Creamy Roasted Garlic Kale Pasta with Parmesan

March 18, 2022

•

Shanika | Orchids + Sweet Tea

This easy creamy dish is the epitome of a bold, delicious, simple meatless weeknight meal that comes jam-packed with loads of garlicky kale flavors!

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Creamy Roasted Garlic Kale Pasta with Parmesan

A light, yet decadent pasta dish is perfect for anyone who absolutely loves pasta! This Creamy Roasted Garlic Kale Pasta with Parmesan doesn’t include any form of meat, but has complete heartiness and uses tons and tons of delicious roasted garlic and kale flavors married together with parmesan! An easy weeknight meal for the entire family. Vegan option available.

Plate and fork of Creamy Roasted Garlic Kale Pasta with Parmesan

I'm definitely in the mood for all of this green, especially the day after St. Patty's Day. Haha. I can't lie-----pasta is one of my kryptonite meals and I'm always obsessed with any version of it that I make. Plus, lately, I've been experimenting with different types of pasta like this Conchiglioni Pasta which is such a beautiful version of jumbo shells.

There's such a fanciness to them, don't you think? This Creamy Roasted Garlic Kale Pasta with Parmesan dish is definitely one of my latest faves and it's perfectly creamy, super easy to make, absolutely hearty, has the right amount of bold flavors, and that roasted garlic stands out and does this dish true justice!

How to Make Creamy Roasted Garlic Kale Pasta

Start making this recipe by roasting your garlic bulbs. This recipe for roasted garlic produces the best-tasting, most concentrated roasted garlic flavors in this dish. They have a bold, umami tone that creates a sauce together with a few other ingredients to coat your conchiglioni pasta (or your fave pasta).

Next, cook the conchiglioni according to package instructions. And while the pasta cooks, you can make the simple garlic, kale, and parmesan sauce on the stove.

Ingredient Swaps

Easy to change things up and to mix up the ingredients in this creamy pasta to use whatever is in your pantry or to make this dairy-free and vegan, here are a few swaps and substitutions to try:

Add a different green, such as chard or spinach instead of kale.
Try grated mozzarella or a different grated cheese instead of parmesan.
Use coconut milk to replace heavy cream for a dairy-free version (you’ll also need to use dairy-free cheese and dairy-free tortellini).
Choose vegetable or beef stock instead of chicken for extra flavor.

5 REASONS WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS CREAMY PASTA

It’s Meatless, but still works for any eater.

Super easy to make and quick.

Full of flavor + so creamy! (The best reason!)

Very kid-friendly (entirely nut-free).

Done in just under 35 minutes.

Ingredients in Creamy Roasted Garlic Kale Pasta

Absolutely surprising that this creamy pasta has such a short and sweet ingredient list, when you consider how flavor-packed it is. This is a great pantry recipe to whip up on a weeknight with the following ingredients:

Your favorite pasta. Pick your favorite pasta type such as this conchiglioni, fettuccine, pappardelle, etc.
Garlic. You’ll want two to three whole bulbs for the rich garlic flavor in this pasta.
Vegetable stock. You can also use chicken stock if you don't prefer this dish to be vegetarian.
Heavy cream. For the rich, creamy body in the pasta.
Kale. Any kind of kale will work!
Herbs/Seasonings. Add a hint of extra flavor with herbs/spices for this pasta.
Parmesan. To add savoriness and melty cheese flavor. Freshly grated is best.

Storage

Leftovers for this creamy pasta can be stored in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. Definitely don’t recommend freezing the pasta, as it won’t defrost well.

More Favorite Pasta Recipes

What Are Delicious Foods to Pair This Pasta With?

With most pasta dishes, I often enjoy them with a side of bread of some sort. Most times, I make my own homemade Garlic Bread, however, you can choose to spruce things up with many other options such as:

A delicious Salad

Sautéed Greens

Grilled Veggies

Toasted Bread

MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?

If you make this Creamy Roasted Garlic Kale Pasta with Parmesan or any other recipe from us, be sure to tag us on Instagram at #Orchidsandsweettea so that we can share the love!

Creamy Roasted Garlic Kale Pasta with Parmesan

March 18, 2022 •

By Shanika

5 from 2 votes

This easy creamy dish is the epitome of a bold, delicious, simple meatless weeknight meal that comes jam-packed with loads of garlicky kale flavors! Vegan option available.

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 40

Serves: servings

Units:

US Customary|Metric

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Ingredients

PASTA:

1 (16 oz.) bag Jumbo Conchiglioni pasta (See Notes!)
2 Tbsps Extra vrigin olive oil

GARLIC KALE SAUCE:

3 bulbs garlic
1 cup kale, chopped
1 cup organic heavy cream + ¼ cup
⅓ cup organic vegetable stock (You can also use chicken stock if desired!)
2 Tbsps white cooking wine
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt + black pepper, each
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

ROAST THE GARLIC:

Begin by preheating the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and preparing a large piece of foil paper. Add each garlic bulb to the center of the foil paper, drizzle with olive oil and wrap tightly with foil paper.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the garlic bulbs are cooked through and super fragrant, tender, and browned on the edges. Let it cool a bit before removing the garlic from their bulbs.

BOIL THE PASTA:

Cook pasta according to packaging. NOTE: Conchiglioni pasta doesn’t take a long time to cook, usually 10-12 minutes (however, you should cook at 9-10 minutes or so—‘al dente’). Drain and set aside.

MAKE THE SAUCE:

To make the initial sauce, add together roasted garlic, kale, and 1 cup heavy cream together in a blender and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
In a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and the blended sauce, followed by: the remaining ¼ cup heavy cream, veggie stock, white cooking wine, lemon juice, seasonings, and grated parmesan----stirring until combined, about 1-2 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and add in the cooked pasta and stir until everything is well coated.
Remove from heat and serve immediately with your favorite side or on it's own with a bit of extra grated parmesan, if desired.
Bon Appetit!

Tips & Tricks

STORAGE: Any leftovers can be kept in a tightly sealed container and refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.
SPICES/HERBS: If desired, you can reduce the amounts slightly. Please know that this recipe is bold in flavor, so feel free to adjust based on your tastebuds.
PASTA: You can use Jumbo shells or long pastas like Pappardelle, Fettuccine, etc. if desired, however, I would recommend tossing with tongs to ensure that pasta is fully manageable and fully coated. Otherwise, the traditional penne or rigatoni pasta works perfectly too!
VEGAN OPTION: To make this pasta completely dairy-free and vegan, use coconut milk to replace heavy cream and you’ll also need to use dairy-free cheese and dairy-free tortellini.