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Recipe

Kale and olive 'pesto' pasta with golden haloumi crumb

Prep time: 
15
Cook time: 
15
Skill level: 
Low
Serves: 
4, with extra pesto for another meal
A plate with yellow and white stripes on the border with a serving of kale and olive pesto bucatini with haloumi crumbs.

A weeknight pasta packed with goodness, including kale, chickpeas and sunflower seeds in the "pesto". (ABC News: Samantha Parish)

Samantha Parish

Samantha Parish is a cookbook author, food writer and recipe developer. She aims to make cooking easy, with a focus on maximum flavour with minimum fuss. She's currently based in Brisbane and is on Instagram @sam.parish.food

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Pesto is usually packed with delicious (but let's be honest, expensive) ingredients. This version — granted, not the most pesto'ey pesto — skips the big-ticket items but still delivers on flavour and texture.

Nutty sunflower seeds, salty green olives, creamy chickpeas, zesty sumac, and earthy cumin and coriander all come together with a whole bunch of kale. Because let's face it, no-one wants to be left wondering what to do with half a bunch (silly recipe writers).

This pesto packs a unique smack of flavour. Finished with golden, butter-basted halloumi, this is a plate of pasta you'll be going back for.

And since you've already committed to dragging out the food processor midweek (I know, cruel), rest assured you'll get your time's worth — this recipe makes double pesto.

Freeze leftovers for up to three months for another pasta night or store in an airtight container in the fridge, topped with a layer of oil, for up to two weeks. It's perfect wedged into sandwiches or spread on toast with eggs for brekkie.

Pasta ingredients including tinned chickpeas, bucatini, lemon, kale, sunflower seeds, sumac, cumin, butter, olives, garlic, h

Blitz the "pesto" in a food processor, boil the pasta and finish the dish with golden haloumi chunks. (ABC News: Samantha Parish)

Tips:

  • This pesto is nut-free! (And vegetarian.)
  • Green olives can be swapped for capers or another variety of olives — it's all about adding that salty punch we usually get from parmesan in traditional pesto.
  • Try swapping the spices for ras el hanout or shawarma spice mix to switch things up.
  • Want to make it vegan? Just skip the butter and halloumi at the end, and serve as is.
A round pan with a batch of vegetarian pasta with kale and olive peso and haloumi chunks. A container of leftover pesto nearb

This recipe makes enough "pesto" for another batch of pasta, which you can freeze. (ABC News: Samantha Parish)

Kale and olive 'pesto' pasta with golden haloumi crumb

Prep time: 
15
Cook time: 
15
Skill level: 
Low
Serves: 
4, with extra pesto for another meal

Ingredients

For the kale and olive pesto'ish:

  • ¾ cup (100g) sunflower seeds
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • ½ cup (125ml) olive oil
  • 1 bunch kale, stems removed
  • 1 tablespoon sumac, plus extra to serve
  • 200g sliced green olives, drained and rinsed
  • 400g canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
  • 3 garlic cloves

Everything else:

  • 50g butter
  • 180g halloumi, thinly sliced and slightly crumbled
  • 400g pasta (I used bucatini)

Method

  1. Make the pesto: In a large frypan over medium heat, toast the sunflower seeds, cumin, and coriander powder for 1–2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until aromatic. Add the olive oil and cook for another 2–3 minutes, until the sunflower seeds start to turn golden.
  2. Remove from heat and add the kale (be careful—it may sizzle). Fold the mixture to coat the kale, pressing it down as it will seem like a lot. Let sit for 5 minutes to slightly wilt the leaves.
  3. Set aside a spoonful of the sunflower seed mixture along with a few olives for serving. Transfer the rest to a food processor with the remaining pesto ingredients. Blitz until a pesto forms.
  4. Cook the pasta: Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and cook pasta according to packet instructions.
  5. Make the golden halloumi crumb: In the same frypan used for the sunflower seeds, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the halloumi pieces and crumbs and let cook undisturbed for 2 minutes, until starting to turn golden. Toss and cook for 4–5 minutes, turning often, until crispy and golden. Transfer to a heat proof plate, along with any buttery juices, and mix with the reserved sunflower seed mixture.
  6. Assemble: When the pasta is cooked, drain, reserving 2 cups of cooking water. Return the saucepan to medium heat and add 1½ cups of the pesto with the reserved cooking water. Bring to a simmer, then fold through the pasta until glossy and coated.
  7. Serve scattered with the golden halloumi crumb, reserved olives and a final sprinkling of sumac.
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