Occasionally I eat pasta, with some butter, salt, and Parmesan cheese, and call it dinner. The simplest of things, and it always hits the spot. But whenever I have fresh produce, I want to include it. Last night, I had kale that I couldn't wait to devour, and the perfect pasta to accompany it. This was quick, easy and delicious. It would probably be delectable with some sausage thrown in as well should you want to make a more substantial meal of it.






What it's made of:

• 1/2 cup pipette pasta (I used carrot-squash mini pipe pasta from Barilla. It was perfect.)
• 3-4 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4-5 large leaves kale; rinsed, torn from stems
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

How it's made:

• Boil a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to package directions, removing 1 minute prior to full cooking time
• In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat
• Add garlic and cook, stirring, 2-3 minutes
• Toss in kale, cover with lemon juice and salt and pepper
• Stir kale to coat in oil
• Cover and let kale cook until just wilted, 5-7 minutes, to taste
• Toss pasta into skillet to cook with kale for remaining minute
• Add balsamic to skillet and stir to coat
• Serve, topped with fresh parmesan.

Simple. Easy. Yum.