White Baked Penne with Kale

QVC's In the Kitchen with David's Foodie Challenge: Kale 2014 Winning Recipe

1 small bunch fresh kale (about 1 lb or so), cleaned, with tough stems removed, and torn into bite-sized pieces
½ lb whole wheat penne, cooked and cooled
2 – 2 ½ cups ricotta
6 cloves garlic: 3 smashed, 3 minced; or more, if you like it
large handful of grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 egg
1 cup Locatelli cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp. olive oil
salt
pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/3 cup breadcrumbs

Season kale with salt, pepper, olive oil, and maybe some red pepper flakes. Cook in a large frying pan with about ¼ cup water and the smashed garlic cloves until tender. You may need to add more water, a little at a time, before it reaches tenderness. If there is a little water that is left when kale is cooked, save about ¼ cup of it. Leave the garlic in there, too. Allow kale to cool.

Preheat oven to 350°

Combine ricotta, minced garlic, tomatoes, egg, ½ cup of each of Locatelli and mozzarella cheeses, parsley, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Add kale and water (if any). Add pasta, and combine.

Put into a greased 9 x 13 oven-safe casserole dish. Top with rest of the Locatelli and mozzarella and breadcrumbs. Bake until bubbly and brown and crunchy on top. This should take about 25 – 30 minutes. If the casserole is getting hot and you’re afraid its getting too dry, but the top isn’t golden brown and delicious yet, put it under the broiler for a few minutes.

This is a good way to introduce someone to the deliciousness that is kale. You could probably substitute any green in this recipe, but kale is great!

-Elena