Sneak in some veggies – literally! – with creamy kale pasta sauce. The sauce takes just a few minutes in the blender – no cooking required!
Hey, so maybe kids don’t love eating cruciferous vegetables. Darrol likes to tell me that he loves broccoli and kale, but presented with them, he usually takes one bite and is done. I originally came up with this recipe when he was going through a picky eating phase, and it’s so easy and good!
Related: Veggie Pasta Bowl, Easy Broccoli and Mushroom Pasta Sauce
Toddlers are no joke, y’all. Everyone warned me that toddlers go through phases of very picky eating, and Darrol has been no exception. He has thankfully started eating more variety again, but there were about 3-4 weeks where he would only eat pasta and bread. I never thought that I’d be the mom hiding veggies in her kid’s food, but that is exactly what this kale pasta cream sauce is about.
Darrol’s picky eating phases tend to be blissfully short, but they still throw me when he goes through one. I’m glad that I have this kale pasta sauce recipe in my pocket for the times when he decides that all green veggies belong on the floor.
EDIT: Great news, y’all! I’m collaborating with the awesome folks at Care2. They’re creating videos for a few of my recipes, including this one. Check out the video, and you can get the written recipe below the video.
Creamy Kale Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 cups uncooked farfalle pasta
- 1 15 ounce can white beans - drained
- 2 cups loosely-packed raw kale leaves - ribs removed
- 2 green onions - roughly chopped, green and white parts
- 4 cloves garlic - chopped
- 1/4 cup lemon juice - about 1 fresh lemon's worth
- 1 cup raw cashews - (Soaked for 20 minutes in hot water, then drained.)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup water
- salt and pepper - to taste
- 1 large tomato - diced, optional
Instructions
- Combine the pasta and the white beans in a pot, and cook according to the directions on the box of pasta.
- While that boils, combine all of the remaining ingredients except for the tomatoes in your blender, and puree until nice and smooth.
- When the pasta and beans are done cooking, drain them, then toss them with the sauce before serving. Top with a handful of chopped tomato, if you like that kind of thing.
Nutrition
swathi
Delicious love this creamy pasta sauce, thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop, pinning and tweeting.
April J Harris
Pinned this recipe to try, Becky! Believe it or not, when it comes to kale I have to hide it for myself. I love the flavour but not the texture so this recipe is perfect for my family and I. Thank you for sharing it with us at the Hearth and Soul Hop.
Becky Striepe
Enjoy it, April!
Alisa @ Go Dairy Free
I love it when sauces pack in the protein and greens, too! Blending in kale is simply brilliant.
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Alisa!
Mel @ avirtualvegan.com
My son is 16 and still goes through picky phases! It drives me mad. His friends think he’s really lucky to have a Mom who cooks all the things I do but he rarely eats any of it. This is green so chances are he wouldn’t eat it. I would be all over it though and would be happy that I didn’t have to share!
Becky Striepe
Oh man, so this may just continue forever? I need more tricks!
Hedi
I love kale and the colour it adds to dishes. Looks delicious Becky!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Hedi!
Sophia, Veggies Don't Bite
I love the sneaky healthy pasta sauces! I have a few of those up my sleeve. While I’m all for feeding kids veggies, and not hiding them with everything, the reality for most of us is that kids go through stages, days, or even hours that they are in a mood…that’s when I don’t feel like fighting the battle and something like this is perfect!
Becky Striepe
Yes, totally. During a picky phase, sometimes it’s nice to have a trick or two, for sure! Glad I’m not the only one!
Jenn
Now THIS is how you get kids to eat kale!! 🙂 Looks so creamy and yummy!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Jenn! Enjoy it!
Aimee / Wallflower Kitchen
Omg this sounds SO gorgeous! I love kale!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Aimee!