Orecchiette with Garlicky Kale and Breadcrumbs

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. 

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Orecchiette with Garlicky Kale and Breadcrumbs Recipe

5 stars (from 7 ratings)

By Traci York

Total: 45 minutes mins

Servings: 4 Servings

Orecchiette with Garlicky Kale and Breadcrumbs;  a hearty, flavor-packed pasta ready in about 45 minutes. *Just about any pasta will work here, including gluten free! I like how the little orecchiette cup  the capers and breadcrumbs. This recipe is vegetarian, easily vegan and gluten free.

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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. 

Notes

*Most plant butter is salted, and if this is the case in your choice of butter, leave the added salt out and salt the pasta at the end of cooking. 

**Fresh Breadcrumbs: Simply whirl several slices or chunks of bread - gluten free if needed (at least 4 oz/113g) in a food processor until they're broken down into crumbs. They're ready to toast in the recipe. Store any leftover crumbs in the freezer. Use gluten free if needed. 

***Parmesan Cheese: Look for vegetarian friendly Parmesan cheese (one that does not use rennet in production). Look for BelGioioso or Organic Valley. Both are vegetarian Parms.  For more information, check directly with your preferred cheese maker. 

While I've frozen this recipe and stored it in the fridge for a few days, it tastes best right off the stove. Store in a lidded container, in the refrigerator for up to three days. 

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetite 2017 Pasta Issue. 

Nutrition

Calories: 588kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 873mg | Potassium: 782mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 11595IU | Vitamin C: 151.5mg | Calcium: 315mg | Iron: 4.1mg

Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.

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