Enter Joshua McFadden and Martha Holmbergs instant classic, “Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables.”
There are no nuts, and the kale is cooked, making for a super silky, luxurious sauce.
The sauce is creamy without a drop of cream.
Alison Bickel
Its garlicky, salty from the Parmesan, and bright from the lemon.
Its crowd pleasing enough for the whole family.
Its easy to prep, cooks quickly, and blends into a super smooth, deep green sauce.
Alison Bickel
It also pairs effortlessly with garlic, lemon, and Parmesan.
In fact, its an excellent way to use up random greens from a CSA box.
When using chard, I recommend the white or yellow-stemmed leaves.
Alison Bickel
Red-stemmed chard works fine, but it lends the dish a muddy color.
If you use spinach, larger more mature varieties work better than baby spinach.
Simply snap off the stem from the leaf and its ready to go.
Alison Bickel
Choosing Your Pasta
Any pasta shape will work here.
Its also a fun choice for gnocchi or even cheese ravioli.
Its easier than it sounds!
Alison Bickel
As soon as the water comes to a boil, add your prepped greens.
They only cook for a couple of minutes, until dark green, limp, but still vibrant.
Dont drain the pasta waterretrieve the greens with tongs or a slotted spoon and let them drain.
Alison Bickel
Add a sprinkle of water and loosely cover it before microwaving until warm.
Freeze the sauce (without the pasta) for up to three months.
Let thaw, then add cooked pasta and warm as usual.
Alison Bickel
Feel free to use equal amounts of kale, spinach, collard greens, or a mixture of these.
Rinse the Swiss chard well and shake them over the sink to dry a bit.
Repeat with the remaining leaves, cutting the extra-large pieces crosswise into smaller pieces.
Alison Bickel
In a small skillet over medium-low heat, add the olive oil.
Once hot, add the garlic.
Cook on one side until lightly browned and fragrant, about 3 minutes.
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Flip over the garlic and add the red pepper flakes.
Cook until the garlic is light brown on the other side, 2 to 3 more minutes.
Scrape the garlic, pepper flakes, and the oil into a blender to cool a bit.
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When the water boils, generously season it with salt.
Add the prepared greens, pushing them down with tongs to submerge into the water.
Boil until wilted and dark green, 2 to 3 minutes.
Alison Bickel
Use tongs to retrieve the greens without draining the pot.
Transfer them to a strainer to cool and drain.
Leave the water boiling in the pot.
Alison Bickel
Youll use it to cook the pasta.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente according to the package directions.
Set aside 1 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta.
Alison Bickel
Keep the lid of the blender slightly ajar and cover it with a kitchen towel.
Blend until smooth and silky, adding more pasta water a tablespoon at a time if needed.
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, keeping in mind that the cheese will add some saltiness.
Return the pasta to the pot and top with the sauce.
Add the Parmesan cheese and toss to coat until the cheese melts.
Add the reserved pasta water, a splash at a time, to achieve a silky consistency.
It should effortlessly coat the noodles.
The sauce will continue to firm up, so make it slightly looser than youd like it.
Youll most likely end up using between 1/4 to 2/3 cup of pasta water.
Divide into individual servings and garnish with a sprinkle of Parmesan.
