Meet Alex Caspero
Alex Caspero is a Registered Dietitian, New York Times Bestselling Plant-Based Chef and mom of two. She aims to cut through the nutrition noise by providing real-life, nourishing tips for body and mind. Learn more about Alex.
Kale Pasta with Butternut Squash and Pecan Parmesan. The perfect vegan Fall pasta. Roasted squash, garlicky kale tossed with pasta and homemade pecan parmesan.
Have I got a Fall-inspired pasta for you! This kale pasta is perfect for this time a year, a cozy bowl full of caramelized butternut squash, garlicky kale leaves and homemade pecan parmesan cheese.
I subscribe to a handful of food magazines and the moment I saw a similar kale and butternut squash pasta in this month’s Bon Appetit, I knew I wanted to create a plant-based version. Though I consider myself to be predominantly plant-based, these days I’m mostly vegan and I knew that a homemade pecan parmesan would be the perfect alternative to traditional parmesan cheese.
Additionally, this vegan kale pasta would be the perfect holiday dinner, whether that’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, or otherwise. You know I’m big on pasta for feast meals and this one has all the Fall flavors that you’d expect for a celebration dish.
So, I’ve been making nut-parms since I first discovered cashew parmesan, and the technique is similar here. First, place toasted pecans in a mini food processor and pulse until large chunks form.
From there, add in nutritional yeast and a little olive oil, then pulse again to form a course crumble. Honestly, I use almost all of the parmesan on this pasta, but if you don’t end up using all of it then you can store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freeze for 3-4 months.
This is where most of the prep time comes in, but it’s worth it. Oven roasting the butternut squash allows caramelization to take place; golden, crispy, browned cubes of squash that almost melt into the final kale pasta dish.
While the squash is cooking, heat butter or non-dairy butter in a large skillet over medium heat. From there, add in the sliced garlic cloves along with the dried spices and cook until garlic is just golden, but not burnt. If you do burn the garlic, remove and start again as the taste will overpower the entire dish and you won’t be happy with the end results.
To finish, add in the torn kale leaves and toss until kale is just wilted, about 4-5 minutes.
Long time followers will know that the trick to restaurant worthy pasta is to finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. Yes, this even works for jarred sauce nights and once you learn this tip, you’ll never go back to regular pasta again.
Undercook the spaghetti by 2 minutes according to package directions. For example, if the package says 11 minutes then cook for 9. Drain, reserving 1 cup of reserved pasta water.
Finish by adding the cooked pasta to the kale skillet along with a little reserved pasta water and toss vigorously with tongs, adding more pasta water as needed if it gets dry, until pasta has finished cooking.
This technique allows the noodles to soak up so much flavor and the reserved pasta water contains starches that helps the sauce to cling to the noodles.
Finally, finish the kale pasta by adding in the cooked butternut squash and pecan parmesan along with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. Another trick for incredibly-tasting pasta– stir in a little acid at the end.
Fresh lemon juice and zest cut through the richness of the pasta and add a bright finishing flavor to the entire dish. Don’t skip it!
This kale pasta does have a few steps as outlined here, but it comes together rather quickly once the pecan parmesan, butternut squash, and kale are cooked. And, instead of spaghetti, you can consider using rigatoni or farfalle (bowties) or penne.
For a very indulgent kale pasta, brown plant-based Italian sausage, like Field Roast or Beyond in a skillet, using a wooden spoon to break down the sausage until crispy. Then, add the kale to the same skillet, scraping up any browned bits from the sausage. Now, add the rest of the ingredients as directed.
I did this version in the testing phase and oh my word, the sausage pairs incredibly well with the squash and kale. Since not everyone enjoys meat alternatives, I didn’t add it to the final recipe but recommend doing so if you like them.
If you like heat, then I recommend adding in a bit more red pepper flakes before serving; 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper is a perfect fiery hot.
I know you are going to love this kale pasta with butternut squash and pecan parmesan as much as we do! After you try them, come back to leave a rating and a review. Your feedback helps other readers and seeing you make my recipes makes my day.
PrintKale Pasta with Butternut Squash and Pecan Parmesan. The perfect vegan Fall pasta. Roasted squash, garlicky kale tossed with pasta and homemade pecan parmesan.
Pecan Parmesan is heavily adapted from Oh She Glows.
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(6 comments) leave a comment
My family LOVED this dish and I was extremely pleased with how it turned out. I didn’t have lemon so used lime instead and it worked. The pecan Parmesan was key! I added a little more pasta water than called for because mine was a little dry, so you may want to save more of the water just in case. This was a 5 Star meal!
★★★★★
So glad to hear!
Everything from you I try, I love! Keep it up.
★★★★★
Delightful pasta enjoyed with the cooling weather.
★★★★★
We’ll have the Kale Pasta With Butternut Squash for tonight. I’m enjoy your recipes.
Thanks,
Myr Palmer
Alex’s pasta dishes never miss. Another hit!
★★★★★