Vibrant cavolo nero pasta is smothered in garlic & oil, then topped off with burst tomatoes and a sprinkling of your favorite cheese or yeast flakes. Colorful & 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 customize
- 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 carrots, broccoli & tomatoes. More ideas on what veggies to use are 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.
🔪 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
🍴Recipe
Cavolo Nero Pasta (Tuscan Kale)
INGREDIENTS
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 cups (150 g) cavolo nero
- 1 carrot
- ¼ broccoli
- 1 tablespoon lemon
- 8 oz (200 g) 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.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: The nutritional information above is calculated automatically. The author of this post cannot guarantee 100% accuracy of this data.
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