A creamy and smooth pesto strained through a mesh strainer for an incredible texture, perfect for a bright and flavorful winter pasta dish. Kale Walnut Pesto Pasta with sweet Italian sausage is a delicious pesto alternative perfect for a Winter pasta meal!
If you love a classic pesto sauce, you should try Pea Pesto with Pesto Stuffed Chicken or a delicious pasta like Creamy Pesto Shrimp Pasta
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Why This Recipe
I had a similar pasta to this one at my favorite pasta restaurant recently. It was too good for me not to recreate. What I love about this kale walnut pesto is how creamy it is. Part of developing this recipe was learning how to make a pesto really creamy without any of the typical rustic texture, like in a Busiate with Pesto Trapanese.
This recipe is perfectly creamy because we make the kale and then use a mesh strainer to strain out all of the ruffage. You will never have a creamier kale pesto than this pasta, and it's one of my favorite creations in my kitchen.
I love to experiment in the kitchen and learning to develop recipes from inspiration like this kale and walnut pesto, or my Cajun Shrimp Scampi, is what makes cooking for your family so exciting and why I develop recipes like this with families and parents in mind!
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Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Lacinato Kale. Lacinato kale, or Tuscan kale, is tender and mild and perfect for a pesto. You CANNOT substitute curly kale. It will be bitter and change the flavor of the dish. People who hate kale have never tried lacinato kale. It's not as crunchy as curly kale, which is why I use it in salads like Kale and Cannellini Bean Salad.
- Sausage. I like to use ground mild Italian sausage, or I combine my Homemade Italian Sausage Seasoning with ground pork. Sausage can be left out for a more creamy pesto side dish.
- Walnuts. Walnuts are a perfect combination for a pesto with kale. Walnuts can be substituted with other nuts like pine nuts or pistachio nuts. Pistachios are great for making a creamy Pistachio Pesto.
- Parmigiana. Parmigiana adds a lot of the salt factor in the pesto, bringing out most of the flavor. Add the parmigiana after you strain it so it thickens and helps the sauce become creamy when it's added back to the pan.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on the ingredients.
How to Make Kale Walnut Pesto
Follow the numbered steps below!
Step 1: Prepare the kale by removing the stems. Grab the thickest part of the kale stem between your thumb and forefinger. Create a tight circle with your opposite thumb and forefinger around the kale and pull off the leaves.
Step 2: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water. Boil the kale for 30 seconds, using tongs to turn often. Remove the kale and place it directly into a large bowl of ice. Turn the kale until it is cooled. Then, squeeze the water out of the kale and set it aside on a plate.
Step 3: In a food processor, combine walnuts, garlic, and salt. Process until walnuts are ground. Then add the kale and lemon juice and blend together.
Step 5: Start the processor and slowly drizzle the olive oil into the processor until it is blended smooth.
Step 6: Follow future steps to boil pasta and then add the ½ cup of pasta water to the pesto and blend.
Step 7: In a large saucepan, raise the heat to medium. Add the sausage and let it sit for a few minutes undisturbed until it begins to sear. Then use a wooden spoon to break apart the sausage into small pieces.
Step 8: While searing the sausage, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and add the pasta. Boil until al dente.
Step 9: Then, pour the pesto into a mesh strainer to strain out all of the kale leaves. Strain the pesto into a bowl, squeezing out as much of the liquid as possible. Then add the parmesan and whisk together.
Step 10: Strain the pasta and add it to the sausage along with ½ cup of pasta water. Mix well. Then stir in the strained kale pesto. Mix the pasta, sausage, and pesto together well over medium-low heat until the pesto begins to thicken. It should take about 5-8 minutes. Grate in extra parmesan and combine well.
Top Kale Walnut Pesto pasta with chopped walnuts and parmigiana. Serve on its own or with a protein like Cast Iron Boneless Pork Chops or Restaurant-Style Chicken Saltimbocca
Pro-Tips
- Blanching the kale will not only tenderize but keep its bright green color for a beautiful pesto dish.
- Straining the pesto from the kale gives you all the delicious flavor but removes all of the kale which can really change the texture of this smooth, creamy pesto. You can leave the kale in but it will be a much more rustic pesto pasta with ruffage.
- Breaking up the sausage into small pieces with a wooden spoon is important to the texture of the sauce. The small pieces of sausage combine well with a very smooth pesto.
- Salting the pesto with the parmesan after straining the pesto will bring out all the bright and nutty flavors in the dish.
- Cook the pesto with the pasta and pasta water to make it extra creamy. Cooking it on low for a few minutes will let the sauce thicken up and really coat the pasta.
Recipe FAQs
No, you don't have to, but it gives the pasta an extremely creamy texture that you won't get with an unstrained sauce. You can also use a cheesecloth.
Let it continue to cook with the pasta and sausage over a medium-low heat. It will continue to thicken and become creamier.
Taste the strained pesto after adding parmigiana. Then salt the pesto as needed.
Yes! You can. I love that it makes the dish heartier, but you can leave it out if you're just looking for a creamy kale walnut pesto pasta.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Please leave a comment and star rating below in the recipe card! I love to hear what you think of our recipes. Feel free to tag us on Instagram @vindelgiudice.
📖 Recipe
Kale Walnut Pesto Pasta with Sausage
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- 1 large saucepan
- 1 large pot
- 1 large bowl
- 1 mesh strainer
Ingredients
- ½ lb pasta
- ½ lb sweet Italian sausage
- 1 head lacinato kale
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 basil leaves
- ½ cup parmigiana plus extra for serving
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Prepare the kale by removing the stems. Grab the thickest part of the kale stem between your thumb and forefinger. Create a tight circle with your opposite thumb and forefinger around the kale and pull off the leaves.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water. Boil the kale for 30 seconds, using tongs to turn often. Remove the kale and place it directly into a large bowl of ice. Turn the kale until it is cooled. Then, squeeze the water out of the kale and set it aside on a plate.
- In a food processor, combine walnuts, garlic, and salt. Process until walnuts are ground. Then add the kale and lemon juice. Start the processor and slowly drizzle the olive oil into the processor until it is blended smooth. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan, raise the heat to medium. Add the sausage and let it sit for a few minutes undisturbed until it begins to sear. Then use a wooden spoon to break apart the sausage into small pieces.
- While searing the sausage, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and add the pasta. Boil until al dente.
- Halfway through boiling the pasta, ladle ½ cup of pasta water into the processor. Blend until combined. Then, pour the pesto into a mesh strainer to strain out all of the kale leaves. Strain the pesto into a bowl squeezing out as much of the liquid as possible. Then add the parmesan and whisk together.
- Strain the pasta and add it to the sausage along with ½ cup of pasta water. Mix well. Then stir in the strained kale pesto. Mix the pasta, sausage, and pesto together well over medium-low heat until the pesto begins to thicken. It should take about 5-8 minutes. Grate in extra parmesan and combine well.
- Serve pasta with chopped walnuts and parmigiana.
Vinny
This was so unbelievably smooth and creamy. It's the perfect pesto without too much basil. Our family loved it! Leave a review if you feel so inclined!