Pasta with Kale Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Ingredience

1 pound (450 grams) penne OR ziti OR farfalle pasta

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

140 grams whole roasted almonds OR cashews, plus more, chopped, to serve

60 grams (without rind) Parmesan OR pecorino Romano cheese, cut into rough 2.5-centimeter pieces, plus more, finely grated, to serve

1 medium garlic clove, smashed and peeled

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 small bunch lacinato kale, stemmed and roughly chopped OR 140-gram container baby kale

120 milliliters extra-virgin olive oil

40 grams oil-packed drained sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, plus 15 milliliters sun-dried tomato oil

Optional garnish: Lemon wedges

Pokyny

Step 1

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Add the pasta and 1 tablespoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain and return to the pot.

Step 2

While the pasta cooks, in a food processor, combine the almonds, Parmesan, garlic, pepper flakes and ½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Process until the mixture resembles coarse sand, 10 to 20 seconds. Add the kale and olive oil; process, scraping the bowl as needed, until almost completely smooth, about another 20 seconds.

Step 3

Add the pesto to the pasta in the pot along with the sun-dried tomatoes, their oil and ½ cup of the reserved cooking water, then toss; add more cooking water as needed so the pesto coats the noodles. Taste and season with salt and black pepper. Serve sprinkled with chopped almonds and grated Parmesan.