Kale sauce with pappardelle from Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables (page 312) by Joshua McFadden and Martha Holmberg

Ingredients

kale
pappardelle pasta
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Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

Anjackson1003 on April 12, 2026

Love making this with leftover greens. Can easily be thrown in the freezer and thawed for a weeknight dinner. Used the sauce with some fusilli and served with sausage on the side for extra protein.
mandycbeck on March 06, 2026

This is excellent with a couple modifications. I’ve made it several times and like to melt some anchovies in the olive oil with the garlic and red pepper. I also add a squeeze of lemon. I feel like this needs a lot of cheese and salt for optimal flavor.
harry_14phue on February 22, 2026

We use farm fresh kale or radish greens. We prefer the radish greens. We cook the greens an extra 2 minutes so it really comes together if there is leftover sauce, we mix it with paneer to make a saag for lunch for the week
Upsidedownpineapple on January 29, 2026

Lovely recipe, needs to be blended very well and is perfect finished off with a generous squeeze of lemon
MariaSwe on January 20, 2026

I will use some of the suggestions in the notes here to change it up a bit next time. And not add any pasta water until I know I need it. My sauce came out too liquidy.
Hiker010 on January 11, 2026

Made May 2020 -- Good! Good use of kale We used half recipe kale, w/ 1 lb pasta Could add more pasta water to make more saucy Regular green kale a bit more stringy (might work if had real blender)
msl521 on November 19, 2025

I did a little of a mashup of this version with Meera Sodha's. I added some white miso and nutritional yeast to the blender instead of parm. This was really good. My kids refused to eat it even though it was nearly the same as a pesto I served the night before that one of them loved. This was definitely a high return on investment meal: super easy, lots of flavor, and yummy.
GinaRhodes on June 12, 2025

Sauce to pasta ratio was off for us- could have easily doubled the pasta. A quick and tasty recipe that both toddlers enjoyed.
lisari on December 10, 2024

I quite enjoyed this, partner said it tasted like lawn clippings.
Babycarrot on July 31, 2023

Added an anchovy to the oil and garlic. Didn’t use pappardelle as I used what I had on hand. Added some lemon juice upon serving. Will add some red pepper flakes to the leftovers. Good way to use up lots of kale from the garden
allisonsemele on August 31, 2022

Made again with the additions of lemon zest, an anchovy filet, and a handful of almonds. Served with a salmon fillet that I wound up flaking into the pasta. The combination of the kale sauce with lemon + salmon was excellent.
patioweather on March 04, 2022

I made a different, more traditional pesto sauce the same day that I made this. This recipe was so much simpler and just as great.
nicolepellegrini on June 22, 2021

Made with mezze rigatoni. Fairly good, but not a "wow" dish for me. I can understand why many suggest adding raw garlic near the end but I can't because my stomach can't take it. Adding lemon juice and zest did help brighten it up.
jhallen on April 19, 2021

This was very tasty and definitely a good way to use up a surplus of kale. Would be great for St. Patrick's Day because it definitely is super-green. Really good, easy dinner. I didn't have a problem with the sauce to pasta proportion unlike some other reviewers - was perfect for me.
allisonsemele on March 02, 2021

Very fast and easy, and a good way to use up kale in danger of becoming sad. It's on the somewhat quiet and savory side as written. My husband liked it better than I did, but I will definitely try it again. I added some raw garlic after tasting it and overdid it a bit. Served with leftover walnuts, and the addition of nuts was great.
mooo42 on February 26, 2021

Make this at home for the kids and call it monster pasta. Add raw garlic, lemon juice and toasted walnuts/pine nuts for some crunch. It's a super easy weeknight meal.
justfoxie on February 10, 2021

The ingredients list on EYB is not complete and in my version of the book it says you can use it with any pasta (which we have!). A very flexible recipe that can be adapted any which way. We typically use white wine instead of the cooking water when blending the sauce.
ksg518 on June 29, 2020

I thought this was very good. Following other's suggestions, I just used raw garlic and added a bit of lemon juice at the end. Zest would work too. Also agree with others that it makes more sauce than you would use for half a pound of pasta - perhaps three quarters of a pound would be better. Next time I'll add cherry tomatoes to the final dish.
TrishaCP on June 08, 2020

We did enjoy this, but I would use raw garlic next time too.
purrviciouz on October 02, 2019

I love this and made a double batch then froze half. I thought the sauce amount for a single recipe was appropriate for 1/2 lb of pasta or about 4 servings. I will try adding lemon zest and juice when I reheat my leftovers.
excurvatus on August 16, 2019

I'm not sold on this - yet! So many people rave about this recipe I'm prepared to try it more. I think you REALLY need to blend the heck out of the kale, and my larger Vitamix container is currently missing, so I had to do it in batches. It was totally fine, but I think with the right tools, could be as great as others find it to be.
Astrid5555 on March 17, 2019

I wanted to see whether my boys’ newfound appreciation for cavolo nero extended beyond crispy kale chips, and lo and behold, my 13-year old really liked this pasta. Younger son tried it and went for pasta with butter and Parmigiano Reggiano instead. Nevertheless, the rest of the family found it delicious, so this is a make again pasta dish for us!
ResourcefulKitchen on February 02, 2019

I love love love this recipe! The first time I made it, I accidentally seasoned it with lemon juice (served it alongside chicken piccata). Now I always add lemon juice during the sauce-blending step. This brings the brightness that some say is missing as written. I also double the pasta and add more pasta water if needed.
hirsheys on June 10, 2018

This was fine, though not spectacular. It needed some sharpness - maybe lemon zest? I think raw garlic would have been better, too. Maybe acid?
westminstr on April 30, 2018

I thought this dish was fine, but nothing special. I found it lacking in a bit of oomph (would have preferred it w raw olive and garlic, I think) and couldn't get the proper texture in my FP. O liked it though. In addition the sauce made way more than you need for 1/2 pound pasta. It drives me crazy that the quantities of everything in this book are always off!
Lepa on March 11, 2018

This doesn't look like much on paper but it is shockingly delicious. We had a Six Seasons dinner party this evening and made six dishes from the book. This might have been everybody's favorite. Even the kids liked it (after they got over the green, sludgy appearance!) This was very easy to make and it feels like a forever recipe for me. I should note that we had it with rigatoni, not pappardelle.