Power Up with This California Walnut & Kale Pasta from Sepps!
As we kick off 2025, an increasing number of people are embracing a plant-based lifestyle, and with health front of mind as we embrace a new year, it’s easy to see why.
To help get you off to a great start, and make those January meals more colourful, we have teamed up with award-winning plant-based influencer Sepps to create a recipe that will inspire you to stick with your plant-based goals. The California Walnut & Kale Pasta is not only vibrant and delicious but also packs a punch of essential nutrients to fuel you throughout the day.
Walnuts are a powerhouse to your daily diet, standing out as the only tree nut to contain a significant amount of the essential plant-based omega-3 that bodies need but can only get from food. Walnuts also offer 4.4g of protein and 1.4g of fibre[1], making them a delicious and nutritious choice to fuel your day.
California Walnut, Cavolo Nero & Kale Pasta
Ingredients
- 350 g dried pasta of choice
- 300 g kale or cavolo nero hard stems removed
- 250 g California Walnuts
- 200 g silken tofu
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- approx 100ml olive oil
- 1 large clove garlic sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
- chilli oil to serve
- 1/2 lemon to serve
Instructions
- Begin by soaking 200g of the walnuts in recently boiled water for at least 15 minutes.
- Blanche the kale or cavolo nero in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, remove from the water, rinse under a cold tap, remove the harder stems, and add to a high speed blender or food processor, setting aside 1/4 for garnishing.
- Also add the drained walnuts, silken tofu, parsley, olive oil, and a pinch of salt and blend until creamy. Set aside.
- Bring a pan of water to the boil, season with salt and cook the pasta until al dente.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan on medium heat, and add the sliced garlic, soften for 1-2 minutes. Add the remaining walnuts, breaking them apart with your fingers, and remaining kale. Fry for 2 minutes, then remove from the pan.
- Add the blended sauce to the pan along with the cooked pasta and mix everything all together, adding a ladle or two of pasta water if needed to help loosen the sauce.
- Plate up and garnish with the kale and walnut mix, finishing off with a drizzle of chilli oil and squeeze of lemon juice.
References:
[1] Food Standards Agency (2002), McCance & Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods, Seventh summary edition. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry
*Approx. a handful
