Pasta with Kale, Lentils, and Caramelized Onions

This healthy recipe is one of my husband's favorite dishes. The secret to this dish is the caramelized onions. They nicely balance the earthly, bitter flavors of the lentils and kale and sweeten the dish.

Although caramelizing onions can be a labor intensive, the the end product is worth the extra time.  I sometimes caramelize my onions on Sunday so I can add them to dishes throughout the week.  They can be stored in the fridge for 5 days.

Caramelized onions:

Ingredients:

• 2 medium-large vidalia onions (or other sweet onions), 2.5 - 3 cups finely chopped
• 4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 3/4 tsp. salt

Heat oil is a skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Combine onions with salt and pepper and saute for 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook onions covered, stirring occasionally, for approximately 20 minutes.  Covering the onions will prevent moisture from escaping, thus preventing the onions from burning or dying out.  After 20 minutes the onions should be soft and light golden. Remove lid, increase heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes stirring frequently. This is the final step in the caramelizing process. Cook onions slowly and add a little extra oil if they start to burn.

Pasta with Kale, Lentils, and Caramelized Onions:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup dried green lentils (can lentils can be used in a pinch)
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 3 cups water
• Caramelized onions (see above)
• 3/4 lb. - 1 lb. kale
• 3/4 lb. tubular pasta or rigatoni
• 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano cheese

Simmer lentils in water with 1/8 tsp. salt in an uncovered saucepan for 20-25 minutes until lentils are tender, but not falling apart. Add a little extra water to keep lentils covered while cooking if necessary.

Heat caramelized onions in a skillet until warm. Add lentils to onions and season with salt and pepper.

While lentils are cooking, remove the stems and ribs from the kale and coarsely chop the leaves. Bring salted water to boil according to pasta cooking instructions and add pasta. 7 minutes before the pasta is finished cooking, add the kale.  Cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta-cooking liquid, then drain pasta.

Return pasta and kale to the pan and add lentils and caramelized onions.  Add in 3 tbsp. oil, 1/3 cup of reserved liquid, cheese, and salt and pepper to flavor. Add more oil or cooking liquid as necessary.

A note on pasta: It is OK to substitute the pasta above with fusilli (spiral pasta), gemelli (s-shaped pasta), or ziti, but stay away from spaghetti and other strand pastas. The kale and lentils will not integrate well with the strand pasta leaving you with some bites with all pasta and other bites with lentils and kale.

A note on cheese: Although, nothing beats the sharp, nutty flavor of Parmigiano-Reggiano, this cheese can be expensive.  I sometimes cheap out and substitue Romano cheese for Parmigiano-Reggiano. The sharpness of Romano, makes it a better substitute than standard parmesan cheese.