Kale Pesto Cavatelli

Salt a large pot of water and put it on to boil. Preheat your oven to 450 °F. Rinse and dry the Brussel sprouts, trim the ends, and peel off as many of the leaves as you can. Reserve the inner cores of the sprouts. On a baking sheet, toss the leaves with 2 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Put in oven and bake until crispy and brown in spots, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Add the cavatelli to the boiling water. Stir occasionally, and start tasting the pasta after 8 minutes. Cook until al dente, and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta in a colander. Toss the pasta with a 1 tsp of olive oil to prevent sticking, and return to the pot, off of the heat.

Step 3 - PRESTO PESTO Rinse the lemon. Rinse and dry the basil. Rinse the kale leaves, remove the stems, and discard stems. Add basil, kale, garlic, almonds, 4 tbsp olive oil, chili flakes (use more or less depending on your affinity for heat), the reserved pasta water, and the juice from half the lemon to the bowl of a food processor. Blend until smooth, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Slice the sun-dried tomatoes thinly lengthwise. Be careful, as the oil they’re packed in can make the tomatoes a little bit slippery! Set aside.

Add the kale pesto to the cavatelli pasta in the pot, along with ¾ of the crispy Brussels sprout leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and toss well.

Serve the kale pesto pasta in large bowls, and top with the sun-dried tomatoes and the remaining Brussels sprout leaves. Enjoy!