Pasta with kale pesto and pancetta
This pasta with kale pesto and pancetta is so easy, but packs a flavor punch. This is basically not a recipe, but I’ll give it to you anyways.
But first, what is pancetta?
Pancetta is cured pork belly. It’s very similar to bacon, and you can usually find it at the grocery store thinly sliced or cubed. I used pre-cubed pancetta that I found near the deli section of my grocery store for this recipe, but if you can’t find pancetta, bacon or thick-cut ham will work for this recipe. Leave it out or replace the pancetta with mushrooms if you don’t eat meat.
How do I make kale pesto? Is store-bought fine?
It’s easier than you think to make homemade kale pesto. All you need is kale and ingredients that are typically used to make basil pesto like garlic, nuts, cheese, and lots of olive oil. I use some lemon juice to brighten my pestos, but you can take it or leave it. Use whatever nuts you already have, but I really like almonds for this recipe. When in doubt, store-bought works. I like to pick up pesto from the refrigerated section of my grocery store vs. using jarred pestos because the flavors are usually brighter and you can find more variations like kale pestos there. Basil pesto obviously would work here as well.
Kale pesto and pancetta pasta
Ingredients
- 1lb Linguine
- 5 oz diced pancetta
- 1 large shallot, sliced
- 1 large bunch of kale (ribs removed, around 3 packed cups)
- 1/2 lemon, juice
- 1/4 cup finely-grated Pecorino Romano
- 1/4 cup almonds
- 1 large garlic clove, peeled
- 3/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook your linguine until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before you drain the pasta.
- Add the pancetta to a large non-greased skillet pre-heated on medium heat. Render the pancetta for 5 minutes, then add the shallot and continue cooking until the pancetta is crispy around 7 minutes further. Set aside.
- While the pasta boils and the pancetta renders, make the kale pesto. In a food processor, combine the kale, lemon juice, Pecorino Romano, almonds, and garlic until the mixture is finely chopped. While running the food processor, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- To the pan with pancetta and shallot, add the drained pasta, a cup of kale pesto as well as 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. Stir everything together to throughly combine. If the sauce is too thick, you can add more pasta water a little bit at a time.
- Serve the pasta warm with lots of extra grated Pecorino Romano.
