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tagliatelle with winter greens pesto, sautéed olives, and creminis

tagiatelle with winter greens pesto

If getting more leafy greens into your diet is a new year’s resolution, but salad just isn’t your thing, then this recipe is for you! Packed with kale, collard greens, and Swiss chard, this simple variation of the popular Italian pasta sauce will have you meeting your leafy greens quota effortlessly.

I used tagliatelle pasta for this, only because I happened upon a gluten-free version made by Schar and was really impressed with the taste and texture. However, whatever type of pasta you have on hand can be used instead. I think this would be extra delicious with a shell type pasta that can hold in more of that pesto goodness.

Did I mention how simple this was? You can easily have dinner in under 10 minutes (assuming you use the tagliatelle, which cooks in just 8 minutes) if you’re an expert kitchen multi-tasker, or 20 minutes if you prepare everything separately. Either way, it’s a simple solution to a very nutritious and delicious meal.

Tagliatelle with Winter Greens Pesto, Sautéed Olives, and Mushrooms

  • 1 box (12 ounces) gluten-free tagliatelle (Schar brand recommended)
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 leaves each (the bigger the better) kale, swiss chard, and collard greens
  • 1 medium sized avocado
  • 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon water (or just enough to allow smooth blending)
  • 1/3 cup toasted pecans, walnuts or pine nuts
  • 1/2 tablespoon additional olive oil
  • 2 cups quartered crimini mushrooms
  • 1 cup quartered colossal black olives
  • Additional dash sea salt
  • Squeeze of lemon

Prepare the pasta according to package directions. Rinse well and return to pot. Toss with 1 teaspoon olive oil to coat.

Place the greens, avocado, salt, water and pecans into a food processor and let blend until a very smooth paste forms, scraping down the sides as needed. Gently toss into the cooked pasta to completely coat with sauce.

In a medium sized frying pan, toss together the olive oil, mushrooms and olives along with a dash or two salt and saute until mushrooms are tender and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Fold into the pasta. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon.

See? Simple, simple, simple.

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10 Responses to tagliatelle with winter greens pesto, sautéed olives, and creminis

  1. Erin says:

    I made this tonight and I’m sad to report that it was a total fail. These ingredients SOUND like they should go together but they just don’t. The flavor was off, the pesto texture was off (we have a Vitamix so I don’t blame my blender), it was just all off. Nothing good about it. My super not picky ever husband wouldn’t eat it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him not finish a meal much less throw away a whole pot of food. :(

    • allyson says:

      Hi Erin,

      Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it; but yea, it’s not a traditional pesto flavor/texture with the addition of the coarser greens–a bit more earthy. :)

  2. Colynn says:

    Yes please!I love leafy greens, but ironically, am not a huge fan of salad. This is the perfect solution.

  3. I love the fact that this is so winter appropriate! I do love my basil, but I also do feel silly indulging in it in the winter unless it is growing on my windowsill. Thanks for sharing this great idea and introducing a new GF brand. Always nice to hear about pasta experiences.

  4. Alexandra says:

    My kind of recipe! I eat some variation of pasta/grain and vegetable almost every other night for dinner. So easy, so delicious. Thanks for this variation- will be making it soon!

  5. Becky says:

    Ooh I love the idea of avocado as a base for pesto!

  6. This pesto sounds wonderful! I love that you used avocado to add creaminess – I’ve aways got a surplus of those in my kitchen. And using pecans instead of the traditional pine nuts is much more my speed. find the flavor of pine nuts a bit harsh and overpowering sometimes, so I”m glad to know that pecans lend themselves well to this pesto.

  7. Quick, easy, delicious. My kind of meal! Love all the greens in it as well.

  8. I am fist pumping this recipe!

    xo
    kittee

  9. Love the idea of using an avocado in pesto! And thank you for the link to Schar gf pasta…I am excited that they have a small soup pasta, which is one of the things I miss most since going gf.