This pasta with kale and garlicky breadcrumbs is a hearty, flavor-packed Orecchiette Pasta Recipe. Like my one pot Creamy Mushroom Orzo recipe, this recipe is ready in about 45 minutes. It’s vegetarian, and easily vegan and gluten free.
For the Love of Pasta
You’d hardly know it by the few pasta recipes I’ve shared on Vanilla And Bean, but I absolutely am a fan. Moderation is key. So when I do have pasta, I completely swan dive in. But of course, love including something green. In this case, it’s pasta with kale.
There’s no shortage of inspiration in Bon Appétit’s Pasta issue. I’ve been playing with and adapting several recipes to make them vegetarian and a few vegan. I find cauliflower an easy swap for things like shrimp and fish due to its tender texture. Anchovies make their way into pasta recipes as well, but I find capers to be a fabulous vegetarian and vegan stand in for that briny, umami flavor I’m after.
But it’s the breadcrumbs Bon Appétit highlighted in several recipes that gave me complete heart eyes. That salty-garlicky crunch sprinkled over saucy orecchiette pasta plus more on the side… Something so simple, how could I have overlooked these crunchy powerhouses of texture and flavor?
My Adaptations to this Orecchiette Pasta Recipe
For this orecchiette recipe, I changed a few things from Bon Appétit’s original recipe. I find some pasta recipes too heavy on pasta and not enough veggies. So I tend to modify in favor of veggies…
….but still with ample pasta.
From the original Bon Appétit recipe, I cut the amount of pasta and parmesan in half, but retained the full pound of kale (two bundles) and a cup of breadcrumbs. I also cut back on oil by 1 Tbs for toasting breadcrumbs, substitute capers for anchovies and add a hearty squeeze of lemon just before serving.
I found the pasta/veggie ratio to be a good balance using these modifications, with plenty of breadcrumbs left for additional sprinkling.
About the Key Ingredients
- Kale takes center stage in this recipe, and there’s plenty of it. You can use your favorite here, but I like dinosaur (Lacinato) kale for its tender texture.
- Fresh Breadcrumbs – since we’re pan frying breadcrumbs for this recipe, you’ll use fresh. Sourdough bread works well here, due to its hearty texture and flavor. Use gluten free bread if needed
- Olive Oil + Butter – the base of the sauce, use high quality olive oil and butter for flavor. If needed, you can substitute pant butter.
- Non Pareil Capers – for a briny pop of flavor, I use capers in place of anchovies in my vegetarian recipes. They’re salty and add so much to vegetarian dishes.
- Orecchiette pasta – small “little ears” pasta that are concave shaped discs. Their cup-like shape holds sauces and other ingredients in the dish. You can use whatever pasta shape you have on hand, gluten free if needed. My favorite gluten free pasta is Jovial’s Brown Rice Pasta, shells or capellini.
At a Glance: How to Make this Orecchiette Recipe
While this recipe is simple enough to make, there’s several things going on, on the stove top, that will require a bit of multitasking. In summary how to make it:
- First, toast the breadcrumbs on the stove-top. Use previously frozen or day old bread. If you can get your hands on sourdough, all the better!
- Second, blanch the kale, cool, squeeze out the water then chop.
Blanching serves several purposes here:
-
- Cleans and washes away pesky hidden dirt and debris.
- Destroys the enzymes that turn the veggies brown and mushy when cooking longer.
- Helps retain its bright green color and nutrients.
- Third, cook the pasta and make the sauce.
- Last, mix all the components together with pasta water, breadcrumbs, and parmesan.
The Sauce (!!)
The sauce is incredibly fragrant and simply sublime. It starts with butter and olive oil, then, capers and pepper flakes are sprinkled in. Using the back of a heat proof jar, gently mash the capers until the sauce begins to thicken (take in a deep breath of deliciousness). During the last few minutes of cooking, garlic is added, the blanched kale, and a bit of water.
At the end of cooking, all the components are tossed together; pasta, kale, sauce, pasta water, parmesan and breadcrumbs.
Pro Tips
- Pasta is best enjoyed fresh. I find with freezing or storing overnight, while it still tastes good, the kale loses its bright green color.
- Be sure to retain the pasta cooking water, so it can be used in the sauce. It helps leave a beautiful glossy coat on the pasta and flavor the recipe.
- Make it Vegan: Two easy swaps… opt for plant butter and vegan Parm. I like homemade or for in store, look for Follow Your Heart.
