Kale Pasta Casserole
Of all the kale recipes, my Kale Pasta Casserole is probably one of the most satisfying. I have long wondered about how to cook kale and have finally found my way with my Kale Pesto which is the basis for this Kale Pasta Casserole. I bet you want to try it and add it to your list of must-try kale recipes.
Contentedness Cooking has a couple of love stories. Some of them unexpected, like the one between my friends Denise and Michael. But more recently, another love story has been added to my blog. One that involves me.
Kale. I'm talking about kale. You know, that stuff that I couldn't really warm up to for a long time. Kale recipes were not very high on my list. Only after I not long ago made my Kale Pesto as a last chance for this stuff to convince me it's actually good.
And it did - I loved it to my own surprise.
Truth to be told, I wasn't quite sure if this wasn't some fluke. So, time for double-checking! I made another batch of the Kale Pesto.
But this time, I would have it as part of a hearty Kale Pasta Casserole. With gluten-free pasta, and a special savory extra from sun-dried tomatoes as well as olives.
I also sautéed thin stripes of eggplant in a bit of olive oil and mixed all together with the pesto.
An absolutely lovely highlight is the crust consisting of a gf bread crumbs mix with olive oil and garlic that covers the casserole - crunchy, hearty, perfect! This Kale Pasta Casserole baked for 15-20 minutes and kept my love for kale hot and alive 😉
If you try my Kale Pasta Casserole I'm happy to see a tag on Facebook and Instagram. Snap a picture and let me know what you think. See you soon, Florian.
Kale Pasta Casserole
My newly discovered love for kale continues in this Kale Pasta Casserole recipe. My Kale Pesto is combined with sun-dried tomatoes, sautéed eggplant, and olives. A tasty bread crump mix covers this stunner of a healthy casserole.
Ingredients
- 8 oz (250 g) gluten-free pasta
- 1 batch Kale Pesto
- one handful of chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- ¾ cup (130 g) chopped olives
- 1 eggplant
- 2 handful of gluten-free breadcrumbs
- 1 clove of garlic
- olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 390°F (200°C).
- Wash the eggplant and cut it into thin slices. Heat 1 Tbs of olive oil in a pan and add the eggplant slices. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until the eggplant begins to soften.
- Cook the pasta according to manufacturer's instructions.
- In the meantime, chop the olives and sun-dried tomatoes.
- Mix the cooked pasta, sautéed eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and the kale pesto in a large bowl. Transfer to a casserole dish.
- In a small bowl, combine gf breadcrumbs with a Tbs of olive oil and one crushed clove of garlic. Spread mixture over the Kale Pasta.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 2 cupsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 410Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 100mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 17gSugar: 7gProtein: 77g
The Kale Pasta Casserole Elsewhere
- Finding Vegan - Recipe Feature: Kale Pasta Casserole - October 1, 2015
This looks really good. I have a few kale recipes that I like, which usually involves hiding and neutralizing the original flavor of the kale. One thing I really don't understand is the appeal of kale chips. Gross! You hear "chips" in the title, which get a person's hopes up and then you bite into it and it's, well, kale... Now, kale pesto, I can see that working!
Haha, I have never tried kale "chips" and I'm very hesitant to try 😉
This looks wonderful! Love the flavors!
Thanks, Serena! 🙂
Hahahaha, the love of kale 😉 It's meant to be!
Let's see how long it lasts, Rebecca! 😉
This looks great Florian! I love that this casserole has no cheese since my daughter can't eat it anymore. It gives me hope that we can still have casseroles sans cheese.
Thank your, Sharon. Indeed, I found that using a mix of breadcrumbs (with garlic, a hint of olive oil, and maybe any other extra you might like) is a really great substitute for "gratinating". And dairy-free pestos are a blast anyway. 🙂
I really love all of your recipes and this isn't any different. Great job.
Thanks so much! 🙂
Oh my gosh I laughed about reading your "love story" with kale Florian, hahaha! So funny and entertaining. So glad you and kale are love birds now 😉 This dish, what can I say, it's DIVINE and gorgeous. I mean, seriously, your kale pesto already was amazing, but adding it to this pasta with the olives and sun-dried tomatoes is just simply amazing! Then a crunchy baked topping?! Wow. I can only imagine how dang delicious this is. Beautiful colors and photos, I just want to dive in!
Let's see how long those "love birds" fly,Brandi. 😉 I do think there is a good chance it might go on for a while now so who knows. I'm always happy to read your comments! Thanks, my friend.
Way to rock that kale like a boss!
You're totally speaking my language with all this talk of pesto and pasta and garlic. This looks like a perfect weeknight dinner option 😀
It truly is,Chrisy. Or a take-along lunch. So good!
A perfect combination of ingredients.
Thanks, Peter! 🙂
Looks soooo, so good! You had me going for a minute, always up for a love story 🙂 Great pix as always!
🙂 Thanks, Patricia. Appreciate it!
This casserole is epic win in so many ways I can't even count!! Lovely, lovely, lovely! - Levan
Too kind of you to say that, Levan! 🙂
Dear Florian, this looks absolutely wonderful! There is nothing better than discovering a healthy and comforting meal! Have a wonderful day, Catherine
Thank you for your kind words, Catherine! 😉
Sounds like a nice balance of yummy flavors!
It not only sounds like that, Debi 😉
This looks like an amazing hearty side dish or entree!
That's exactly what it is, Tara! 🙂
I made this and it was delicious. I did not have sun-dried tomatoes in the house so I left them out and they would definitely make the dish. I will absolutely do this again; the topping was amazing on this.
Thanks for your great feedback, Lee! Yes, indeed the sun dried tomatoes are definitely the key for an amazing flavor. Glad to hear you enjoyed the topping so much. Would you mind leaving a star rating with your review? Your experience is so helpful for other readers. Thanks so much.