It’s that time of the year where we only get to eat seafood and vegetarian on Fridays as per my husband’s religion… and so I’m whipping up this tasty vegetarian dish: creamy goat cheese pasta with kale sauce and luscious poached eggs!
It’s turning into spring, you guys! Okay so we did have snow last week. But yesterday it was 70 degrees out and we got to walk the dogs without bundling up for the first time in months and months. So that is a win in my book! To celebrate, I’m using delicious fresh kale today in this creamy goat cheese pasta with kale and poached eggs!
Related: Garlic Fried Eggs with Kale Pesto, Toast Points, and Bacon
Is there anything as beautiful as a freshly growing garden filled with lots of tasty veggies, fruits, and greens? I think not. I am super happy that it is turning into spring because I just can’t wait to replant our garden this year! And by “I just can’t wait”, what I really mean is I will force myself to wait until it’s post-last frost (unlike what I did last year when I got too overly excited, planted too early, and most everything died and had to be replanted. Whoops.)
Today’s recipe is a spin off of a traditional pesto, but instead of a true pesto with nuts, I’m adding cheese. Lots of glorious cheese! Cream cheese… and goat cheese… and Parmesan cheese, of course!
Related: Creamy Kale Pesto Bucatini with Prosciutto
This sauce is so fresh and full of that beautiful kale-y flavor. If you don’t love the flavor of raw kale, you could boil the kale first in the pasta water or sauté it in a pan with some salt, pepper, and minced garlic before adding it to the food processor to create your creamy sauce. The addition of the poached eggs on top gives yet another rich, luscious layer to the dish: and who doesn’t love that runny yolk on… just about anything?
Related: 5 Best KitchenAid Mixer Attachments You Need In Your Life Now
Now it’s your turn: what is your favorite type of pesto and what do you love to eat it with? Share with me by commenting below!
- 5 cups packed kale
- 1/2 cup parsley
- 4 ounces goat cheese
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound ditalini
- 4 eggs
- Bring a large covered pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Also bring a smaller saucepan filled with salted water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.
- In a food processor, combine kale and parsley. Pulse until finely and evenly chopped. Add goat cheese, cream cheese, heavy cream, water, lemon juice, parmesan, salt and pepper. Pulse until well combined. Sauce will seem slightly thick.
- Cook ditalini until al dente according to packaging instructions in large covered pot. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
- When ditalini is almost finished, poach eggs in the smaller saucepan for about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.
- Toss ditalini with a few splashes of pasta water and about half of the kale sauce until well combined, adding more sauce if desired. Serve pasta topped with one poached egg per serving.
