This Italian Kale Pancetta Pasta recipe is made with garden fresh vegetables, pancetta, Asiago cheese and fresh basil. Perfect for summer!
This post is sponsored by Wente Vinyards but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.
To say that I am busy is an understatement. My husband and I co-own a brewery where I help out with marketing, work bartending shifts, and I do some freelance photography.
All of that in addition to this blog - which is a full time job in itself. Basically, I've found myself working 4 jobs over the past 2 years.
I love it all but admittedly I need some time for myself every now and then. Summertime in my world is extra chaotic so this summer it's been a goal to make more time for my interests and hobbies.
One of my life-long passions is gardening. I learned to garden by watching my Dad and Grandma when I was young and it has stuck with me ever since. The best thing about gardening? The food you get to make with it - Like this Italian Kale Pancetta Pasta!
Wente Vineyards has been pioneering a #MakeTime movement - A movement that encourages people to make time in their chaotic schedules for themselves to do something they love.
The inspiration behind this 'Make Time' movement for the folks at Wente Vineyards has been their lifelong passion for music.
This passion for music has led to a 'Make Time For Music' initiative and includes a summer concert series at the Vineyard. Live concerts and excellent wine - Umm, where do I sign up?
This 'Make Time' initiative got me thinking about how I've always made time in my life for gardening no matter how hectic things have gotten. Gardening sort of brings me to my happy place. I don't even mind weeding - Actually, I enjoy it.
I love how a tiny little seed turns into a thriving plant over the course of the summer. I love how every year the garden is a little different depending on the weather and how much rain we receive.
I love the sense of accomplishment that comes from growing your own food.
And, of course, I love to harvest and eat what I've grown! Right now everything in the garden is popping. Our soil is happy this year, we've had plenty of rain, and the warmer temps are setting in.
One thing I plant plenty of is greens - This includes arugula, chard, collards, and kale.
During the summer I add greens to just about everything I make. Greens add such an earthy flavor to your food and they're super good for you.
I wanted to create a recipe that utilized those garden greens and complimented the flavor of this Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay.
The result was pure magic. This pasta is simple - The flavor comes from garlic, shallots, kale, pancetta, Asiago cheese, and fresh basil. It's smoky, salty, and a little rich.
It pairs perfectly with the light fruitiness and woody undertones of the Morning Fog Chardonnay.
This chardonnay is so smooth - there's almost a creamy, velvety quality to it. It stands up nicely to the vegetal flavor of the dark greens.
This wine was made for summer drinking (and eating).
Looking for more pasta recipes? Don't miss these!
- Chicken Marsala Pasta
- Vegetarian Mediterranean Pasta
- Lemon Leek Pasta
- Mushroom Olive Pasta
- Cauliflower Tomato Pasta
- One Pot Veggie Pasta
- Roasted Vegetable Pasta Bake
- Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs
What To Serve With Kale Pancetta Pasta
Mediterranean inspired dishes like this are great served alongside a healthy salad or roasted vegetables.
It's perfect with this Mediterranean Tahini Cauliflower, Roasted Green Beans, and Roasted Brussels Sprouts.
I love pasta with this Fresh Pea Mint Salad and Marinated Tomato Salad.
Wente Vineyards has a saying - 'We don't make wine because we have to, we do it because we love to'. That's exactly how I feel about gardening.
I don't have to garden - I can buy all my produce at the grocery store, or at a farmer's market, or by signing up for a CSA.
But, there's no substitute for the satisfaction that comes from growing your own food. I could work 100 jobs and I would still make time to garden.
Especially when it allows me to make delicious pasta dishes like this!
Looking For Side Dishes To Serve With This Pasta? Don't Miss These!
Roasted Beet Salad
Watermelon Olive Salad
Kiwi Spinach Salad
Kale Pancetta Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 package gluten free short pasta or any pasta if not gluten free
- 1 3 oz. package pancetta can use bacon if you prefer
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 shallots
- 3-4 cups chopped fresh kale
- 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- ½ cup Asiago cheese can use Parmesan
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
- ¼ cup reserved pasta water
- kosher salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Mince 6 cloves of garlic and 2 shallots.
- Cut package of pancetta into small cubes.
- Chop 3-4 cups of fresh kale and ½ cup of fresh basil.
- Boil 1 package of gluten free short pasta such as farfalle, penne, or elbows (or any short pasta if not gluten free) according to package instructions. Drain (reserve ½ cup of pasta water) and set aside.Cook the gluten free pasta just until al dente. Gluten free pasta can become mushy if overcooked.
- Heat a skillet to medium. Add the chopped pancetta to the pan once it has heated (should be hot enough to sizzle). Cook the pancetta for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside (keep the grease from the pancetta in the pan).
- Add the garlic and shallots to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. The garlic and shallots will brown a bit.
- Add the chopped kale to the skillet along with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes on medium, stirring often. Deglaze the pan with a little water or cooking stock if necessary. The kale will cook down quite a bit.
- Add the cooked pasta (can use as much or as little as you like) to the pan along with ½ cup of the reserved pasta water. Add 1 Tbsp. of butter to the pasta and kale mixture.
- Serve the pasta by garnishing with the cooked pancetta crumbles, a generous amount of Asiago (or Parmesan) cheese, and a handful of chopped basil.
Katie Crenshaw
This recipe looks amazing. Your pictures are beautiful. I love Wente Wine!!!
Carl Smith
I love this recipe! (It's well more than 118 kcals though!)
Christine
Hi Carl - So glad you enjoyed it! I'm not sure why my recipe card doesn't calculate this one correctly (I tried to re-calculate multiple times). I entered all the into into another nutrition generator and it looks like one serving is actually 533 calories. So, yes, way more than 118! 🙂
Carl Smith
Ps pancetta is bacon Italian style - cut from the belly and salt/dry cured (it can be smoked or unsmoked)