Pasta with Kale, Kalamata Olives, Dried Cranberries, Toasted Garlic & Feta

Pasta with Kale, Kalamata Olives, Dried Cranberries, Toasted Garlic, & Feta. Whew, I am out of breath. I know, that is a really long name for a pasta dish, but I wanted to make sure I didn’t leave out any of the key ingredients. ALL of the ingredients in this pasta dish are stars!

This recipe comes from my fabulous sister-in-law, Whitney. When we went to California, she made us this dish and I immediately fell in love. We’ve been making it on a regular basis ever since. Whitney calls it “crazy spaghetti” and I think I know why because it is CRAZY good! Oh, and probably because Pasta with Kale, Kalamata Olives, Dried Cranberries, Toasted Garlic, & Feta is too long to say! Maybe I should stick with crazy spaghetti too!

I could eat this pasta dish every night. It is simple to make and the flavors are outstanding. You might question all of the flavors together, but after one bite, I guarantee you will be hooked like a worm on a fishing pole.The flavors work together in the most amazing way. The slightly bitter kale, sweet dried cranberries, salty kalamata olives and feta cheese mixed in with pasta just works! And don’t skip the toasted garlic on top, even if you claim to be a garlic hater, give the toasted garlic a chance in this dish. It’s awesome!

Go crazy tonight and make “crazy spaghetti” aka Pasta with Kale, Kalamata Olives, Dried Cranberries, Toasted Garlic, & Feta. This pasta dish is a staple in our home. We hope you like it as much as we do. Thanks Whit for sharing your c-c-crazzzzy good recipe!

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Vegetarian

Pasta with Kale, Kalamata Olives, Dried Cranberries, Toasted Garlic, & Feta

This pasta dish is also known as "crazy spaghetti" because it is crazy good-a family favorite!

4 from 2 votes

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Ingredients  

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 head garlic cloves peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise
• 1 medium red onion finely chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 large bunch of kale stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound spaghetti or other pasta we use whole wheat
• 1/2 cup Kalamata olives cut into slivers-pits removed
• 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese

Instructions 

• 1. Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook garlic, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer garlic with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Cook onion in the remaining oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add dried cranberries and cook until plumped, about 1 minute.
• 2. Add kale leaves into onion mixture with water and ¾ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook, covered, over medium-high heat until almost tender, about 5 minutes.
• 3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a pasta pot of boiling salted water until aldente. Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water and drain pasta.
• 4. Toss pasta with kale, kalamata olives, and ½ cup pasta water. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle feta cheese and garlic chips over the pasta dish and serve warm.

If you like this Pasta with Kale, Kalamata Olives, Dried Cranberries, Toasted Garlic, & Feta recipe, you might also like:

• Sweet Potato Cream Pasta with Crispy Kale from How Sweet It Is
• Lemony Kale Pasta from Annie Eats
• Whole Wheat Pasta with Fried Kale, Tomato Sauce, & Goat Cheese from Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Quinoa Salad with Sweet Potatoes, Kale, & Dried Cranberries from Two Peas and Their Pod