Do you like to celebrate Valentine’s Day? Even before I had small children dictating my life, I always preferred a low key at home celebration. A nice bottle of wine, a splurge-y item such as caviar, some good pasta, and a really amazing cookie or fancy chocolate bar is all I need to make the evening feel special. Since most of us will be home anyway, consider this simple and delicious pasta for your celebratory dinner. Whether your meal is between you and your best friend on zoom, significant other, or a delicious meal for one, treat yourself to something that makes you feel good this Valentine's Day, we all could use a little extra love right now.
I am a sucker for pasta any time of year but, cozy cheesy foods and winter just go hand in hand. To make this pasta more in the “feel good” arena, I loaded it with lots of kale, caramelized onions, and finished with an optional dusting of anchovy breadcrumbs. The recipe is limited to just a few ingredients and comes together effortlessly, which makes it a perfect option for an easy fool-proof Valentine’s dinner at home or a simple weeknight main.
For the pasta component, I used Sfogolini trumpets, but feel free to adapt to whichever your preferred whole grain, bean, or alt grain pasta brand may be. If you are on the fence about anchovies, don’t be. The anchovy breadcrumbs add a nice crunchy umami addition. If you are vegan/vegetarian you can leave out the breadcrumbs entirely or omit the anchovies for a simple garlic version.
caramelized onion and kale pasta with anchovy breadcrumbs
serves 4
Anchovy Breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 anchovies
1/8 teaspoon chili flakes
1/2 cup whole grain breadcrumbs ( I make my own from leftover bits of She Wolf bread that I toast and pulse in the blender until coarse)
Caramelized Onion and Kale Pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 bunches of kale, leaves removed from stem, stem chopped, leaves sliced (keep separated)
Salt and black pepper
12 oz of pasta (brown rice, quinoa, legume, or whole grain)
1/2 cup marinated goat cheese - I used this brand
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons lemon zest
To make the breadcrumbs, heat a medium-sized dutch oven or cast iron skillet over medium heat and warm 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the garlic, anchovies, and chili flakes and let the anchovies melt, about 1 minute. Stir in the breadcrumbs and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from pan and reserve for later. Wipe pan clean.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
In the same pan that was used for the breadcrumbs, warm another 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, a pinch of salt, and cook on medium low for about 20 minutes or until onions are deeply caramelized, stirring often. When onions are caramelized, add the pasta to the boiling water. While the pasta cooks, add the kale stems to the onions and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the kale leaves, a pinch more salt, and cook until kale is wilted and tender. Ladle 1/4 cup of pasta water to the kale and onion mixture and drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the kale mixture and mix well. Add most of the goat cheese, a few grinds of black pepper, and a swirl of olive oil. Transfer pasta to individual bowls and garnish with breadcrumbs (if using), parsley, lemon zest, and an additional crumble of the remaining goat cheese. Enjoy immediately.