Winter White Bean Kale Pappardelle Pasta

Winter comfort food pasta with fiber rich cannellini beans and kale topped with garlic butter mushrooms and bacon.

If you're looking for a new dish for pasta night this winter, this is your recipe. It uses beautiful, broad pappardelle noodles and pairs it with emerald Tuscan kale and butter garlic sautéed mushrooms. Oh, and there's bacon. I probably should have lead with the bacon. I'm over here like a fool: "HEY THERE'S KALE" Always headline with the bacon or cheese.

This one bowl pasta meal is the perfect dinner if you're craving salty and comforting. There are multiple salt-satisfying elements to the recipe. Bacon and parmesan cheese are the obvious salty topping additions, but the kale also gets steamed with chicken stock (pack in flavor where you can!) and the mushrooms are sautéed in bacon fat. That's why they're so delicious. I know not everyone is on the mushroom train, so if you're going to introduce them cooking them in bacon fat is likely going to help. 

When it comes to pasta, I'd say we eat it 'infrequently'. When I eat pasta I want it to be WORTH IT. I know many people default to pasta for dinners but it's usually in an effort to cook something in a rush that stands alone as an acceptable entrée. But with cooking in a rush, comes horking down said pasta in a double rush. (Side note: Is horking a word anyone else uses? Or is that one of those fake words my family uses as a descriptor that I say in public and people look at me like...'but is that English?'). What I mean to say is that pasta SHOULD be loved but when you have it put care into cooking it. Make big flavors. They can be simple, but season everything. Don't over cook the noodles. And most importantly, enjoy it. 

Winter White Bean Kale Pappardelle Pasta

Entrée: Serves 4

/// Ingredients /// 

• 4 strips bacon

• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 cup Hon Shimeji Beech mushrooms (or similar), cut from base so individual mushrooms
• 2 stems fresh rosemary + 2 teaspoons minced
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/8 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 pound chopped tuscan kale
• 1, 15 oz can of white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 pound pappardelle pasta
• kosher salt for pasta water
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• salt of choice for seasoning
• freshly ground black pepper
• sprinkle of parmesan cheese

// / Directions ///

Cook bacon until crisp. Set aside. Use 1 tablespoon bacon fat and 1 tablespoon of butter in a skillet. Heat over medium. Add mushrooms and stir once then leave them alone for several minutes until they begin to brown. Stir to flip to other side. Add 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, garlic and leave the mushrooms again for several minutes. When mushrooms are browned, remove mushroom mix from skillet and set aside. Use the same skillet and add kale with chicken stock. Cover and turn off heat. Let cook covered for 2-3 minutes until bright green and tender. 

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water for 6 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Drain pasta and drizzle with olive oil to coat. Add garlic mushroom mix and kale mix to pasta with white beans and bacon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and parmesan cheese. Chop fresh rosemary and sprinkle on top.