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Penne with Wilted Winter Greens, Feta, and Roasted Walnuts
Penne with Wilted Winter Greens, Feta, and Roasted Walnuts
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Simple weeknight supper recipe with penne, crunchy walnuts and wilted winter greens. Here’s your opportunity to become acquainted with some of those mysterious edible dark green leaves you are being told are so good for you. 

  • Servings: 3-4
  • Prep Time: 15m
  • Cook Time: 20m
Ingredients

1 cup walnuts

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

3 large bunches fresh greens, stemmed if necessary, and coarsely chopped (about 12 cups) such as kale, collards, mustard or chard

1/2 teaspoon salt (possibly more, to taste)

1/2 pound whole wheat penne

1 cup crumbled feta cheese (possibly more, to taste)

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
  1. Spread the walnuts on the tray of a toaster oven (I like to line mine with foil first) and bake at 250°F for 10 to 12 minutes (possibly longer, if you watch carefully to make sure they don’t burn). When they (and your entire kitchen) smell heavenly and deeply roasted, remove them from the oven and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle comfortably, chop them into smaller pieces. (Exact size and shape are up to you).
  2. Place a large (10- to 12-inch) heavy skillet over medium heat and wait for about a minute. Pour in the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the onion, turn the heat up, and sauté over high heat for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook, stirring often for another 5 minutes, or until translucent and soft.
  3. Add the greens in batches, sprinkling very lightly with some of the salt after each addition. As they cook, turn the leaves with tongs, bringing up the wilted ones from the bottom to the top of the pile.
  4. Meanwhile, put up a large pot of cold water to boil over high heat. Place a large colander in the sink. When the water boils, add the penne, keeping the heat high. Cook for the amount of time recommended on the package, checking it toward the end of the suggested time, to be sure it is not getting overcooked.
  5. When the linguine is just tender enough to bite into comfortably, but not yet mushy, dump the water-plus-pasta into the colander. Shake to mostly drain (it’s okay to leave some water clinging) then transfer it to the skillet of cooked greens. Use tongs to toss until everything is reasonably distributed, adding in the crumbled feta as you toss. Taste to adjust salt, if necessary, and serve hot, topped with walnuts. Pass a pepper mill for individual seasoning.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 563
  • Total Fat: 34 g
  • Saturated Fat: 6 g
  • Monounsaturated Fat: 9 g
  • Polyunsaturated Fat: 15 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Cholesterol: 17 mg
  • Sodium: 539 mg
  • Total Carbohydrate: 52 g
  • Dietary Fiber: 15 g
  • Protein: 19 g