Oh weird I wonder how this pasta post ended up on my website. Weird.
I started the week with pasta and I’m ending it with pasta. BOOK ENDING. I like the way this feels. It’s like watching a man mow his front lawn and noticing that he keeps missing this one itty bitty tiny little spot in the center and it’s like, DUDE WHY ARE YOU NOT MOWING THAT LITTLE SPOT, so you start to twitch and itch, and then you can’t take it anymore so you end up running out the front door to alert him of the non-mowed spot and how the world will collapse if he doesn’t mow it, and he looks you straight in the eye and says, “your shirt’s on inside out,” and then runs the mower over the little spot.
Y’all he mowed that sum-bia. Feels good.
So apparently I decided to make the Emerald City out of thin spaghetti. Upside down Thin Spaghetti Emerald City. That’s all I really had to say about that. Actually it’s not. Have I ever told you that I played Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz when I was 18 years old in the New Mexico regional theater I mean theatre program? I have? Again? Oh.
Okay now I’m done.
Okay one more thing. Last night I finished season one of Parenthood. O-M-G.
a) Is Dax going to move to New York?! I can’t even take it. Why can’t she just stay in whatever town they’re in? Doesn’t she know they’re a family now?! Wait, what town are they in? San Francisco? You know Kansas City has an Alvin Ailey dance program. Isn’t that neat?
b) Why do I really like Camille’s hair? All those wild curls on top of her head. Although everything she says it sounds like she’s about to start sobbing. I just want to pet her. And then borrow her glasses.
c) If you happen to see my life, tell it I need it. But not until I’m completely caught up amIright.
In other words, this pasta is seriously divine. And so so so simple. Super lemony, super sunflower seedy, super kale-y, super garlicky, super parmesan-y, super glo – WAIT WAS MY SHIRT REALLY ON INSIDE OUT?
Comes together in the blink of an eye. Just like my wardrobe apparently.
Spaghetti with Kale and Lemon:
(inspired by Whole Living):
What it took for 4:
* 1 pound thin spaghetti
* 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
* 1 (4 oz) tub of baby kale leaves (or 1 bunch, roughly chopped)
* 2 Tbs. sunflower seeds
* 2 Tbs. lemon zest
* 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
* 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus a ton more for garnish
* coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper; bloom for 30 seconds. Add the kale and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to wilt the greens, about a minute. Stir in the sunflower seeds, lemon zest and juice. Toss to combine.
In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water and drain the rest. Add the spaghetti to the skillet and toss to combine. Add enough pasta water to create a thin sauce. Finally, add that cheese, man. Toss, toss, toss. Taste it. More salt? Add a pinch-a-roo.
But don’t say pinch-a-roo out loud if you seek human companionship in your life.
Serve with more cheese on top!
I’m afraid this is mandatory.
You had me at lemon. This is the perfect pasta!
looks amazing! and i have all of these ingredients around somehow
And I just got a bag of pine nuts. Well lookie that.
This sounds fabulous! Yum!
The problem with a dish like this is that I can eat it every night and be a very happy guy. Ok… maybe that’s not a problem.
I’m a sucker for lemon in my pasta dishes. I almost always zest some on top.
Bev! This is exactly the type of pasta I like to make & eat!
Yo, that photo of spaghetti is AWESOME. Can I buy it from you to print and frame in my kitchen? Let’s talk. Let’s make a deal. Let’s shake hands on it. Have your people call my people.
oh Bev! LOVE THIS
I know what you mean about how annoying that one little spot of un-mown grass probably was. Things like that always drive me up a wall! Literally, I’m like Spiderman.
But anyway, this pasta looks so yummy! I’ve been on a kale kick lately and adding it to pasta sounds like the ultimate in deliciousness
.
Delicious! You could post everyday about pasta
Dinner. Tonight. No question. (Now I just need you to come perform the wizard of oz for me for some dinner entertainment)
Cute picture of you as Dorothy. This pasta also looks really delicious too.
Funny – by coincidence, this is exactly what I had for dinner last night!
Ohhhhh, pretty shots!! This pasta sounds just lovely!
This. Yes. Want. I need more carbs in my life.
Perfection!!!
Beautiful Bev!
gorgeous! This is one of my favorite kinds of simple-but-fancy meals!
This pasta looks amazing, I think I found tonight’s dinner. If you liked season one of Parenthood, you will just die when you get to the current season- it is breaking my heart!!
Oh I’m so there, want this for dinner.
Wow, stunning pasta dish. I need my kale fix. It’s been a while!
