Description
Ready in 15 minutes and less than 10 ingredients, this super simple lemon pepper spaghetti is inspired by classic cacio e pepe, plus plenty of kale.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups roughly chopped kale leaves (curly or lacinato kale)
- 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 1 ounce shaved pecorino cheese plus more for serving
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti until al dente according to package instructions.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the kale until the leaves just start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Continue cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute. Then add the lemon juice.
- Use tongs to transfer the spaghetti from the pot to the skillet with the kale. Toss to coat in the olive oil. Stir in the pecorino cheese.
- Divide onto serving plates or into bowls. Top with additional cheese before serving.
Notes
Once the pasta is finished, take a bite and add salt and pepper to your taste, if needed.
Substitutions: You can use linguini and Parmesan instead of spaghetti and Pecorino.
Keywords: lemon pepper pasta, lemon kale pasta