Basil's Fresh Pasta with Marinara and Local Greens

Our good friends Patrick and Laura are opening a new restaurant here in the Boone area - Basil's Fresh Pasta and Deli. We were happy to test out some of Basil's fresh pasta before they opened their doors, so excited that we had it for dinner just as soon as we got home from picking it up! Patrick also gave us some of Basil's homemade marinara sauce to go along with the pasta, yum! Here's what we created with the fresh ingredients that were given to us:

*Disclaimer - Jacob cooked most of this meal, I'm just writing about it.*

The pasta we used came in sheets that are normally going to be sold as lasagna noodles.

We made our own pappardelle using this sheets but cutting the sheets into thick strips.

The greens were grown and given to us by Jacob's parents. Lots of their produce will be featured on this blog throughout the summer months - they have a huge garden! We started out with some home grown green onions, garlic, and olive oil.

Then we added some freshly picked kale. This kale was very young, so it was super tender and didn't have the same look as kale from the grocery store. Salt and pepper were added for taste once the kale cooked down a bit.

The master chef at work.

Since the pasta was fresh (versus dry), it only needed one minute of cooking in boiling water. Jacob ensured the water was well salted and oiled before dropping the pappardelle in.

Once the pasta was tender, the kale was sautéed, and the marinara was hot, they were all piled into a bowl and topped with a layer of freshly grated parmesan. Side note: if you don't have a microplane grater (shown here), you need to get one. They're so versatile and work so well for so many different things. You can find them here.

The pasta was wonderful! Fresh pasta has a wonderful flavor that dried pastas often lack, and the sheets of pasta (that could also be used for lasagna) are so versatile. You can create your own shapes and sizes, which I love.

We thoroughly enjoyed this meal. 

Basil's Fresh Pasta with Marinara and Local Greens Recipe:

Serves 4 as main dish

- 1 lb fresh pappardelle or fettucine 

- 2-3 tsp salt

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 4 cloves garlic, chopped

- 2 green onions, chopped

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- Salt/pepper to taste

- 6 cups roughly chopped kale, rinsed well (sometimes sand likes to linger in kale leaves)

- 2 cups (or one jar) of good marinara sauce (if you can't get homemade, classico is my favorite grocery store brand)

- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

- Bring a large amount of water to a boil (a dutch over would hold the preferred amount of water for 1 lb of pasta).

- Add 2-3 tsp salt and 1 tbsp olive oil to the water.

- Saute the garlic and green onion in the remaining olive oil.

- Once garlic and onions are tender and fragrant, add the kale. 

- Once the kale has cooked down, season with salt and pepper to taste.

- Heat the marinara in a small saucepan on medium/low until hot.

- Once the water is boiling, drop the pasta in and count to 60. The pasta should be done cooking after one minute (if it's fresh pasta). If you are using dried pasta, follow the package directions.

- Layer the pasta, kale, and marinara in a large serving bowl or platter and top with parmesan cheese

- Serve with crusty bread and a simple green salad! 

If you live in the Boone, NC area check out Basil's Fresh Pasta and Deli next week when they open!