Entertaining + Fun: Kale Pasta Salad

I made this fresh-and-lovely pasta salad to go with the Oven BBQ Chicken Thighs I made Sunday, and I’ve been enjoying it all the live-long week. Not to be clichéd or anything, but I’m a huge lover of kale…and it happens to be totally delicious tossed around with bowtie pasta and some simple, scrumptious flavors. And the great thing about this dish it is, it’s great as a cold salad…but it’s also delicious heated up in a bowl and served warm. I’m planning on whipping up some more on the Fourth, when approximately nine million people will arrive at my house to eat and watch my husband and his brother blow up the skies over Osage County.

You’ll love this!

Start by bawling (also known as “boiling”) a pound of bowtie pasta. You can use whatever shape of pasta you want, of course, but I love bowties in pasta salad. Deliciousness gets trapped in the little crinkles and crevices, and it makes life even more worth living than it already is.

Cook the pasta according to package directions, rinse it well with cold water to cool it down, then set it aside.

Meanwhile, add some pine nuts to a small skillet over low heat…

And cook them, tossing them around occasionally, for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until they’re nice and toasted. Set these aside, too!

Even though the heat’s on low, eventually the oil will heat enough to start sizzling the garlic. So when this happens, keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get too brown! Just stir it around and let the garlic infuse the oil slowly.

Then remove it from the heat and let the mixture sit and cool for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, rinse a nice bunch of kale and pull the leaves off the stems.

Now, transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl and pour the oil all over the top.

Let all the garlic, salt, and pepper get in there, too. Utterly delicious!

(Pssst. You can also add in a little balsamic vinegar at this point if you want a little zip.)

Now, without washing the skillet, return it to the stovetop over high heat…

And cook the kale, tossing it constantly, until it’s partly wilted, about 3 to 4 minutes.

And this is why I love kale more than spinach right now (sorry, spinach.) It holds its crispness, even after it’s cooked for awhile.

Then add the pine nuts…

Make sure it’s not too warm (it shouldn’t be, if the pasta was cool when you started), then shave in a bunch of Parmesan. Then, when you think you’ve shaved in enough Parmesan…go ahead and add a little more!

Then just cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.