I don’t know why, but there’s just something about a simple pasta recipe that always tastes so … classy. These minimal-ingredient dishes are so timeless, so warm and comforting, that I sometimes don’t know why we go to the trouble of concocting multicourse and multi-pan recipes!
Tonight I gave this recipe from over at Bev Cooks a try (I stumbled upon it on Pinterest, naturally), and LeeLee and I were both thrilled with the results. Two pots, a handful of ingredients, and minimal prep time? Yes, please!
As the spaghetti boiled, I prepared the kale just as Bev requested – by first sautéing some garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil, then wilting the kale with lemon zest and juice, adding sunflower seeds, salt, and pepper, and then I set the dish aside to wait on the spaghetti. Once the pasta was boiled properly, all I had to do was add the noodles to the pan (I used my beloved Le Creuset, because it looks pretty and why not), toss tem with some parmesan and leftover pasta water, and … voila! Arrivederchi! (No, that’s not right.)
We each added a little extra salt and pepper and parmesan to the top of our helpings after plating them, and then we dug right in. The lemon juice brought out the flavors of the kale, the garlic and red pepper fit right into the middle of the flavor profile, and the pasta soaked up the olive oil and the flavors just beautifully. I added a little nutritional yeast atop mine, because I always do, and the end result was certainly no worse for wear.
I don’t mind telling you we each enjoyed a second (smaller, to be fair) helping – and still have plenty for lunch tomorrow! I love a meal that can stretch into two or three. And even if this one couldn’t, I’d love it anyway, because its simple, classic flavor profile is one I’ll gravitate toward again and again.
:)