Kale Pasta — Simple and Nourishing When the Leftovers Run Out

The week after Thanksgiving is leftovers and reckoning. The turkey carcass went into a stockpot Monday morning — bones, neck, the bits of meat still clinging to the ribs, an onion cut in half, celery tops, peppercorns, a bay leaf, cold water to cover. Simmered six hours while I sat at the table reading the Lexington paper and pretending I wasn't counting the days until I had to go back to the job site. The stock came out golden and rich, the kind of stock that reminds you why you don't throw anything away. Betty's rule number one: waste nothing. Use the bones. Use the drippings. Use the leftover cornbread. Use everything twice and be grateful you had it once.

Made turkey soup Tuesday from that stock — chunks of leftover turkey, carrots, celery, egg noodles, a little thyme. Simple. The kind of soup you eat standing at the counter with a sleeve of saltines, which is how I ate it because sitting down and standing up have become separate decisions that require planning and negotiation with my lower vertebrae. Connie ate hers at the table like a civilized person and watched me lean against the counter and said nothing. She's still in quiet Connie mode. The case is almost ready. I can feel it.

Went to work Wednesday through Friday. Three days. Each one harder than the last. The cold has settled into Lexington proper now — mid-thirties in the morning, frost on the windshield — and cold does things to a bad back that I wouldn't wish on anyone. I spent most of Friday in the truck with the heater running, reviewing plans for the next phase of the subdivision, which is a polite way of saying I sat in a warm vehicle because I couldn't stand outside. Danny ran the crew. Danny's been running the crew for weeks now. I'm the foreman who sits in the truck. That's not a foreman. That's a passenger.

Saturday night Connie and I ate the last of the turkey soup and watched a movie she picked — something with Reese Witherspoon, I don't remember the title — and she fell asleep on the couch by nine and I covered her with the afghan her mother made and sat there in the dark thinking about what the builder said and what Connie asked and what my back keeps telling me. December starts tomorrow. New month. I don't know what it's bringing but I know what it's taking, and I'm running out of ways to pretend otherwise.

The soup was gone by Saturday night, and with it the last of Betty’s rules working themselves through the week — the stock made from bones, the noodles stretching it further, nothing wasted and nothing left. When I thought about what to cook next, something that didn’t ask too much of me or the pantry, this kale pasta kept coming back: garlic, olive oil, good greens, pasta water doing most of the work. Simple enough to make standing up. Honest enough to feel like it belongs in the same week.

Kale Pasta

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 12 oz penne or rigatoni pasta
• 1 large bunch curly kale (about 8 oz), stems removed, leaves torn into pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Salt and boil the pasta water. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water. Drain the pasta and set aside.
2. Blanch the kale. In the same pot of pasta water (or a separate pot if preferred), add the torn kale leaves and blanch for 2 minutes until just tender and bright green. Drain and press out excess moisture with a clean kitchen towel. Roughly chop if the pieces are large.
3. Build the sauce. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, for 2—3 minutes until the garlic is golden and fragrant. Do not let it burn.
4. Add the kale. Add the blanched kale to the skillet and toss to coat in the garlic oil. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until the kale is tender and well mixed with the oil.
5. Combine with pasta. Add the drained pasta to the skillet along with 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss everything together over medium heat, adding more pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce is glossy and clings to the pasta.
6. Finish and serve. Remove from heat. Add the Parmesan and lemon juice and toss to combine. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan at the table.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 14g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 58g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 310mg