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Kale and Garlic Pasta

A pasta dish with sautéed kale, garlic, chili flakes, butter, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Garlic and kale match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 490 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓

Kale and Garlic Pasta

Total1 hr

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the garlic and kale

  1. Add butter and olive oil to a large frying pan. Heat over medium heat until the butter melts.

  2. Add the garlic and chili flakes to the pan. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is softened.

  3. If the garlic starts to brown, turn off the heat until time to add the kale.

Cook the kale

  1. Cook the kale in a large pot of very salty boiling water for about 4 minutes.

  2. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the softened kale to the pan with the garlic. Try to leave as much water behind as possible.

  3. Cook the kale and garlic over medium heat, stirring, until most or all of the liquid evaporates. Add a splash of water or olive oil if they stick to the pan too much.

Finish the pasta

  1. Boil the pasta in the same salted water as the kale.

  2. When al dente, use tongs to transfer the pasta to the hot pan with the greens. Toss the pasta and greens together.

  3. If the pan is too small, transfer everything to a large bowl and continue tossing until the pasta is well-coated.

  4. Add the grated Parmesan. Continue tossing until it is melted and well-incorporated.

  5. Serve hot.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

342Calories
11 gProtein
32 gFat
3 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Parmesan Cheese1 oz (28g)110
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Spinach1 cup raw (30g)7
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Garlic + kaletop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together490 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  2. Olive + garlictop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together25,665 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  3. Olive + kaletop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together647 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  4. Clove + kaletop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together95 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  5. Butter + parmesan cheesetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,163 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Garlic
Softens and flavours the oil, adding aroma; browns quickly if overheated.
Kale
Provides leafy bulk and a slightly chewy, earthy texture once wilted.
Butter
Adds richness and flavour to the frying base along with the olive oil.
Olive oil
Carries the garlic and chili flavour and helps the greens cook without sticking.
Linguine
Forms the starchy base of the dish, tossed with the greens to coat evenly.
Parmesan cheese
Melts into the pasta and greens, adding salty, savoury richness and body.

The step that matters

Cook the kale and garlic until the liquid evaporates. Excess water left on the greens dilutes the oil and stops the sauce from clinging to the pasta. Keeping the heat moderate and the garlic pale prevents bitterness.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, olive, garlic, kale, parmesan cheese):

  1. Capersfits better
  2. Thymefits better
  3. Parsleyfits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, olive, garlic, kale, parmesan cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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