I think you’ve convinced me to watch myself some Parenthood dvd’s. I tend to not watch a lot of hit shows until they’ve been on for a long time… and then I watch like 5 seasons in a week. I have a lot of time on my hands.
This looks like the perfect way to combine some of my favorite ingredients into my favorite base… pasta! And Parenthood gets better and better, fyi! I moved to London this year and it’s the one show I find a way to keep up with. Love it! Love your blog!
Sounds light and refreshing!
I don’t know why, but I am totally clinging to the sunflower seed aspect of this. I love those little guys!
And I have a feeling I may never be able to look at dry spaghetti again without envisioning the Emerald City. Totally OK with that.
This looks absolutely outstanding!
Love the pasta. Love parenthood. Love Camille’s hair.
Um, I love Camille’s hair. And this pasta. Every single last bite. I watched the first three seasons in a week. Still haven’t found my life.
This is beautiful! So light and filling. It just proves that winter does not mean food has to be heavy
I flew through those first 2 seasons lol! Oh and this pasta slays me.
Kale is quite the trend these days!
I’m on season 3 of parenthood and can’t get enough!
This dish really got my attention. I have fresh kale in the garden and ripe lemons hanging from the trees.
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Velva
Sounds wonderful. I will try it this week.
GAWD this looks so good. I can’t even take it. And Parenthood season 1 is just meh, but season 2 AND 3?! Good gracious. It’s pure heaven.
Love this! I have a box of meyer lemons to use up so this recipe here is just perfect! Plus, I should finally give kale a try, right?
So much deliciousness!
I haven’t had Parm in forever. I miss it!
It’s on the list…
I made it tonight for dinner. DELICIOUS! Great recipe:)
Ahhhh! I’m so happy to hear it!
They live in Berkeley, CA in Parenthood-great show!
You crack me up! I should tell you that I don’t particularly like to cook, but I LOVE to laugh so I keep coming back here!! And yeah, you’ve inspired me to make a good dish or two…which is insane.
PS. This is one of those dishes. yummz
Love spaghetti, kale and lemon so this one will definitely end up on my menu soon!
Looks like I need to try this!!!
Reni
I just made and ate this, for me and my mom it was a hit! My sister isn’t a fan of kale and this didn’t make her like it either, too bad, but we loved it! Very fresh, light and has every aspect I love in a pasta dish (cheese!!!). Thanks!
Made this for dinner the other night. The family loved it!
Came out great – I left out the Sunflower Seeds though. I also added a bit of Grilled Chicken Breast pieces. Wonderful combination. I agree, lemon in pasta is awesome!
Made this tonight. Yummy! We couldn’t get enough of it. I subbed pine nuts for sunflower seeds, since I had them — worked great. Thank you!
This was really disappointing! Made it exactly like the recipe and just found it to be bland and dry. Lemony for sure, but that’s about it!
Um. that’s my mother’s flatware that she bought with stamps at Safeway in the early 70′s. She has a few pieces missing from her set…
Hahaha! This flatware is my late Memaw’s, and I’m guessing she probably got hers there too!
Oh I’m so sorry to hear this! This bums me out. I remember having to add pasta water to mine to make a thin sauce. But I’m sorry you found it boring.
I do thank you for letting me know, though.
First of all I have to say I LOVE your sense of wit and humor in your writing! I found myself laughing out loud at your sarcasm
Want you to know I am sharing your recipe through my blog and social pages as part of my January Super Greens Wellness Challenge. I’ll be trying this recipe of yours soon myself (once pasta is back in my meal plan) Thank you!
I’m so excited to try this tomorrow night! I’ve already pinned it!
I’m making this again tonight…this is at least the 4th time I’ve made it since you posted it. I could seriously slurp up the whole pot myself. Gotta be one of my favorite meals.
Made this last night and LOVED it! I also had a leftover bag of kale chips and sprinkled them on top of the pasta for added crunch!
found this last week on pinterest and made it tonight–delicious!
got no kale, got no sunflower seeds… am subbing arugula and pine nuts. is that like wearing my pasta inside out? your pics rock. your ramblings, even better!
I just made this for dinner tonight. Used gluten free pasta and left out the sunflower seeds (because I don’t have any). Tastes amazing! Wasn’t sure how it’d turn out with gluten free, but it’s great! Thank you!
Made this tonight and my family loved it! My 5 year old said I have to make this recipe every time I make pasta
it was absolutely delicious.
anyone know where I can get those wooden bowls? they look so awesome!