Easy Pasta with Winter Greens

I’m constantly on the lookout for a quick weeknight meal that feels restaurant quality – it should make a Tuesday special without making a huge mess in the kitchen or taking up all of my precious free time.

Enter Joshua McFadden and Martha Holmberg’s instant classic, Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables. While there are many excellent recipes in this cookbook, the “kale sauce with any pasta” keeps coming back to me.

I tweaked here and there to suit my tastes – adding more garlic, reducing the cheese, using different leafy greens and pasta shapes, and adding lemon and red pepper flakes until I got it just right. The sauce is creamy without a drop of cream. It’s garlicky, salty from the parmesan and bright from the lemon. It’s crowd-pleasing enough for the whole family.

The best greens for pasta

While McFadden calls for kale, my favorite green for this pasta is Swiss chard. It’s easy to make, cooks quickly, and mixes together into a super smooth deep green sauce. It also goes effortlessly with garlic, lemon and parmesan.

This sauce goes well with any winter vegetable, such as lacinato or kale, spinach, collards, or a mix of these. In fact, it’s an excellent way to use up random greens from a CSA box.

When using chard, I recommend the white- or yellow-stemmed leaves. Red stem chard works well, but it adds a muddy color to the dish. If using spinach, larger, riper varieties work better than baby spinach. Just break the stem off the leaf and you’re good to go.

Any pasta shape will work here. I prefer bold, fun shapes like rigatoni, but the sauce’s smooth texture works with many shapes like orecchiette, pappardelle, and spaghetti. It’s also a fun choice for gnocchi or even cheese ravioli.

Since this is an easy dish, I suggest choosing quality pasta and cooking it al dente, as the texture will make a noticeable difference.

How to make pasta with wintergreen

This recipe is an exercise in multitasking, but don’t let that put you off. It’s easier than it sounds!

While your large pot of water is coming to a boil, prepare your veggies, then cook the garlic. Once the water is boiling, add your prepared veggies. They cook for just a few minutes, until dark green, limp but still vibrant.

Don’t drain the pasta water—scoop out the veggies with tongs or a slotted spoon and drain. Use the now green water to cook the pasta and while the pasta is cooking mix the sauce and add some fresh lemon juice.

Mix everything together with the cheese and some pasta water and it’s ready in less than 30 minutes.

Tips and tricks for the perfect pasta sauce

Although this recipe is easy, there are some important tips for success if you are preparing it for the first time:

• Don’t burn the garlic. Make sure your heat is set to medium-low. Keep an eye on it and make sure it turns light brown on both sides and adjust the heat as needed.
• Don’t drain the water. Try not to switch to automatic mode and accidentally drain the water after the vegetables are cooked. No need to boil a whole new pot of water – use the same water to cook the pasta.
• Save some pasta water. Reserve about a cup of the cooking water before draining the pasta. Aside from putting something straight into the blender for the sauce, you’ll want something handy to fluff up the sauce after it’s tossed with the pasta.

recipe variations

This vegetarian pasta is easy to adapt:

• Vegan: Swap out the parmesan cheese for a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast.
• Gluten free: Swap for your favorite gluten-free pasta.
• More Lemon: Add some extra flavor and lots of lemon flavor by adding up to 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest to the sauce.
• Add herbs: Place a large handful of fresh basil or parsley leaves in the blender. It contributes to a fresh taste and an even lighter green color.
• Extra creamy: Add a squirt or two of heavy cream as you toss the pasta and sauce together.
• Extra cheesy: Add a large spoonful of ricotta and stir with the sauce.

How to store leftovers

This dish is much, much better served and eaten immediately after preparation, as it loses its characteristic texture over time. You can halve the recipe for two servings, especially if serving with a salad or side dish.

If you end up with leftovers, store them in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Add some water and cover loosely before microwave until warm.

What to serve with Winter Greens Pasta

This pasta can be served as part of a hearty dinner for four alongside a simple side dish or light main course. Try serving it with one of these recipes:

• Radicchio salad with green olives, chickpeas and parmesan
• Boneless skinless chicken breast
• Simply Baked Salmon
• Three Bean Salad

More quick pasta recipes

• Pasta Carbonara
• Pasta Puttanesca
• Pasta with spinach, artichokes and ricotta
• Fly pasta with peas, prosciutto and arugula
• Pesto pasta with spinach and avocado