeg and a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning.
- Blitz to a thick paste adding 2 tbsp of water while the motor is running to loosen (water will be added later).
- When you're ready to make the pasta, boil it in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente (follow packet instructions).
- Reserve 2 cups of pasta water.
- Drain the pasta and add it back to the hot pot. Add a couple spoonful of cavolo nero pesto to the pasta and gradually add the reserved pasta water until it coats the pasta evenly. *see note 2.
- Serve in bowls and top with flaked almonds.
Notes
- (1) 200g (7 oz) cooked weight of cavolo nero
- Use a salad spinner to squeeze the water out or place the cavolo nero in a clean tea towel, pinch the four corners together and shake the water out.
- (2) You won't need all the water. Add more pesto to your liking and adjust the texture with more pasta water.
- To make this dish healthier use wholegrain pasta.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is such a gorgeous recipe, I am definitely wanting to try this!
Thanks so much Marlee, hope you enjoy!
Very simple yet really tasty recipe. I will have to do these soon.
I love the idea of using kale in this pesto recipe. I need to try it. And the color is amazing. I can bet it tastes great too.
I LOVE pesto and I swear I put it on everything and this recipe is so fantastic since I am a bit short on basil now that our winters are in full blast (and they are super expensive at the stores at this time of year). I also had no idea they made fusilli in giant form! This is fantastic I need to find this pasta! 😀
This looks so good! Great lunch option in my book!
ooh I’m so obsessed with Italy too! I used to go there multiple times a year when I was still living in France – it feels like my second home 🙂 And of course, I’m obsessed with pesto too. I could eat some every day I wouldn’t mind. This big bowl of pasta sounds sooo delish!
Thanks so much Marie!