Time flies, doesn’t it? I prepared this pasta with collard greens and almond-olive relish, one of three meals in a Sun Basket delivery, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. That was 19 days ago. So much has happened since then and yet the memory is quite fresh.
In fact, it feels like just yesterday when I was chopping the almonds, rinsing the collard greens and cooking the pappardelle while Rookie watched on from the couch. The taste of the tangy relish and creamy ricotta still lingers on my tongue.
Pasta with collard greens is a simple yet satisfying dish that you can put together in about 30 minutes. And I imagine the recipe could easily be adjusted based on what’s in season. For example, in spring, you might use asparagus and leeks in lieu of the collard greens and red onion, and swap pistachios with almonds in the relish.
My mouth is already watering in anticipation of trying this alternative; it’s even a little motivation to stay strong in a time of uncertainty and press on to what lies ahead.
Special thanks to Sun Basket for sending me a two-person meal plan.
Recipe adapted from Sun Basket.
- ¼ cup Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped (see notes*)
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 5 ounces pappardelle
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ pound collard greens, ribs removed and leaves cut in half lengthwise and then crosswise into ½"-thick pieces
- ½ cup white wine (optional, see notes**)
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup ricotta
- In a medium bowl, combine all the relish ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1½ cups cooking liquid.
- In a large fry pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until caramelized, 8-10 minutes.
- Add garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute.
- Add collard greens, wine and ½ cup reserved cooking liquid. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Add cooked pasta to the fry pan and toss to combine. Add additional reserved cooking liquid if pasta seems dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately with ricotta and almond-olive relish.
**You can replace the wine with reserved cooking liquid.
The almond-olive relish is such a fresh twist. I love it!
Thanks, Megan! It’s delicious on salad, too. 🙂
Loving the relish and big pappardelle noodles! I haven’t made pasta besides fettuccine or spaghetti in a while, so I’ll have to do something like this soon!
The pappardelle was a nice change from what I usually use (short pasta), too. Enjoy, Mary!