Vibrant cavolo nero pasta is smothered in garlic & oil, then topped off with burst tomatoes and a sprinkling of your favourite cheese or yeast flakes. Colourful & packed with good-for-you veg.
Disclaimer: This cavolo nero pasta recipe is part of a paid collaboration with Microplane. All opinions expressed are my own.
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💌 Why I Love This Recipe
- So easy to customise
- Packed with good-for-you veg & so tasty
- Takes 20 minutes from start to finish
- Vegan and can easily be made gluten-free
- Looks like a restaurant-quality dish but so easy to make
- A great way to get in your daily dose of veggies
Plus, you'll have step-by-step photos & video helping you nail this dish!
🌱 Ingredients
Here's what you'll need.
Ingredient Notes
- Cavolo Nero: also called black or Tuscan kale. Could be substituted for regular kale.
- Veggies of choice: I used carrot, broccoli & tomatoes. More ideas on what veggies to use available in the Substitutions section below.
- Oil: I used light olive oil, but you can use any neutral tasting vegetable oil.
Tip: I used my Microplane Bowl Grater to grate all my veggies, leaving some slightly bigger for more texture. If you don't have a grater you can make this recipe by simply slicing the veggies.
⏲️ Step-by-step
Remember: the full recipe with exact ingredients & detailed instructions is waiting for you at the bottom of this page.
- Grate or slice all your veggies.
- Add oil to a hot pan. Then add garlic.
- Gently fry for 1 minute then add the rest of you vegetables. Stir & add seasoning.
- In the meantime, add salted boiling hot water to a pan. Then add pasta and cook according to the instructions.
- Once it's ready, drain the pasta and add it straight to the pan.
- Add some more oil and any other toppings (I used hemp seeds & burst cherry tomatoes)
Tip: This is an aglio e oglio type of pasta, meaning it's based on garlic & oil. Don't be afraid to be generous when adding your oil!
💡 Quick Tips
- Leave some bigger bits of veggies for more texture
- Use any veggies of choice, this dish is completely customisable (ideas below)
- Sprinkle with seeds for extra crunch!
- Best when eaten fresh, doesn’t stay super well if you reheat it
- Spicy? This pasta works SO well with some red chilli flakes sprinkled on top.
❓FAQ
Cavolo nero is a type of kale. Its name translates to 'black cabbage'. Compared to kale, it has a crunchier texture and a slightly sweeter aftertaste.
Absolutely, you can easily substitute it with curly kale. Alternatively, you can also use collard greens, spring greens, Chinese kale, or chard.
This grater is ultra-sharp and super easy to use. It fits perfectly on top of small bowls or inside bigger mixing bowls.
It's also the ideal way to make cauliflower or broccoli rice without using a food processor.
🔪 Substitutions
The BEST thing about this cavolo nero pasta? You can easily swap out the veggies. Here are some of my suggestions.
- Mushrooms: will add some creaminess and that beloved umami flavour.
- Spinach works really well and can be used to replace broccoli
- Peas can help add some protein
- Herbs like fresh basil, chives & parsley make the topping
- Yeast flakes or (vegan) cheese are another go-to topping
Thank you so much to Microplane for sponsoring this recipe!
Finally, thank YOU, the reader, for sticking with me until the end! In case there are any questions I didn't cover, simply get in touch via the comments section below.
If you made & enjoyed this recipe there's nothing I would love more than to hear your feedback.
Similar Recipes
Love the idea of this cavolo nero pasta? Check out my:
- Creamy Red Pepper Pasta
- Vegan Cream of Chicken Soup
- Easy Vegan Haggis
- Vegan Baked Mac & Cheese
- Vegan Orzo
Cavolo Nero Pasta (Tuscan Kale)
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 cups cavolo nero
- 1 carrot
- ¼ broccoli
- 1 tbsp lemon
- 8 oz pasta
- salt and pepper to taste
Optional toppings
- Sesame seeds, hemp seeds, burst cherry tomatoes, cheese, yeast flakes, salt flakes, etc
Instructions
- Grate or slice all your veggies (cavolo nero and other veggies of choice)
- Add 2 tbsp oil to a hot pan. Then add garlic.
- Gently fry for 1 minute then add the rest of your vegetables. Stir & add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
- In the meantime, add salted boiling hot water to a large pan. Then add pasta and cook according to the instructions.
- Once it's ready, drain the pasta and add it straight to the frying pan with the veggies.
- Add some more oil (to taste) and any other toppings (I used hemp seeds & burst cherry tomatoes)
Video
Notes
- Leave some bigger bits of veggies for more texture
- Use any veggies of choice, this dish is completely customisable
- Sprinkle with seeds for extra crunch!
- Best when eaten fresh, doesn’t stay super well if you reheat it.
- Spicy? This pasta works SO well with some red chili flakes sprinkled on top.
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