Natalie Chassay’s Tuscan Kale Pasta Is a Date-Night Classic
Whether you’re cooking for a partner, friends, or family – treat your loved ones with this quick and flavour-packed dish.
Welcome to Put on a Spread, a recipe series that takes you inside the kitchens – and dining rooms – of some of our favourite home cooks. For this instalment, chef and cooking teacher Natalie Chassay shares her simple and nourishing Tuscan Kale Pasta.
In all honesty, I’ve had a strange relationship with Valentine’s Day over the years. I only met my husband when I was 30, and relationships prior to that were always a little bit here and there, so Valentine’s Day used to fill me with a bit of anxiety about where I was compared to where I thought I should be.
But over the last few years, especially since my daughter was born, I’ve come to enjoy the day so much more as a moment to actually reflect and appreciate not just my husband – which I very much do (he’s my number one supporter) – but also my whole family, and all of the incredible relationships I have in my life.
And so this Valentine’s Day, I’m choosing to celebrate all of the love in my life: the love of my life, my sweet little girl, and my beautiful friends and family. I truly believe that’s what Valentine’s Day is all about – celebrating love in all of its forms.
What better way to do it than with spaghetti, wine, flowers, and beautiful linens?
I’m not one for formal dining experiences, but I am all for low-lift, casual elegance. This spaghetti, with lots of garlic, chilli, Tuscan kale, tonnes of Parmesan, and toasted breadcrumbs, is the most wonderful dish to serve to loved ones – especially on French flax linen tableware in Sage, Olive, and White: soft, grounding, and made for gathering.
Enjoy, and Happy Valentine’s!
Ingredients
For the pasta
- 400g dried spaghetti
- Flaky sea salt
For the sauce
- 5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 large garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 1 very spicy red chilli, finely chopped
- 100g Tuscan kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
- Zest of 2 lemons
- Juice of 2 lemons, to taste
- 25g unsalted butter
- 1 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the breadcrumbs
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- Finely grated lemon zest (optional but recommended)
Method
1. Make the breadcrumbs
Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the panko breadcrumbs and cook, stirring often, until deeply golden and crisp. Season with a pinch of salt and, if using, a little lemon zest. Set aside.
2. Start the sauce
In a wide pan, combine the olive oil, garlic and chilli over low heat. Cook gently until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not browned. Add the butter and let it melt into the oil.
3. Cook the kale
Add the kale with a small pinch of salt and cook until just wilted and glossy. Stir through half of the lemon zest and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Turn the heat off while the pasta cooks.
4. Cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti until 2 minutes shy of al dente.
5. Bring it together
When the pasta has about a minute left, ladle around ½ cup of the pasta water into the kale pan and bring it back to a medium heat. Transfer the spaghetti directly into the pan, letting the water cling to it.
6. Finish the sauce
Add the remaining lemon zest, most of the Parmesan and plenty of black pepper. Toss continuously over the heat until the sauce becomes glossy and lightly creamy, loosening with more pasta water if needed. Taste and adjust with more lemon juice, Parmesan or salt.
7. Serve
Transfer to a large platter and finish with extra Parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil and the golden breadcrumbs.
For more from Natalie, follow her at @nataliechassay.
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