Easy Lemony Kale Pasta

After buying an enormous bag of kale for my salads, I realized that I needed to find other ways to incorporate the green into my meals so that it didn't go to waste. Thankfully, this urgency resulted in such a simple, easy dish that I have made countless times since.

I love this pasta dish because, despite all of the fiber-rich ingredients, it feels extremely light and nutritious. I found that using lemon juice perfectly cut out the bitterness of the kale and was a perfect substitute for a sauce in combination with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

You can easily make this dish with whatever vegetables, pasta, and protein is in your home. I love adding whatever veggies I find to my pasta dishes to make them a lot heartier. Additionally, I used Banza pasta, which is made from chickpeas and has a higher fiber and protein content than regular pasta, to make the dish gluten-free, but add whatever kind of pasta you like!

Lemony Kale Pasta

Ingredients

- 1/2 cup of pasta

- 1/4 white onion

- Mushrooms

- 1-2 garlic cloves

- Chicken (or protein of choice)

- 2-3 bunches of kale

- Lemon juice

- Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Seasonings

- Salt

- Pepper

- Garlic Powder

Directions

1. Bowl a salted pot of water and cook pasta according to instructions on the box

2. Heat up some olive oil in a pan and add chopped onions

3. Add mushrooms and protein once onions are slightly translucent

4. Add garlic just before adding your first bunch of kale. Add some olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder before mixing everything together. Let kale slightly wilt and turn bright green before adding additional bunches

5. Drain pasta before adding it to the pan

6. Stir to combine all ingredients and add extra olive oil, lemon juice, and seasonings as needed

Optional: For a vegan or vegetarian option, substitute chicken for chickpeas or tofu.

This recipe makes one giant serving of pasta (that I happily ate all of) filled with veggies that will definitely leave you satisfied. I hope you enjoy the recipe, and let me know your thoughts if you try it out!