I was going back through some old issues of Cook's Illustrated and found this interesting-looking dish in the pasta "special edition" from 2015. I liked that it was vegetarian and also a bit more balanced than many of the pasta dishes I'm familiar with. The beans add a little protein and the kale and tomatoes add a vegetable component. It's still pretty starch-heavy to be sure, but it's definitely moving in the right direction.

Pasta with Hearty Greens and Beans

From Cook's Illustrated January/February 2015

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 8 cloves garlic, 3 minced, 5 sliced
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• pepper
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 700g kale, stemmed and cut into 2-3cm pieces
• 1 (400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 3/4 c. vegetable broth
• 2 c. cooked cannellini (white kidney) beans
• 3/4 c. pitted kalamata olives, chopped
• 450g whole wheat spaghetti
• ~1 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat oil and sliced garlic over medium heat.
2. Cook until garlic turns golden. Do not brown!
3. Remove garlic and set aside.
4. Add onion to the remaining oil in the pan and cook until softened and beginning to brown (~5 minutes).
5. Add minced garlic and pepper flakes and cook for another minute or so.
6. Add half the kale and cook until it starts to wilt.
7. Add tomatoes, broth, and 1/2 tsp. salt along with the remaining kale.
8. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook, tossing occasionally for ~15 minutes.
9. Stir in beans and olives.
10. Meanwhile, bring ~4L of water to a boil.
11. Add pasta and remaining 1/2 Tbsp. salt and cok, stirring often until molto al dente (slightly less done than al dente).
12. Reserve 1/2 c. of the cooking water.
13. Drain pasta and return to pot.
14. Add kale mixture and cook over medium heat, tossing to combine until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
15. Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan.
16. Adjust the consistency with the reserved cooking water as desired.
17. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
18. Serve with garlic chips and extra Parmesan.