I haven’t used spinach or kale in my pasta recipes. I am a fan of basil pesto, and while my Mom sometimes used spinach for her pesto, I always stick to basil. This recipe is the first time I used spinach as a major ingredient in a pasta recipe, and my family loved it. You can really use kale for this, but I prefer the taste of the spinach. I rarely eat kale, so I want a familiar taste in there even though it’s going to be a new recipe.
Check out what our friends from Always Order Dessert have to say about the recipe:
“This is a dish that would be very easy to personalize based on the seasons and whatever you happen to have on hand–fresh basil in the summer or cilantro for a vaguely latin flavor.”
I tried this with basil once and it has the same results- my family still loves it. It tastes just like pesto cream and they love pesto cream. You can personalize this dish with your favorite greens- it wouldn’t affect the tasty quality of this recipe, I promise.
Ingredients
4 strips Hormel thick-cut bacon or pancetta, diced into 1/2″ pieces
1 pound green Giant green beans, trimmed and diced into 2″ pieces
1/2 cup Green Giant kale or spinach, rinsed and thick stems removed
1/2 pound Barilla whole wheat rotini or other small shaped pasta (ziti, penne, rigatoni, etc.)
2 Eggland’s eggs
1/4 cup Bertolli olive oil
1 bunch fresh parsley, bottom stems removed
2 scallions
1/3 cup Sargento freshly grated parmesan cheese
kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. While the water comes to a boil, saute the diced bacon until crisp. Add the green beans and chopped kale or spinach, and continue to cook for 2 minute, or until the green beans are bright green and the kale or spinach has wilted. Remove the bacon and vegetables from the pan with a slotted spoon and reserve.
When the water hits a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente.
While the pasta cooks, combine the eggs, olive oil, parsley, scallions, cheese, kosher salt, and black pepper to your food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Add a little bit of water to it if it gets stuck and let go until creamy.
Pour this dressing into a large bowl and add the very hot, drained pasta on top. Toss well to coat (the heat from the pasta will cook the eggs). Add the bacon, green beans, and kale, and toss to distribute. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Serve immediately.
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Quick Tip: If you’re uncomfortable about even the possibility of raw eggs, transfer this to a pot and cook over high heat quickly for 1 or 2 minutes, making sure not to overcook the pasta.
Thanks again to Always Order Dessert for this amazing recipe.
