Lazy Ravioli with Kale Pesto
Lazy Ravioli with Kale Pesto – the perfect quick and easy dinner when you’ve got too much kale on hand! For weeks now, we’ve had kale coming out of our ears (harvested at the Pluk CSA, in Amsterdam west), so I needed new ways to use it up. I’ve made kale soup, kale chips, kale mash, kale stir-fries, kale stews, and now… kale pesto! Yum! It’s packed with flavour, vitamins, and fibre, making it a delicious and nutritious addition to your pasta dishes.
Making this homemade kale pesto is super simple. Just blend raw shredded kale into your classic pesto recipe for an easy green boost. (Or, if you’re going for the ultimate lazy version, grab some store-bought fresh pesto and blitz it with kale in a food processor.) The key is to blend it really well, as raw kale can be a bit tough. But don’t worry—it softens beautifully when mixed with hot ravioli and a splash of pasta water.
Want to use the pesto as a spread or dip instead of a sauce? Then it’s best to blanch the kale first. But hey, that defeats the whole lazy part, right? 😉
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✔️ Quick & easy – A lazy ravioli recipe that comes together in under 20 minutes.
✔️ Healthy & flavour-packed – Loaded with nutrients, fibre, and vibrant green goodness.
✔️ Customisable – Swap parmesan for pecorino, use almonds instead of pine nuts, or add a squeeze of lemon juice for extra freshness.
✔️ Great for meal prep – Store leftover kale pesto in the fridge or freeze it for later.
If you’re looking for a fast and tasty way to use up kale, this easy kale pesto pasta is a must-try. Let’s get cooking!
Lazy Ravioli with Kale Pesto
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...Ingredients
- Pesto
- Big bunch fresh basil, stems removed if they are woody
- 1-2 whole kale leaves, hard stems removed and roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts (hazelnuts, almonds or walnuts will work too)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- ± 1/3 cup olive oil (more if needed)
- ± 100 g grated parmesan
- Pepper & salt to taste
- Squeeze lemon juice to taste
- The pasta
- For this recipe I used store bought ravioli, filled with ricotta and mushrooms
Instructions
Blitz all the basil, kale, toasted pine-nuts, lemon zest, garlic and parmesan in a blender until finely chopped.
When coming together slowly start adding the olive oil until you reach the consistency you like.
Taste and season with pepper and salt and a small squeeze of lemon juice to start. Add more if needed
Boil the the fresh pasta in salty water, according to the packaging.
Drain the pasta but set aside ± 1/2 a cup of the pasta water, we will use this this to make the sauce nice and glossy. If using ravioli, transfer the it to a separate bowl for now (see notes).
Pour the fresh pesto into the pan with about 1/4 cup pasta water, turn on the heat and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until the sauce heats through and thickens. Add more water for a saucier sauce.
Add the ravioli back to the pan and toss to coat.
Serve immediately with some fresh parmesan on the top. Buon appetito!
Notes
Because you need to stir the sauce vigorously it's better to remove the ravioli, otherwise they will tear open. If using regular pasta like penne or tagliatelle you can leave it in the pan while stirring.