Orecchiette with Garlicky Kale and Breadcrumbs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450g) Lacinato Kale aka dinosaur kale - about 2 bunches, destemed* (see note)
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt divided, + more for pasta water. Leave out for vegan option. *
- 1 C (75g) Fresh Breadcrumbs **see note
- 4 Tbs Olive Oil Divided
- 3 Cloves of Garlic , microplaned, about 2 tsp
- 2 Tbs Unsalted Butter , use vegan butter for vegan option
- 4 Tbs Capers drained
- 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 8 oz (225g) Pasta , I like orecchiette or penne, gluten free if needed
- 1/4 C (36g) Grated Parmesan *** (see note) plus more for serving, leave out for vegan option
- 1 Lemon
Instructions
- Put a large stock pot of water on to bring to a boil. Once boiling, working in two batches, blanch the kale for 4 minutes. Remove from the pot with tongs, setting it aside on a sheet pan to cool. Reserve the water for cooking the pasta. Once the kale is cool, press out as much water as possible and chop into bite size pieces. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, mix fresh breadcrumbs with 2 Tbs of olive oil and 1/4 tsp salt in a large 10" (25cm) skillet (with high sides - 2 1/2" to 3" (6cm)). Toast breadcrumbs on medium-low for about 5 minutes tossing and moving the breadcrumbs around in the pan two or three times. Add 1/2 the garlic and stir, pressing the garlic in, and moving the breadcrumbs around the pan for another 2-3 minutes or until golden and crunchy. Season with a few grinds of pepper. Transfer to paper towels on a plate to soak up any oil. Set aside. Wipe out the pan (you'll use it to make the sauce) and set aside.
- Bring the kale water back to a boil, adding more water if needed, add a heavy pinch of salt and cook the pasta according to package directions or until al dente. If using orecchiette, the little pieces of pasta tend to stick together. Stir several times while cooking to separate the spooners! Drain the pasta, reserving at least 2 C (470g) of pasta water.
- Meanwhile, in the same skillet used to toast the breadcrumbs, heat the butter and remaining 2 Tbs of olive oil on medium-low until melted. Add capers and pepper flakes. Mash the capers, gently (I use the bottom of a heat proof jar - like a canning jar). Cook, mashing for about 2 minutes. The sauce will begin to thicken. Add the remaining garlic, cooking another minute, stirring. Add the kale, 1/4 tsp of salt and 1/2 C (118g) of water to the caper mixture, stirring 2-3 minutes to heat through.
- To Assemble: Add the drained pasta to the kale mixture plus about 1/2 C (118g) of pasta water, stirring, adding more pasta water until the pasta is glossy. I add about 1 1/2 C total, but if you feel the pasta could use more, add about 1/4 C more at a time. Stir in the parmesan and breadcrumbs, and squeeze 1/2 a lemon over the pasta. Stir. Taste for salt and adjust as needed. Serve immediately with extra breadcrumbs, lemon wedges, fresh ground black pepper and parmesan for sprinkling on the side.
please create a print/save button for all of your articles that just allows us to save the recipe without all of the commentary for our recipe boxes or file.
Hi Jeff… if you tap print, you get only the recipe without photos or blog commentary. Does this help?
We used a whole wheat rotini. Just delicious! The bread crumbs are magic. For us, a bit more garlic and parmesan were perfect. Thank you!
Yes to whole wheat rotini! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go, Julie. I’m all in for more garlic!
this looks divine!! you mention it freezes well and I am wondering the best way to do that. thanks for sharing!!
Hi Suzi! You can freeze the recipe, although I prefer it fresh. Store it in a lidded container, allowing it to cool completely and then freeze it. You can also store it in individual storage containers for meal prep too. Thaw overnight in the fridge then gently rewarm stovetop adding a splash of water if needed. I hope this helps.
Hey Traci, Great blog! I tried this type of pasta first time. It was prepared very quickly. I just loved the recipe and the crunch of the breadcrumbs was too yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Hi Oren! So happy to hear you enjoyed the pasta! Yes to the crunch!
That looks so perfect for dinner this week! I bought fresh kale, garlic and panko bread crumbs today. Yum!
Sounds great, Marilla! Let us know how it goes!
Oh my god… this is the best pasta I’ve ever had. The capers are genius, and taste delicious in the buttery, garlicky sauce. I couldn’t get my hands on orecchiette so used mafalde instead. If you haven’t made this, what are you doing with your life?!
Hiii Pasta Lover thank you for your note, rating and giving the recipe a go!! Hooray for good comfort food and yes to the capers! So happy you enjoyed the recipe… agreed!
Love the flavors! So garlicy and rich! I used nutritional yeast instead of Parm and it was still great!
Thank you for coming back and leaving a note and sharing the nut yeast tip, Allison! So happy you enjoyed the recipe!
This was an excellent side to our salmon. I will fix it by itself next time. Loved the fresh breadcrumbs with the parmesan and the slight spice from the red pepper flakes.
So happy to hear, B. The red pepper gives it a subtle kick is a lovely way! Thank you for your note!